How to Become a Botanist?

Flowers are adorable in nature and spread sweet fragrance rejuvenating our mind and soul. Spending time with mother nature through gardening and planting trees is quite a soothing endeavour to pursue and one can pursue it as a hobby or turn it into an interesting profession. You might notice various gardens around you that house enchanting flowers and trees and provide a natural yet surreal view to the human eye. But do you know planting flowers at spacious areas takes countless efforts of a professional botanist who goes an extra mile with their researching skills to study how a plant grows in its natural habitat. Yes, we witness mesmerising botanical gardens which are engulfed with aromatic flowers and trees. The credit of their lush beauty goes to botanists who skillfully nurture them with utmost care and dedication. In this blog, we will explore the career path of a Botanist, top courses and universities as well as job prospects in Botany. 

Who is a Botanist? 

Botanists are those scientists who have expertise in studying plant growth, the flowering of plants, their structure, evolution as well as uses. They are experts in plant taxonomy, plant ecology as well as chemical biology of a plant and carry out in-depth research and scientific innovation pertaining to plant photosynthesis, evolution as well as the medicinal value of varied types of plants. In an exciting field like this, you can explore a multitude of career opportunities as a botanist. Nowadays taking environmental importance into prior consideration, there are various Government organisations across the globe stressing on the importance of environment and planting of trees and flowers. Therefore, there is a dire need for botanists in the contemporary times to save the environment from further degradation.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Botanist

A professional botanist plays a pivotal role in maintaining environmental health by planting more and more flowers and plants. They make sure the evolution and structure of the plant are in proper condition. Here is a list of roles and responsibilities carried out by a botanist:

• Conducting extensive research in plant evolution and its food processing. 
• Using computer models in order to analyse how biomass in a given region can be managed. 
• Coming up with proper strategies to tackle biomass catastrophes like droughts, fires, floods and superstorms. 
• Ensuring the quality of soil, water and air is properly meeting the plant expectation. 
• Assessing the overall impact of pollutants on plant mass in an environment.
• Lead research projects and consultation projects with university authorities, researchers, consultants and environmental based companies. 

Required Skills 

In order to pursue the career path of a botanist, here is a list of some of the essential skills you must have:

• Keen interest in plant evolution and development. 
• Understanding of mathematics, chemistry as well as biology in relation to botany
• Strong analytical skills. 
• Communication Skills
• Computer aptitude skills. 
• Problem-solving skills. 
• Teamwork and Patience

Popular Courses 

As an aspiring botanist, one can find a diverse range of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate as well as doctoral level. The diversity in the courses at a different level provide considerable opportunities to students understanding the plant evolution and its dynamism in-depth.

Bachelor’s Level Courses 

B.Sc. Botany	Bachelors of Science in Plant Science	Bachelors of Science (Honours) in Plant Science
Bachelors of Science in Botany	Bachelors of science computational science and plant science	Bachelors of Biomedical Science in Plant science
Graduate Certification in Science (plant breeding innovation)	Bachelor of Science in plant biology	Bachelor of liberal arts and plant production
Bachelor of Science and bachelors of laws in plant production	Bachelor of Natural Environment and Wilderness Studies – Plant Ecology	Bachelor of Arts and Science – Botany

Master’s Level Courses 

Master of Science in Plant Breeding	Ethnobotany in  MSc	MSc in Botany
Master of Science in Botany and Plant Pathology	Master of Science in Botany	MSc in Plant and Fungal Taxonomy Diversity and Conservation
MSc in Sustainable Plant Health	MSc in Plant Diversity	MSc in Plant Pathology
MSc in Biodiversity & taxonomy of plants	MSc Plant and Fungal Taxonomy, Diversity and Conservation	MSc Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement

Doctoral Level Courses

PhD in Plant Sciences	Doctor on Philosophy in Plant science	Doctor of Philosophy in Botany
PhD in Botany	PhD in Agri Bioscience	PhD in Animal and Plant Science
Doctor of philosophy in plant biology and plant pathology	PhD in Molecular Plant Sciences	PhD in plant diversity and taxonomy

Top Universities Offering Botany Courses

A wide range of academic institutions around the world offer programs in Botany at degree as well as diploma level. Below mentioned are some of the top universities offering above-mentioned courses as well as immense exposure in this field for those aspiring to become a botanist:

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• University of Kent
• The University of Queensland
• The University of Adelaide
• The Australian National University
• University of Florida
• University of Maine
• University of Hawaii – Manoa
• Queen Mary University of London
• The University of British Columbia
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Glasgow
• University of Nottingham
• University of Cambridge
• University of Leeds
• University of Oxford
• University of York
• Aberystwyth University
• Purdue University 
• University of Utah
• University of Oklahoma

Job Prospects for Botanists

With increasing advancements in science and technology, the field of plant biology has gained a tremendous impetus. A lot of students are showing their desire to explore the varied range of careers available in Botany. Equally, there are prestigious companies in the globe offering lucrative job prospects and a plethora of options to students having a degree in Botany. There are environmental organisations, Government companies, park rangers as well as top scientific-based research centres hiring Botanists on a good package. The following list will provide you with a holistic understanding of job profiles a botanist can opt for. 

• Plant Physiologist
• Ecologist
• Weed Scientist
• Taxonomist
• Horticulturist
• Biophysicist.
• Mycologist
•  Fruit Grower
• Palynologist
• Plant Biochemist
• Researcher 
• Palaeobotanist
• Cytologist
• Morphologist
• Plant Geneticist

With a plethora of options in terms of lucrative job prospects and prestigious universities, the field of botany is expanding unstoppably. A lot of botanists are making inroads with their remarkable contribution. If you have a knack of becoming a botanist, an in-depth understanding of plant biology, analytical skills and good knowledge of chemistry will help you achieve the milestone. Still pondering how to go ahead with this career path and which program to pursue in Botany? Sign up for a 30-minute free counselling session with our Leverage Edu experts and we will help you in finding a suitable course and university that fits your interests and skills and helps you sail towards a rewarding career in Botany.