Application Deadlines:
January 15* / February 1 (for Fall Admission)
Notification of acceptance/denial after April 15
August 1* / September 1 (for Spring Admission)
Notification of acceptance/denial after October 15Application and instructions are available online at http://www2.hawaii.edu/graduate/
*Foreign applicantsProgram Description
The Botanical Sciences (Botany) Graduate Program resides in the College of Arts and Sciences (Natural Sciences) and offers MS (Plan A and B) and PhD degrees in Botanical Sciences. The Botany Graduate Program offers training in a wide range of botanical specialties, although emphasis is placed on terrestrial and marine plant ecology, evolution, and systematics. The Hawaiian Islands are home to many rare, endemic plant species, and the Hawaiian Islands provide a unique environment for studies of island evolution, conservation biology, ethnobotany, tropical plant ecology, and alien plant invasions.
A wide range of taxa are studied by faculty and students in the Botany Graduate Program, including marine and terrestrial angiosperms, algae, fungi, and ferns. Environmental gradients are ubiquitous throughout the Hawaiian Islands and provide excellent opportunities to study physiological ecology, adaptation, and genetic differentiation. Many students learn and apply techniques for DNA analysis to address questions relating to plant ecology, population genetics, evolution or species hybridization. Students can also receive advanced training in molecular systematics and evolution.
Separate Graduate Programs having to do with Plant Molecular Biology
and Plant Pathology reside in the College of Tropical Agriculture, and
students interested in these programs should request application materials
directly from these programs.
The Botany graduate program builds on a solid foundation of knowledge in the general field of botany. Applicants will generally be expected to have a full-term college or university course (or equivalent training) in each of the following subject areas:
Program Requirements - General
Prior to advancement to candidacy for the MS or PhD degree, the student must submit a written document (usually a paper written for a course) that demonstrates to the satisfaction of the student's interim committee that he/she has the ability to collect, analyze, integrate, and communicate scientific information effectively in the English language. A further requirement for all graduate degrees is proficiency in presenting seminars. Ordinarily, a student must enroll in at least two BOT 610 seminars in order to demonstrate this proficiency. In addition, MS Plan A and PhD students must present two public seminars. The first required seminar outlines the background of a research problem and the student's proposed research program. The second required seminar, at the conclusion of the program, describes the research results and conclusions, at which time the student is examined by the thesis or dissertation committee. The final examination for MS Plan B students includes the presentation of a public seminar summarizing the results of one of their directed research studies.
Plan A (thesis) and Plan B (non-thesis) are separate MS programs with distinct purposes. Before admission to candidacy, the plan that a candidate intends to follow must be declared and approved. Plan A is the usual program to be taken by candidates. Plan B is offered for students who do not intend to make research in botanical sciences their profession. The Plan B program emphasizes teaching and technological aspects of the botanical sciences.
Graduates with an MS degree have found employment in the areas of private and public research, land management, conservation, education, and business. Many students opt to continue their studies in the Doctoral program at UHM or elsewhere.
MS Plan A (Thesis)
Course requirements
At least 30 credit hours total
12 credit hours towards thesis research
18 credit hours of courses approved by the candidate's committee.
MS Plan B (Non-thesis)
Course requirements
At least 30 credit hours total
18 credit hours in Botany, or an approved related field, in courses numbered 600 or above.
At least 6 (but not more than 9) of the Botany credits must be for directed research in aspects of botanical sciences chosen by the candidate in consultation with his or her committee
The PhD is offered for students who intend to make research and/or university teaching their profession. Students in the PhD program acquire the skills and knowledge needed to propose, conduct, present and publish independent, innovative research in the botanical sciences.
Recipients of the PhD degree often gain employment with government agencies, with private consulting firms, or with conservation organizations. Many PhD recipients accept university post-doctoral research positions. Others obtain teaching positions at colleges and universities.
PhD Requirements
Working knowledge of an approved foreign language or other skill that will be useful in the student's research (e.g., computer programming). Suitability of the language or tool is determined by the graduate faculty according to the student's area of specialization, and proficiency is usually determined by examination or satisfacory completion of a specific course of study.
The student must pass a comprehensive examination that is solely oral or both oral and written, administered by the candidate's committee, plus any members of the graduate faculty who wish to attend. The candidate is examined in general botany as well as in-depth areas of the botanical sciences that have been previously agreed upon by the student and the committee.
The student must complete and defend a dissertation consisting of an original contribution based on independent research. It is initiated by the preparation of a critical review of the literature that becomes the basis for a dissertation proposal. Dissertation research for the PhD degree is carried out in an aspect of botanical sciences for which a member of the graduate faculty will accept responsibility as committee chair.
See also Program Requirements - General for additional requirements.
Advising
Graduate advising is handled by an appointed interim committee of three faculty who advise the student until he or she is ready to propose a permanent advisory committee.
Cost of Enrollment
Tuition for full-time graduate students during 2001-2002 is $2,088 per semester for residents, plus $66.20 in general service fees. Non-resident tuition is $5,088 plus $66.20 in general service fees per semester. All tuition and fee charges at the University of Hawai‘i campuses are subject to change in accordance with requirements of State law and/or action by the Board of Regents or the University administration.
Financial Support
Teaching assistantships are open to students accepted in either the MS or the PhD program. Teaching assistantship appointments include a tuition waver. Nine month stipends start at $13,830 for assistants with a Bachelor degree and $14,958 for assistants holding a Masters degree. Applications for teaching assistantships are due February 1 for fall semester and September 1 for spring semester (January 15 and August 1, respectively for foreign applicants).
Research assistantships are available in association with particular fields of study, and usually include a tuition waver. Research assistantship positions are usually made for 11 months. Stipends start at $16,176 for assistants holding a Bachelor and $17,496 for assistants holding a Masters degree. Application deadlines are the same as for teaching assistants.
Students with interests in ecology, evolution and conservation biology are encouraged inquire about possible support an program opportunities through the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate (EECB) Specialization Program. Information concerning this program may be found at: www.hawaii.edu/eecb
Institute. Inquiries should be directed to the Office of Admissions, East-West Center, Honolulu, HI 96822
Tuition wavers may be available for students who do not receive teaching or research assistantships. Applicants will be asked if they wish to be considered for these at the time of admission.
Facilities
The Botany Department offers a variety of facilities for general use in graduate research, including greenhouse space, growth chambers, an electron microscopy suite, dark rooms, an herbarium, and on site computers for data processing, graphics, word processing, and email. Although the Botany Department attempts to support computer use and access for students, it cannot guarantee continuous computer access for all graduate students; therefore, students are encouraged to provide their own computers and may need to use general campus computing facilities during times of heavy demand in Botany. For more detailed information on Botany Department facilities, see the Facilities Guide.
Affiliations
National Parks Service, Cooperative Park Studies Unit - studies conservation problems is Hawaii's National Parks.
Harold L. Lyon Arboretum - studies on tropical plants, propagation of rare Hawaiian plants
Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Graduate Specialization Program (EECB): fosters interaction between students and faculty in Botany, Zoology and other departments who have common interests; promotes research and training.
Kewalo Marine Laboratory - urban marine laboratory with flowing seawater, tanks and collaborating research laboratories.
Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology - studies on marine algae and other marine plants
Arrangements may also be made for research at the following sites:
