Chair's Welcome Statement
Welcome to the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences! We specialize in the environmental compartments that support healthy and sustainable environments at the most fundamental level. We work across agricultural fields, wetlands, urban forests, coastal communities, and beyond to investigate current and emerging issues in soil and plant health in a changing climate.
Healthy soils are essential for both sustainable agriculture and other natural resources and our programs on nutrient cycling and management, soil microbiomes, and soil fertility address issues at the core of maintaining a balanced foundation of plant life and environmental quality.
Above ground, we explore critical issues in plant production, health and disease; sustainable crop management; food security; the application of plants in biotechnology and biomedical advancements; and ecosystem dynamics, conservation, and restoration in natural and built landscapes. Our landscape architecture program brings nature and human society together to enhance human well-being and ecosystem function with an interdisciplinary program on the resiliency and stability of Delaware’s coastal communities.
Beyond the student experience, our extension specialists are continuously engaged with Delawareans to bring advancements in soil sustainability, crop management, plant disease, and weed science to the fields and landscapes that rely on them to support the State and Region’s agriculture, food security, and natural resources.
Our department enjoys two beautiful locations on UD’s Newark and Georgetown campuses, housing 350- and 467-acre research farms, respectively. Newark’s south campus includes a working organic farm, UD Botanical Gardens, an expansive greenhouse complex, wetlands, ecology woods, and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.
Beyond campus, many of our classes venture across the DelMarVa peninsula, which offers some of the most beautiful agricultural and natural areas on the East Coast. We also offer a study abroad program that explores the biologically diverse and culturally rich beaches, mountains, and rainforest of Brazil. From microbes to changing landscapes, our department has so many exciting experiences to share with students, and we welcome everyone to come and explore the world with us.
Introduction to our programs
Our department offers diverse hands-on experiences for students whose interests range from keeping their boots dirty in the field to using precision laboratory technologies to designing landscapes that enhance society’s connection to the natural world while restoring and bolstering ecosystem services. We use state-of-the-science technology coupled with our incredible facilities to advance precision agriculture, improve plant cultivation in open and controlled spaces, track environmental nutrient cycling, advance sustainable soil practices, improve surface water quality, untangle plant molecular processes, and expand the use of plants in biotechnology and biomedical research. These opportunities prepare students for diverse careers in agriculture, horticulture, natural resource management, biotechnology, biomedical research, and landscape architecture.
Our graduates go on to work exciting careers in the agricultural, government, industrial, non-profit, and academic sectors, delivering high-quality impacts across the world.
Undergraduate programs
Our undergraduate programs include a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science, a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA), a minor in landscape horticulture, and a minor in environmental soil science.
All our programs provide extensive hands-on and engaged learning experiences in the fields on and off campus, as well as extensive community and stakeholder engagement in our BLA program. In addition to participating in our study abroad program in Brazil, a number of student clubs and activities provide significant learning opportunities outside the classroom and laboratory, including our award-winning soil judging team and Philadelphia Flower Show competitions.
Our undergraduate students have a diversity of internships available to help them find a career path that best fits their interests, including opportunities in urban forestry, agroecology, precision agriculture, hydroponics, biotechnology, plant pathology, and much more!
Graduate Programs
We have a vibrant graduate program that reflects the diverse, internationally renowned expertise of our faculty. We offer Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees with concentrations in Plant Science and Soil Science.
Many of our faculty also work across interdisciplinary programs and support graduate students pursuing graduate degrees in Water Science and Policy and Plant and Soil-based Microbiology.
Our graduate students are supported through competitive funding opportunities as well as offered teaching assistantship opportunities. We support graduate student attendance at national and international professional conferences. Our graduate students publish their research in high-impact journals and move on to successful careers in research, academia, industry, and across state and federal government.