We conduct academic, extension and research programs in agricultural and natural resource plant sciences, at facilities in Knoxville and several Research & Education Centers throughout Tennessee.

		News & Happenings:  Holiday Express at the UT Gardens November 25 through January 3.Ten garden-scale model trains, thousands of lights and a miniature landscape featuring rivers, waterfalls and more than 100 buildings decorated for the season will delight visitors during the holidays at the UT Gardens. The event kicks off November 25 and new this year will be appearances by Santa every weekend in December before Christmas.  December 2009 New Racheff Internships Announced! This is internship is designed for the student just completing the bachelors degree at UTK and whose near-to-medium term goals potentially include  going to graduate school for an advanced degree. The intern will perform independent research aimed towards peer-reviewed publication.           December 2009 UT Gardens Partner with Dogwood Arts Festival for Community-wide Dogwood Tree Plantings. The Dogwood Arts Festival, select area garden centers, and local tree enthusiasts are teaming up to inspire the public to “dig in for a Bazillion Blooms,” the Festival’s first-ever, county-wide dogwood tree planting program. November 2009 A China-US topical workshop, organized and led by Plant Sciences' Dr. Neal Stewart, was held Nov 16 -17 in Knoxville. This group met under the auspices of the China-US Joint Center for Ecosystem and Environmental Change, with members including the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), Purdue, ORNL, and UT.                    November 2009 The Gardens Of England and Ireland Come on this journey as we travel from the U.S. to beautiful Ireland and England and explore the wondrous gardens of the region. Students will also gain an appreciation of how these gardens have evolved. Contact Garry Menendez                  November 2009 Congratulations Gary Bates! The native warm-season grasses publication Dr. Bates co-authored received a Gold-High Distinction award for excellence from the Southern Extension Forestry Resources community.                  November 2009 Spotlight on Innovative Faculty Garry Menendez records his lectures in a Landscape Graphics course where the live video of his drawing is projected on a big screen during the class. Menendez has his video lectures converted to podcasts and posted on iTunesU.                  November 2009 Organic Farm offers internships to students.The UT Department of Ag is looking for five interns for the 2010 spring semester.The paid internship will be nine months long. Interns are required to make a 16-hour commitment per week to farm and market.                  October 2009

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One of seven departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, we offer curricula leading to the:
     Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Plant Sciences
     Masters of Science degree with a major in Plant Sciences
     Doctoral degree with a major in Plants, Soils and Insects.

  Undergraduate concentrations include:
    Landscape Design & Construction
    Public Horticulture
    Turfgrass Science & Management
    Bioenergy
    Biotechnology
    Horticulture Science & Production

Graduate students may specialize in a wide variety of disciplines; see individual faculty pages for current research projects and faculty specialties. Concentrations for PhD students in Plant Sciences include:
    Crop Sciences
    Horticulture
    Plant Improvement
    Plant Biotechnology
    Weed Biology

        Examples of jobs obtained by our graduates
        Current and recent graduate students
        Courses:   Undergraduate   Graduate

Our extension programs cover the areas of weed science, ornamental horticulture, turfgrass management, and the production of vegetables, fruit, cotton, cereals, grains and forage.

Our research programs also embrace these areas, with investigations covering the broad spectrum of molecular, genetic, physiological and field studies. We invite you to visit the homepages of our research and extension faculty to learn more about ongoing programs.