Known as the scientific study of plants, Botany is an academic discipline of utmost ecological as well as economic importance. While a BSc in Botany provides you with an introduction to the world of plant science, a masters degree in this field can equip you with the intensive knowledge required to pursue the vast arena of scientific research in this discipline. This blog aims to provide you with the major sub-disciplines covered under MSc Botany syllabus and what they are comprised of.

MSc Botany

An MSc Botany is generally a two-year postgraduate program that aims to delve deeper into the intricate subjects of plant biology. This course covers an extensive range of disciplines about the study of plants, fungi and algae including growth, structure, properties and biochemical processes. MSc Botany syllabus is constituted of both theoretical as well as practical structure which encompasses laboratory work, workshops as well as encourages students to pursue research in this field. 

MSc Botany Syllabus: Major Topics Covered

MSc Botany Syllabus mainly consists of core and elective subjects spread across the varied aspects of this vast scientific discipline. Though the syllabus of this program might vary from one university to another, we have listed down some of the major topics covered in MSc Botany below:

MSc Botany Syllabus in Detail

Now, let’s elaborate these sub-disciplines in a detailed manner to understand what they entail:

Phycology

Also referred to as Algology, Phycology is a subdiscipline of Botany that focuses on the study of algae. In the aquatic ecosystem, algae are important as primary producers. Algae have a pivotal role in ecology as they are a vital element of food chains, especially in the planktonic forms. Further, in coastal areas, there are several large species of algae that are used as supplement food sources by humans. Studying Phycology under the MSc Botany syllabus, you will learn about the different forms of algae organisms such as eukaryotic, prokaryotic as well as photosynthetic along with their role in ecology.

Microbiology

Another subdiscipline added under the MSc Botany syllabus is Microbiology. It is the study of various microscopic organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses, archaea and fungi. In Microbiology, you will be studying about physiology, ecology, cell biology, evolution, clinical aspects of microorganisms, including host response to these agents

Also Read: BSc in Microbiology syllabus

Plant Anatomy and Developmental Biology

Plant Anatomy is defined as the study of the detailed structure of plants comprising of leaf, stem, roots, flowers and fruits, whereas Development Biology focuses on how multicellular plants are developed from a single zygotic cell. This sub-discipline mainly assesses how the development of a plant takes place and how the different biological processes facilitate its growth.

Bryophytes, Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms

Bryophyta is the most primitive class which have a dependent flagellated sperm and sporophyte and are suitable for fertilization and dependent on external water medium. Pteridophytes is a class of fern plants and are of higher order composed of an independent sporophyte. Gymnosperms are the nonflowering seed-bearing plants which get adapted to terrestrial environments in order to survive in harsh weather conditions.

Mycology and Plant Pathology

Mycology is defined as the study of fungi, how they interact in different environments as well as with other organisms. Moreover, Plant Pathology is the science of plant diseases. Mycolofy and Plant Pathology are an incremental part of the MSc Botany syllabus as one focuses on the structural and behavioural aspects of fungi while the other narrows down on the several features, factors and causes of diseases in plants and the methods of managing and controlling plant diseases.

In MSc Botany Syllabus, students studies about plant pathology which covers various aspects, factors and causes of diseases in plants and what are the methods of managing and controlling plant diseases.

Palaeobotany and Palynology

Palaeobotany is the study of fossil plants which are found in the layers of earth and in certain kinds of rocks. It is the most complicated sub-discipline studied under the MSc Botany syllabus as fossil plants are difficult to obtain in the layers of the earth and hence analysing them becomes quite a rigid procedure. Palynology is a scientific discipline concerned with the study of pollen grains and spores which are usually found in geological and archaeological deposits.

Phytochemistry and Pharmacognosy

Phytochemistry is a combined subfield of Botany and Chemistry. It is the study of chemicals derived from plants which are also called phytochemicals. These phytochemicals are utilised by plants to safeguard themselves from insect attacks and diseases. On the other hand, Pharmacognosy is a related field of Phytochemistry and is concerned with the study of plants or other natural sources which are used as a possible source of drugs and medicines.

Microbial Biotechnology

The use of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and viruses) to obtain an economically valuable product or activity at a commercial or large scale is called Microbial Biotechnology or Industrial Microbiology.

Also Read: Be an Innovator- Start your career in Biotechnology

Computer Applications and Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics applications are associated with the amalgamation of mathematics, biology, computer science, and statistics for depicting and determining biological data. Bioinformatics develop biological software and algorithms for computers in order to record and analyse data related to biology. 

Top Universities for MSc Botany

The table list down the Postgraduate Botany Courses abroad in top-ranked universities with their corresponding total fees structure:

Top Colleges in India

The chart given below depicts the Top institutions in India which offers MSc Botany with their corresponding total fees structure:

MSc Botany Syllabus: Types of Job Roles as Botanist

Botany as a career has various job roles. It depends upon the factors like the educational qualification of the candidate, interest, pay scale, and job location. A botanist can choose from below mentioned positions: 

Ecologist 

An ecologist works on discovering environmental threats to plants and trees and acts towards climate control & protection of plant species. An ecologist conducts scientific investigations, classifying plants and different organisms, etc. The average salary of an Ecologist ranges around INR 3,00,000 – INR 8,00,000 yearly. 

Florist

The florist is responsible for processing flower shipments, pruning the flowers at periodic intervals, and composing marketable bouquets. He is a person who also deals with floristry in the sale of flowers and plants like bouquets and wreaths. The average salary of a florist botanist ranges from INR 1,50,000 – INR 4,00,000 yearly.

Taxonomist

Taxonomy is a process of classifying plants on the basis of various physical and biological characteristics of plants. A taxonomist identifies and classifies plant species. He decides a way out to classify them, explores how they work into their ecosystems & categorizes their relationships with different species.  The average salary of a Taxonomist ranges from INR 2,40,000 – INR 5,00,000 yearly.

Researcher 

The researcher works in laboratories and gets involved in performing experiments with different varieties of plant species. The average salary of a botanist researcher ranges from INR 4,00,000 – INR 8,00,000

Agriculturalist

An agriculturalist develops and produces disease-resistant crops for consumption by humans and also finds pest & weed control solutions for crops. He is mostly trained in the areas like crop specialization, animal specialization, farm management specialization, and Biotechnology specialization. The average salary of an agriculturalist ranges from INR 2,40,000 – INR 6,00,000. 

Top Recruiters

Here are some of the top recruiters for for the position of a Botanist:

• Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy,
• Forest Research Institute,
• Wildlife Institute of India,
• Union Public Service Commission,
• GBPIHED Recruitment For Research Associate (Botany),
• Bombay Natural History Society is one of the organizations that hire a botanist.

Thus, we hope that this blog helped you understand the varied concepts and disciplines covered under the MSc Botany syllabus. If you are planning to pursue a Masters of Science in Botany but don’t know where to begin, take the help of Leverage Edu’s AI tool to browse through the postgraduate degrees offered in this field across the globe and it will help you narrow down suitable combinations of a course and university that can equip you with the ideal knowledge and exposure into this field of Life Sciences.