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

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

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)
• BIOL 115 - Introductory Plant Biology Laboratory 2 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• PLSC 180 - Landscape Design/Performance/Function 3 Credit Hours *
• ² Arts and Humanities Elective 3 Credit Hours*

•  

• ⁵ 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 (QR)  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ⁴ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours
• ^2,6 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

• ² Oral Communication (OC)  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ² Quantitative Reasoning (QR)  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ³ 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 (EI)  Elective 3 Credit Hours *
• ^2,6 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

•  

• Select one course:

• AREC 201 - Economics of the Global Food and Fiber System 4 Credit Hours *
•  ² Social Sciences Elective 3-4 Credit Hours *

Term 5

• ⁴ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours

• PLSC 330 - Plant Propagation 3 Credit Hours *
• ^8,9 Select one course from Menu B or C 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 3 Credit Hours

•  

• ² Select one course:

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

Term 6

• ⁴ Directed Elective 3 Credit Hours

• CHEM 260 - Foundations of Organic Chemistry 3 Credit Hours
• ⁷ Select one course from Menu A 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• PLSC 453 - Introduction to Plant Breeding 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 423 - Genome Engineering and Gene Editing of Plant Cells 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

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

Term 7

• ⁴ Directed Elective 5 Credit Hours

• PLSC 452 - Plant Biotechnology and Genetics 3 Credit Hours
• PLSC 461 - Statistics for Biological Research 3 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

• ⁴ Directed Electives 7-8 Credit Hours
   

• Select one course:

• PLSC 333 - Plant Physiology and Nutrition 3 Credit Hours *
• BCMB 321 - Introductory Plant Physiology 3 Credit Hours

•  

• Select one course:

• Unrestricted Electives 4 Credit Hours
• ² Written Communication (WC)  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. 
3. Any Plant Sciences courses not already required for the major.
4. 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 Sciences 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, 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 minor or a second major/dual degree at the University of Tennessee. Choose Any Herbert College of Agriculture Course 200-level and above not required for major or concentration, excluding VolCore requirements, Any Architecture, Art Museum and Curator Studies, Biology, Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, Business Analytics and Statistics, Business Administration, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Management, Geography, Geology, Marketing, Microbiology, Physics, or Statistics 200-level and above.
5. This requirement will be met if a transfer student transfers in any Biology class(es) with lab totaling at least 4 credit hours.
6. Selected from any of the following designations: Arts and Humanities (AH) , Applied Arts and Humanities (AAH) , Global Citizenship - International (GCI) , Global Citizenship - United States (GCUS) , or Social Sciences (SS) . (Applied Arts and Humanities (AAH)  courses allow students to learn by doing through performances or creative activities).
7. Menu A: PLSC 410 , PLSC 415 , PLSC 430 , PLSC 433 , PLSC 434 , PLSC 435 , PLSC 455 , PLSC 491  
8. Menu B: PLSC 438 , PLSC 443 , PLSC 456 , PLSC 473 ; EPP 313 , EPP 321 , EPP 410 , EPP 411 .
9. Menu C: PLSC 423 , PLSC 426 , PLSC 452 , PLSC 453 , PLSC 454  

* Meets Volunteer Core Requirements .