Graduate Study
Welcome! The faculty of Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences
welcomes your interest in our department. We are a comprehensive,
multi-disciplinary department whose research and graduate training
programs emphasize the biogeochemistry and sustainability of
forested, wetlands, horticultural, and agricultural ecosystems.
Areas of emphasis for graduate work include nutrient dynamics in
natural and agricultural ecosystems, soil chemistry and plant
nutrition, horticulture, soil microbiology, crop physiology,
diversified cropping systems, weed ecology and management, wetlands
ecology, crop genetic resource conservation and management, and
plant pathology.
Thesis problems may be
developed in a wide range of subject areas within the broad
disciplines listed above. Past research topics investigated by our
former graduate students can be found in the
PSE Thesis Directory.
Our past graduate students are in diverse set of positions which
include, but not limited to:
| ► Ph.D. Programs |
► Cooperative
Extension |
| ► Support
Scientists |
► Assistant Professor |
| ► Goat Cheese
Maker |
► Farming |
| ► Environmental
Consultant |
► Ecological Survey Team
|
| ► Journalist |
► Post-doctoral Associate |
| ► Agricultural
Institutes |
► High School Teacher |
The department has a
strong role in the University of Maine's Sustainable Agriculture
program and Potato Ecosystem Project, Ecology and Environmental
Sciences Program, as well as the Horticulture Graduate Program. Facilities are available
for laboratory, greenhouse, farm field, forest stand, and
watershed-scale research.
Graduate students
working in the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences
can earn the Master of Science degree through degree programs in
Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences;
Horticulture; Ecology and
Environmental Sciences; and Resource Utilization. The Doctor of
Philosophy degree can be pursued through programs in Ecology and
Environmental Sciences, Forest Resources, Plant Biology, and
Biological Sciences. Several of our faculty have cooperating
appointments in other departments, providing some of our students
with additional degree options.
Graduate training
programs in the department are built from foundations in soil
science, agronomy, plant physiology, ecology, microbiology, plant
pathology, and statistics. Prospective graduate students should have
completed course work in chemistry, mathematics, and biology, and in
subject matter areas closely related to interests of the student and
her/his advisor.
A limited number of
half-time departmental assistantships, involving both teaching and
research, may be available. Additional opportunities for
assistantship support are associated with faculty working on
extramural grants and research contracts. We accept applications for
the M.S. in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences degree at any
time during the year.
|
Suggested
Process for Pursuing Graduate Study in PSE |
| 1.
Prospective graduate students are urged to identify faculty
who might serve as their major advisor for their graduate
degree research based on shared interest in a research area. A
list of PSE faculty and their interests can be found on the
Research Areas page. Contact information can be found, as
well as more detailed information about their interests, on
their individual pages. |
| 2.
Contact the faculty member(s) that share research interests
with you by email or telephone. |
| 3.
Inquire the faculty member(s) about the availability of
assistantship support. Prospective faculty advisors should be
able to provide you with information regarding the potential
availability of support. |
| 4.
Officially apply for admission to the Graduate School. |
Specific questions
graduate studies in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Environmental
Sciences may be obtained from
Dr. Tsutomu
Ohno (Graduate Coordinator for PSE). Applications for
admission can be obtained on-line from the
Graduate
School or by contacting them at: 5782 Winslow Hall,
University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5782, U.S.A.; Telephone
207-581-3219; Fax 207-581-3232; email:
graduate@maine.maine.edu). When completed, the
application should be sent to the University of Maine Graduate
School. Applications should indicate the specific graduate program
and the department (Plant, Soil & Environmental Sciences) the
applicant seeks to enter.
Details regarding
requirements about our M.S. in Plant, Soil, and Environmental
Sciences and M.S. in Horticulture can be found in our
Guidelines for
Graduate Study (revised May 2005).
