PhD in Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services

The doctoral degree in horticultural biology draws on faculty in Ithaca and at the experiment station in Geneva. Research centres on fruits, vegetables and landscape plants and on the food systems and green spaces that depend on them. Students sit a qualifying exam in the fall of year two, a candidacy exam that spring, and defend a dissertation in the spring of year five. One semester of teaching assistantship is required. A special committee of faculty guides each student, and progress is tracked through milestones set by the Graduate School and the field. Applicants should look closely at faculty research interests before applying, because the fit between a student's goals and the available mentors shapes the whole experience. Details of the field and its requirements are published in the university catalog.