A close-up of the bright red buds and flower of Calliandra haematocephala.

Any student enrolled in a UW–Madison doctoral program can pursue a doctoral minor in botany. The doctoral minor offers training in the field of botany and can be tailored to a student’s specific interests. A doctoral minor in botany is an excellent way to gain a fundamental breadth of understanding of the basic properties of plant life. 

Graduate students who wish to pursue an Option A external minor in the botany department should consult a faculty member within botany (their potential minor professor) or the chair of the botany graduate committee. Courses are chosen in conjunction with the chosen botany faculty member who serves as the minor advisor, and the student's departmental advisor. A student may earn a doctoral minor in botany with 9 credits minimum in botany, including a seminar course, while in residence at UW–Madison. All 9 credits are either exclusively graduate-level botany courses numbered 700 and above or courses numbered 300 and above and identified as designed for graduate work. Directed study courses do not count toward the minor.

Faculty: Professors Ane, Baum, Cameron, Emshwiller, Gilroy, Givnish, Hotchkiss, Maeda, Otegui, Pringle, Spalding, Sytsma; Associate Professor McCulloh; Assistant Professor Keefover-Ring; Affiliate and Adjunct Faculty: Amasino, Damschen, Spooner, Wiedenhoft, P. Zedler