Plant Sciences Major, BS in Plant Sciences – Plant Genetics and Biotechnology Concentration

uTrack Requirements

Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students.

Term 1

• ENGL 101 - English Composition I 3 Credit Hours * (or equivalent)
• PLSC 180 - Landscape Design/Performance/Function 3 Credit Hours *
• BIOL 115 - Introductory Plant Biology Laboratory 2 Credit Hours

•  

• ⁷ Select one course:

• BIOL 113 - Introductory Plant Biology I 3 Credit Hours *
• BIOL 114 - Introductory Plant Biology II 3 Credit Hours *

•  

• ¹ Select one course:

• AGNR 100 - Student Success in the Herbert College of Agriculture 1 Credit Hours
• AGNR 103 - Introduction to Teambuilding 1 Credit Hours
• FYS 101 - The UT Experience 1 Credit Hours

•  

• Choose separate lecture and lab or honors lecture/lab combined:

• CHEM 122 - General Chemistry I 3 Credit Hours * and
• CHEM 123 - General Chemistry I Laboratory 1 Credit Hours *

• or

• CHEM 128 - Honors: General Chemistry I 4 Credit Hours *

Term 2

• ² Quantitative Reasoning  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ⁶ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours
• ⁸ Expanded Perspectives  Elective 3 Credit Hours *

• ENGL 102 - English Composition II 3 Credit Hours *

•  

• Choose separate lecture and lab or honors lecture/lab combined:

• CHEM 132 - General Chemistry II 3 Credit Hours * and
• CHEM 133 - General Chemistry II Laboratory 1 Credit Hours *

• or

• CHEM 138 - Honors: General Chemistry II 4 Credit Hours *

Term 3

• Oral Communication  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ² Quantitative Reasoning  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ⁵ Plant Sciences Elective 3 Credit Hours

• PLSC 210 - Horticulture: Principles and Practices 3 Credit Hours *

•  

• Select one course:

• PLSC 320 - Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology I 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 321 - Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology II 3 Credit Hours

Term 4

• ² Engaged Inquiries  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ^2,8 Expanded Perspectives  Elective 3 Credit Hours *

• ESS 231 - Fundamentals of Soil Science 3 Credit Hours
• ESS 232 - Fundamentals of Soil Science Laboratory 1 Credit Hours

•  

• ³ Select one course:

• AREC 201 - Economics of the Global Food and Fiber System 4 Credit Hours *
• ECON 201 - Introductory Economics: A Survey Course 4 Credit Hours *
• ECON 207 - Honors: Introductory Economics 4 Credit Hours *

Term 5

• ⁶ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours

• PLSC 330 - Plant Propagation 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• EPP 313 - Introductory Plant Pathology 3 Credit Hours
• EPP 410 - Diseases and Insects of Ornamental Plants 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 473 - Weed Management  

•  

• ² Select one course:

• PLSC 115 - Plants That Changed the World 3 Credit Hours
• Global Citizenship – International  Elective 3 Credit Hours *

•  

• Select one untaken course from Menu B:

• EPP 313 - Introductory Plant Pathology  3 Credit Hours
• EPP 321 - Introductory Entomology 3 Credit Hours
• EPP 410 - Diseases and Insects of Ornamental Plants  3 Credit Hours
• EPP 411 - Forest Insects and Diseases 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 438 - Turfgrass Pathogens and Management 2 Credit Hours
• PLSC 443 - Turfgrass Entomology 2 Credit Hours
• PLSC 456 - Turfgrass Weed Science 2 Credit Hours
• PLSC 473 - Weed Management 3 Credit Hours

Term 6

• ⁶ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours

• CHEM 260 - Foundations of Organic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 453 - Introduction to Plant Breeding 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• ESS 334 - Soil Nutrient Management and Fertilizers 3 Credit Hours
• ESS 454 - Environmental Soil Biology 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course from Menu A:

• PLSC 410 - Nursery Management and Production 3 Credit Hours *
• PLSC 415 - Agroecology 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 430 - Greenhouse Management 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 434 - Fruit and Vegetable Crops 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 435 - Field and Forage Crops 3 Credit Hours

Term 7

• ⁶ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours

• PLSC 331 - Calling BS: Interpretation and Reasoning Using Data in the Modern World 1 Credit Hours
• PLSC 452 - Plant Biotechnology and Genetics 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 461 - Statistics for Biological Research 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 470 - Professional Practices for the Green Industry 1 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• PLSC 492 - Internship in Horticultural and Plant Sciences 1-3 Credit Hours (3 hours)
• PLSC 499 - Undergraduate Research Participation 1-3 Credit Hours (3 hours)

Term 8

• ⁶ Directed Electives 7-8 Credit Hours

• PLSC 333 - Plant Physiology and Nutrition 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• ⁴ Unrestricted Electives 4 Credit Hours
• Written Communication  Elective 3 Credit Hours *, if needed

Total Credit Hours 120

Footnotes

1. Required of freshmen only; requirement is waived for transfer students.
2. Chosen from the Volunteer Core * list after consultation with an advisor. Students must meet the Written Communications * requirement by selecting a course with a WC designation.
3. AREC 201 * or ECON 201 * or ECON 207 * satisfies the Volunteer Core  Social Sciences * requirement and the major requirement for economics. If the student transfers ECON LD for 3 credits, it will satisfy the major requirement for economics but will not satisfy the Volunteer Core  Social Sciences * requirement. In these cases, the student should take two courses from the approved Volunteer Core  Social Sciences * list.
4. Any courses not already required for the major.
5. Chosen from any Plant Sciences courses not already required for the major.
6. Directed electives are courses that generally support and enhance a student’s academic goals. These multidisciplinary courses were chosen to provide students the opportunity to develop basic and advanced skills beyond Plant Science’s core requirements. The Plant Sciences Undergraduate Program Committee periodically reviews this list to identify appropriate courses for each concentration. If students believe that a course not on the list would meet this objective, they may propose this to their academic advisor to review before the start of the semester in which the student wishes to take the course. Additionally, any component of an Entrepreneurship (ALEC 240 *, ALEC 340 *; AREC 212 , AREC 342 *, AREC 442 *; ARTD 451 , ARTD 452 ; BUAD 103 ; DSGN 130 *, DSGN 430 *; ECON 331 ; EF 130 , EF 400 ; ENT 350 , ENT 410S , ENT 415 , ENT 425 , ENT 451 , ENT 460 , ENT 485 ; MARK 462 ; ME 457 ; MUSC 305 ; RMM 411 , RMM 412 ), Business Administration (ACCT 200 , ACCT 207 ; FINC 300 ; MARK 300 ; MGT 201 , MGT 300 ; STAT 201 *), or Entomology and Plant Pathology Minor(s) (EPP 123 *, EPP 201 *, EPP 210 ) are acceptable.
   Chosen from any Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology; any Biosystems Engineering; any Biosystems Engineering Technology; any Business Analytics and Statistics; Chemistry; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Management; Marketing; Microbiology; Physics; Spanish; Statistics; 200-level and above from Biology, Business Administration; 300-level and above from Agricultural and Resource Economics, Environmental and Soil Sciences, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Forestry, Plant Sciences; BULW 301 ; ENGL 295 *, ENGL 360 *; EPP 201 *; FINC 300 ; GEOL 201 , GEOL 202 *; JREM 450 *, JREM 451 *, JREM 456 ; PLSC 250 , PLSC 275 , PLSC 320 , PLSC 321 , *, SOCI 360 *, SOCI 363 *. AGRI 1030 taken at a Tennessee Board of Regents community college, or as a part of Statewide dual-credit (SDC) which transfers to UTK as PLSC LD, is acceptable for (3) credit hours in this category. The directed electives category can also be fulfilled by the completion of any university approved minor taken at The University of Tennessee.
7. This requirement will be met if a transfer student transfers in any Biology class(es) with lab totaling at least 4 credit hours.
8. Selected from any of the following designations: Arts and Humanities *, Applied Arts and Humanities *, Global Citizenship – International *, Global Citizenship – US *, or Social Sciences * (Applied Arts and Humanities * (AAH) courses allow students to learn by doing through performances or creative activities).

* Meets Volunteer Core Requirements .