Field Botany students.

Program Overview

Quick Facts

  • Delivery: On Campus
  • Credits: 120
  • Only Concentration of Its Kind in the Region
  • Diverse Field Botany Coverage
  • Training Outdoors

Plants are the primary energy source for virtually all other species on Earth. Plants also define the habitat for most species on land. A greater understanding of field botany is necessary to address global problems such as environmental degradation, increasing species extinctions, and the need to produce more food for a growing human population.

As a field botany student, you will study plants as well as fungi and algae to gain a strong understanding of the field. You will receive training in the biology and conservation of native and regional flora. In addition to traditional classroom experiences, you will also find many opportunities for practical experiences through participation in faculty-directed research, internships, or career-related summer employment. Your degree will open the door to a number of careers including agricultural jobs and graduate programs.

Meet the Biology Faculty Who Teach in this Concentration

Research Opportunities

Ball State’s field botany faculty are more than teachers—they are also active researchers that regularly invite students to work alongside them.

Some of the research projects our students have assisted with include:

  • conservation of plant diversity
  • plant community ecology
  • floristic inventories of natural areas
  • vegetation monitoring in response to fire management
  • systematic botany
  • climate and pollution stress effects on forest communities
  • landscape analysis of regional plant communities

Botany Resources

As a Ball State student, you will have access to a number of resources on and off campus to conduct botany research both in the classroom and out in the field.

  • Don and Brenda Ruch Herbarium – This collection, located in the Foundational Sciences Building, serves as a growing repository of 20,000+ samples of plant matter for research and analysis.
  • Rinard Orchid Greenhouse – This on-campus greenhouse houses nearly 2,000 orchids and tropical fruit-bearing plants, making Ball State University the home of the largest university-based orchid collection in the United States.
  • Christy Woods and the Teaching and Research Greenhouse – This 17-acre area is located on the southwest end of campus to give students hands-on experience studying, testing and growing local and exotic flora.
  • Additionally, six properties in the area provide dozens of acres of wetlands, tallgrass prairies, forests and agricultural fields to visit for teaching and research.

Small Class Sizes

Our low student-to-professor ratio and small class sizes give you daily contact with professors in lecture, laboratory and out in the field, plus the individualized attention you need to excel.

The concentration in field botany fulfills part of the requirements that lead to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree with a major in biology. All biology majors must also complete the biology core curriculum and the University Core Curriculum.

Credits Required

Total to Graduate: 120

  • Biology Core Curriculum: 37-38
  • Field Botany Concentration: 29
  • University Core Curriculum: 66-70

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Do you want to learn more about our program or have questions about the application process or financial aid? We’re here to help! One of the best ways to understand why Ball State is right for you is to schedule a visit through our Office of Undergraduate Admissions to see it for yourself. Or if you’d like to speak directly to someone in our department, please feel free to call or email us.

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