The interdepartmental graduate program in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences offers graduate work leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree with specialization in Crop Science, Environmental Science and Ecosystem Ecology, Horticultural Science, Plant Biology, Plant Pathology, and Soil Science.
With this degree, students will acquire an extensive knowledge of the sciences and technology, and the literature and current concepts, that support research, education, and technological innovation in our option areas to help meet current challenges of food security and environmental sustainability. They will develop skills such as experimental and analytical methods; computer programming; diagnostic skills; predictive skills; and/or teaching within our option areas. They will demonstrate their expertise and competency in communicating their ideas, and critical and analytical thinking in research, education, outreach, and science advocacy via peer-reviewed publications and presentations to various audiences (e.g., scientists, growers, the general public, and policy makers). Graduates will acquire expertise, stature, competency, attitude, ethics, and an understanding of the responsible conduct of research in order to pursue careers such as science and education, production agriculture, agricultural and environmental policy making, industry, and/or public services.
Graduate faculty belong to the Departments of Forestry and Natural Resources (https://forestry.ca.uky.edu/), Horticulture (https://www.uky.edu/hort/), Plant Pathology (https://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/), and Plant and Soil Sciences (https://pss.ca.uky.edu/) in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Financial aid and the research interests of participating faculty can be found on the websites of the participating departments.
For general information on electives and potential courses, visit: https://ipss.ca.uky.edu/
Incoming students are informed of the graduate-school and program-specific academic policies at an orientation held before classes begin each fall. A handbook is also on the IPSS website.
Admission Requirements
All students with strong training in science, including but not limited to baccalaureate degrees in agronomy, biology, chemistry, and horticulture are encouraged to apply. Admission to the IPSS Program is competitive and based on the applicant’s undergraduate and graduate records, statements of interest, and letters of recommendation.
Applicants must have an identified research advisor prior to admission to the program.
It is expected that applicants will meet the minimum standards established by the University of Kentucky Graduate School.
Applicants will automatically be considered for departmental research assistantships, which are awarded on a competitive basis.
So that all entering Ph.D. students are at an academic level to successfully complete course requirements, the following courses or their equivalent should have been completed prior to admission: (1) Chemistry – a first semester course in organic chemistry (equivalent to CHE 230); (2) Calculus – a first semester course (equivalent to MA 123 or MA 113) and (3) Physics – a first semester course (equivalent to PHY 211).
For PhD students with a specialization in Soil Science, the following additional preparation is suggested: (1) Chemistry – Analytical Chemistry (equivalent to CHE 226) and Organic Chemistry (equivalent to CHE 230); (2) Introductory Soil Science with a lab (equivalent to PLS 366) and at least two additional soils courses; (3) Biology, two courses in basic biology (equivalent to BIO 148 and BIO 152) and two additional courses in crop science, plant biology, or microbiology; and (4) Statistics, including regression and experiment design (equivalent to STA 570 - BASIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS and STA 674 - REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS ). Students are expected to make up deficiencies in these courses within one year of enrollment.
Degree Requirements
For the Ph.D. degree
For the Ph.D. degree, all students must follow the current requirements of the University of Kentucky Graduate School related to credits, residency, examinations, and good academic standing. Additionally, they must:
- Create a discipline-specific committee (consistent with Graduate School Requirements – 4 members for the PhD Program), and an individualized program of study within one year
- Successfully complete an oral and written qualifying exam
- Successfully defend the dissertation, present an exit seminar, and submit an approved dissertation.
Additional course work may be required by the student’s dissertation committee. Details regarding the curriculum, program areas, and areas of specialization can be found in the student handbook.
Graduate students in IPSS have flexibility in designing course work to suit individual goals but are expected to demonstrate competence in basic areas of plant and soil science and excellence in their chosen area of specialization as demonstrated by novel research leading to a published peer-reviewed manuscript.
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