VSU Adding Plant Science Program

A new master’s degree program in plant science will begin at Virginia State University in the fall.

Plant science graduate students will learn concepts and research methods in field and horticultural crops, soils and natural resources, as well as study plant life from the molecular to the ecosystem level. They’ll get experience at VSU’s 416-acre Randolph Farm, which has 130 acres of irrigated cropland, 18,500 square feet of greenhouse and high tunnel facilities, and in laboratories.

The program will prepare students to advance to a doctoral program in Life Sciences and Agriculture that the university hopes to start in 2010, said Conrad Gilliam, chairman of the Department of Agriculture and Human Ecology.

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