Entering graduate students are expected to have successfully completed undergraduate work in chemistry, physics, mathematics, botany, microbiology, soils, and genetics. Qualified students who lack prerequisite courses will be admitted with the understanding that deficiencies will be made up and will not carry graduate credit. Teaching experience of one semester for the M.S. and two semesters for the Ph.D. is required.
Research is the most important part of the graduate learning experience.
Thesis or dissertation research topics are designed to familiarize students with applied or knowledge-driven basic research and provide them with maximum opportunity to use contemporary techniques and instrumentation. Each student, in consultation with a major advisor and advisory committee, plans an individual program of study, which must be approved by the student's advisory committee. Core and supporting courses will vary according to the student's background and area of desired specialization. Research laboratories within the department and facilities available at the university contain a wide range of specialized equipment and glasshouses for conducting cutting-edge research in the departmental disciplines. Field plots are located a few miles away on a 1,600-acre research farm and at the nearby Turfgrass and Glade Road Research centers.