The Plant Biology Department offers a thesis-based program toward a Ph.D. or M.S. in Plant Biology. This program provides training in basic scientific research in diverse aspects of plant biology, including developmental genetics, molecular regulation of gene expression, cell biology, plant-microbe interactions, ecological genomics, systematics and biogeography, and ecology of plant population and community dynamics. Students in this research-oriented program complete rotations in at least two laboratories before settling in the lab where they complete their thesis research. Most graduate students in the Plant Biology program earn a Ph.D. though exceptional candidates seeking an M.S. are also accepted.

Graduate students become members of a collegial academic community where they are trained to become cutting-edge researchers and effective educators in the plant sciences. In addition, the University of Vermont has a vigorous research community in the life sciences, allowing students to interact and collaborate with colleagues across campus.