UGA Graduate School - Degree Programs: Toxicology: Plant Pathology (MS)

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Toxicology: Plant Pathology (MS)

Degree: Interdisciplinary Degrees

Plant Pathology offers three graduate degree programs: M.S., Ph.D., and a professional Master of Plant Protection and Pest Management (M.P.P.P.M.). The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are traditional academic degree programs preparing scientists for positions in academe, government and the private sector. The M.P.P.P.M. degree is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary nonthesis degree program in plant protection, designed to produce graduates with a sound academic background in plant pathology, entomology, weed science and crop fertility. The goal of this program is to help students acquire the academic and technical skills to develop integrated plant protection systems for rural and urban environments.

The Department emphasizes quality graduate education in the classroom, laboratory and field. Students receive excellent training in bacteriology, epidemiology, genetics, host-pathogen interactions, mycology, nematology, molecular biology, pest management and virology. Many faculty include basic and applied aspects to their program so the student is exposed to the many facets of plant pathology. The faculty maintains high standards and works closely with students to provide maximum individual attention. Students must be highly motivated and committed to understanding how basic biological principles are applied to the science of plant pathology so diseases can be understood and managed. In return, students can make significant contributions to agriculture, industry, science and society.

School/College	College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Conner Hall Athens, GA 30602-7501 Phone: 706/542-3924
Academic Department	Plant Pathology Miller Plant Sciences Building Athens, GA 30602-7274 Phone: 706/542-1259

Contacts
Graduate Coordinator	Brian S. Cummings	706/542-3792
Plant pathology offers three graduate programs: MS, PhD, and a professional Master of Plant Protection and Pest Management degree (MPPPM). The department has a strong tradition in scholarship and has an international reputation for research on diseases of apples, cotton, cowpeas, peaches, peanuts, pecans, small grains, soybeans, tobacco, and vegetables. Currently, active research and teaching programs are being conducted in all major areas of plant pathology involving many different crops. The MS and PhD degrees are traditional academic degree programs which demand creative scholarship, technologic skill, and philosophic soundness. These programs emphasize the development of scientists who have the ability to fill positions of leadership in teaching, research, and administration. To achieve such goals of excellence, the student must be highly motivated and must make a commitment to the understanding of plant pathology so that biological principles can be developed and applied. Students may specialize in general plant pathology, mycology, bacteriology, nematology, virology, physiology, genetics, or epidemiology. The MPPPM program is designed to produce graduates with comprehensive, multidisciplinary training in plant pathology, entomology, and agronomy. Doctoral research skills requirement: one of the three following options, with a decision of which option to require being left to the discretion of the student's advisory committee, (1) statistics, (2) computer science, and (3) reading knowledge of a foreign language. The Department of Plant Pathology has faculty located in Athens, Tifton and Griffin. All three locations are well equipped with modern instrumentation, greenhouses, and other facilities for graduate research. Land for field studies is located at main and branch experiment stations at several locations throughout Georgia in different climatic regions and major crop growing areas. A Plant Disease Clinic operated by the Extension Plant Pathology Department is used to give students practical training in disease diagnosis and control. Prospective students who are interested in financial aid should file an application with the department; they will be considered for any Graduate School, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or department assistantship for which they are eligible.
Degree	Code	Course Descriptions
MS	924	Find Courses

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