What will I learn?
A Botany degree will provide you with basic training in plant biology and evolution, ecology and physiology, marine botany, mycology, plant diseases and biotechnology.
You will also gain important skills that are transferable to any career: critical thinking, written and oral communication, information analysis and interpretation, time management, problem solving, and lateral thinking.
Combine Botany with other subjects
You can include papers from almost any other area in the University in your Botany degree.
For students doing a double degree or double major, Botany is most often combined with Ecology, Plant Biotechnology, Genetics, Law, Zoology, or Marine Science.
Botany is also offered as a degree minor alongside other degree subject majors.
How will I study?
Botany lecturers have an interactive style and work closely with undergraduates. In laboratory classes, you will gain hands-on experience of fundamental botanical techniques ranging from plant genetics, structure and function, to tissue culture and ecological surveys.
Botany courses also include field trips to native forests, grasslands, mountains and beaches.
The Department of Botany provides a friendly and supportive learning environment – it produces independent and informed graduates who make a positive contribution to society and the economy – nationally and internationally.
Further studies
A degree in Botany allows you to enter into higher degrees at Otago and other tertiary institutions. Many MSc and PhD graduates in Botany are employed as research scientists around the world, including New Zealand.
Background required
While an understanding of basic biology would be useful, it is not essential – you will be taught everything you need to know once you start your course.
The basics of cells, plants and their environments are covered in the first year Biology and Ecology papers. All you need is enthusiasm and curiosity!
