About the Department
Penn State’s hub for advancing the understanding, management, and use of plants.
The Penn State Department of Plant Science is a national leader in teaching, research, and extension programs. Our small-school atmosphere provides a warm, welcoming, intellectually stimulating, and professional environment.
Our undergraduate program currently offers three four-year majors: Plant Sciences, Landscape Contracting, and Turfgrass Science. We also offer a two-year program in Golf Course Turfgrass Management, online turfgrass degrees, and certificates, and minors in Agronomy, Arboriculture, and Horticulture.
Facilities to support our teaching efforts include more than 37,000 square feet of greenhouse space and growth chambers, a 650-acre agronomy research farm, a 100-acre horticulture research farm, the 26-acre Valentine Research Farm for turfgrass, and two landscape design studios. Faculty at the Berks campus also teach horticulture courses and advise potential Plant Sciences, Turfgrass, and Landscape Contracting students. Our Undergraduate Advising Center provides students with individual counseling and facilitates the transition of students from other Penn State campuses to University Park. Students also have access to international study tours, internships, and undergraduate research opportunities, and the department offers more than $125,000 in scholarships annually.
Our graduate program includes Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Agricultural and Environmental Plant Science, and an online Master of Professional Studies degree in Turfgrass Management. The department participates in three intercollege programs (Ecology, Molecular Cellular and Integrative Biosciences, and Plant Biology). Opportunities exist for international study and research experience.
Research activities span the entire range of the plant sciences, including plant molecular biology, plant genetics and breeding, plant physiology, ecology, agronomic and horticultural crop production and marketing, and postharvest handling.
Research information generated on campus and at our three Research and Extension Centers located in Biglerville, Landisville, and Northeast is made available to Pennsylvania residents through our extension programs. Extension specialists, along with county educators, transfer science-based information through educational meetings, extension bulletins, newsletters, and websites. The Penn State Extension Master Gardener program is administered by our department with more than 2,300 trained volunteers in 58 counties to educate the public on best practices in consumer horticulture and environmental stewardship.
Meet our faculty, staff, and students, and see why we are one of the premier plant science hubs in the country.
Mission Statement
The Department of Plant Science’s mission is to enhance our understanding and management of agronomic and horticultural crops and managed landscapes that are the foundation for managed ecosystems, food and fiber production, landscapes, and environmental quality to enhance human environments. We educate students regarding stewardship of these systems, helping to prepare them for fulfilling private- and public-sector employment; we discover answers to complex problems that threaten sustainable land use and food production through science-based research; and we communicate our research findings through scholarly publications and relevant outreach programs to enhance the quality of life for residents of Pennsylvania and the world.
Vision Statement
The Department of Plant Science will lead in the development and application of science-based knowledge for understanding and managing diverse and sustainable landscapes and agroecosystems that protect ecosystem functions and community well-being. We will be universally recognized for teaching programs that educate future decision makers and managers in industries involving plants. We will continue to respond to developing problems, but we will seek to be forward looking and proactive in the stewardship of natural resources. To accomplish this vision, we must expand multidisciplinary teams to address critical regional, national, and international needs. We strive to evolve our learning and outreach activities to address current and future economic, social, and technological developments and maintain an active dialogue with managers of rural and urban landscapes.
Core Values
- Excellence, creativity, and productivity in the scholarship of resident and distance education, research, and extension/outreach
- Openness and respect in a work environment that values everyone as unique individuals and promotes professional and personal growth and development
- Interdisciplinary collaboration and communication to enhance and disseminate knowledge related to plants and solve problems for the common good
- Commitment to recognize, investigate, and address important emerging issues raised by our stakeholders
Latest News
September 25, 2023
College of Agricultural Sciences names 2023 Harbaugh Scholars
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded three faculty members with funding to support the development of innovative course curricula through the college’s Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.
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September 25, 2023
Penn State Golf Turf Conference set for Oct. 10-12
The Penn State Golf Turf Conference, slated for Oct. 10-12 at Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus, will feature sessions on golf course management, a turfgrass job and internship fair, and the Watschke Scholarship Golf Tournament.
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September 12, 2023
USDA grant to fund research on ‘farm tuning’ cover crop mixtures
With a new $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Carolyn Lowry, a plant scientist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, will lead a research team designing cover crop mixtures that are more effective at providing an array of ecosystem services.
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August 25, 2023
Select microgreens in custom diet may help deliver desired nutrients
A diet including a carefully selected assortment of microgreens may help address an individual’s nutritional deficiencies, according to a Penn State researcher who led an international team that evaluated the mineral content in young specimens of 17 different plant species.
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Upcoming Events

Fall 2023 Plant Science Seminar Ramin Samieifard
September 29, 2023
205 Ferguson Bldg.

Fall 2023 Plant Science Seminar Jill Hamilton
October 6, 2023
205 Ferguson Bldg.

Fall 2023 Plant Science Seminar Armen Kemanian
October 13, 2023

Fall 2023 Plant Science Seminar Sohini Guha
October 20, 2023
Department of Plant Science
Address
102 Tyson BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802