Plant Breeding Examples

Courses in Plant Breeding at NC State

List of graduate (undergraduate) courses by department

Graduate students working toward a degree in plant breeding will major in a commodity-based department (Crop Science, Forestry, Horticultural Science) and minor in Biotechnology, Genetics, Statistics, or other related departmental program (M.S. students are not required to have a minor).

In order to minor in Genetics, a student should include a member of the Genetics faculty on his or her graduate committee, and take GN 701, GN 702, GN 703, and ST 511. Please contact our plant breeding faculty for more information.

Below are examples of course plans used by typical M.S. or Ph.D. students in Crop Science, Forestry or Horticultural Science. These are meant to serve as examples, and are not necessarily required. The students actual course plan will be developed by the student, advisor and graduate committee.

Plant Breeding Core Courses:

For MS and PhD degree candidates
- CS,HS 541 Plant breeding methods (CS541 syllabus) (HS541 syllabus)
- HS 703 Breeding asexually propagated crops
- CS,GN 719 Origin and evolution of crop plants (not available)
- CS,GN,HS 720 Molecular biology in plant breeding
For PhD degree candidates
- CS,GN,HS 745 Quantitative genetics in plant breeding
- CS,GN,HS 746 Breeding methods
- CS,GN,HS,PP 748 Breeding for pest resistance (not available; see PP 590D)
- CS,GN,HS 860 Plant breeding laboratory
- CS,GN,HS 861 Plant breeding laboratory
- PP,CS,GN,HS 590D/790D Plant Disease Resistance Mechanisms and Applications; 3(3-0-0) S, Even yrs

Graduate Student Course Plan, MS degree - Crop Science (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)

Biotechnology (BIT course list)
- BIT 510 Core technologies in molecular and cellular biology
- BIT 565 Real-time PCR Techniques
- BIT 568 Genome Mapping
Crop Science (CS course list)
- CS,HS 541 Plant breeding methods (CS541 syllabus) (HS541 syllabus)
- CS,GN,HS 860 Plant breeding laboratory
- CS 601 Seminar
- CS 685/CS 885 MS/PhD supervised teaching
- CS 690/CS 890 MS final/PhD preliminary examination
- CS 695/CS 895 MS thesis/PhD dissertation research
Genetics (GN course list)
- GN 513 Advanced genetics
- GN 701 Molecular genetics
- GN 703 Population and quantitative genetics
Plant Pathology (PP course list)
- PP,BO,MB 501 Fungi and their interaction with plants
- PP 506 Epidemiology and plant disease control
Statistics (ST course list)
- ST 511 Experimental statistics for biological sciences I
- ST 512 Experimental statistics for biological sciences II
- ST 524 Statistics in plant science
- ST 711 Design of experiments
- ST,GN 721 Genetic data analysis
- ST,GN 757 Statistics for molecular quantitative genetics
- ST,GN 770 Statistical concepts in genetics

Graduate Student Course Plan, PhD degree - Crop Science (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)

Crop Science (CS course list)
- CS,GN,HS 745 Quantitative genetics in plant breeding
- CS,GN,HS 746 Breeding methods
- PP,CS,GN,HS 590D/790D Plant Disease Resistance Mechanisms and Applications; 3(3-0-0) F, Alt yrs
- CS,GN,HS 860 Plant breeding laboratory
- CS,GN,HS 861 Plant breeding laboratory
- CS 685/CS 885 MS/PhD supervised teaching
- CS 690/CS 890 MS final/PhD preliminary examination
- CS 695/CS 895 MS thesis/PhD dissertation research
Genetics (GN course list)
- GN 513 Advanced genetics
- GN 701 Molecular genetics
- GN 703 Population and quantitative genetics
- GN 713 Quantitative Genetics and Breeding
- GN 721 Genetic Data Analysis
Plant Pathology (PP course list)
- PP,PB,MB 501 Biology of plant pathogens
- PP,CS,HS 502 Plant disease: methods and diagnosis
- PP 504 Plant nematology
- PP,BO,MB 501 Fungi and their interaction with plants
- PP790D Plant Disease Resistance Mechanisms and Applications
Statistics (ST course list)
- ST 514 Statistics for Management &Soil Sci. II
- ST 731 Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis
- ST,GN 757 Statistics for molecular quantitative genetics
- ST 790 Advanced Special Topics

Graduate Student Course Plan - Forestry and Environmental Resources (College of Natural Resources)

Forestry (FOR course list)
- FOR 503 Tree Physiology
- FOR 513 Silviculture for Intensive Management
- FOR 583 Tropical Forestry
- FOR,GN 725 Forest genetics
- FOR 727 Tree Improvement Research Techniques
- FOR 728 Quantitative Forest Genetics Methods
Genetics (GN course list)
- GN 703 Population and quantitative genetics
- GN 713 Quantitative Genetics and Breeding
- GN 735 Functional Genomics
Statistics (ST course list)
- ST 511 Experimental statistics for biological sciences I
- ST 512 Experimental statistics for biological sciences II
- ST 590 Bioinformatics
- ST 708 Applied Least Squares
- ST 711 Design of experiments
- ST 731 Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis

Graduate Student Course Plan, MS degree - Horticultural Science (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)

Year 1, Fall
- GN 701 Molecular genetics
- ST 511 Experimental statistics for biological sciences I
- HS 601 Seminar techniques and technology (HS601 syllabus)
- BIT 510 Core technologies in molecular and cellular biology
Year 1, Spring
- GN 703 Population and quantitative genetics
- ST 512 Experimental statistics for biological sciences II
- HS 701 Carborhydrate metabolism
- PP 506 Epidemiology and plant disease control
Year 2, Fall
- BIT 567 PCR techniques / DNA fingerprinting
- HS 707 Environmental stress physiology
- CS,HS 541 Plant breeding methods (CS541 syllabus) (HS541 syllabus)
- PP,PB,MB 501 Fungi and their interaction with plants
Year 2, Spring
- ST 524 Statistics in plant science
- CS,GN,HS 720 Molecular biology in plant breeding
- HS 703 Breeding asexually propagated crops
- HS 706 Postharvest physiology
- HS 695/HS 895 MS thesis/PhD dissertation research
Year 3, Fall
- BIT 568 Genome Mapping
- HS 525 Advanced Plant Prop.
- HS 705 Physiology of flowering
- HS 695/HS 895 MS thesis/PhD dissertation research
Other courses
- AEE 735 Effective teaching in agricultural and life sciences (AEE735 syllabus)
- ANS,GN 713 Quantitative genetics and breeding
- BIT 462 Microarrays
- BIT 581 Plt. Tiss. Cult. & Trans
- BUS 590G Leadership & Ethics
- CS 713 Physiological aspects of crop production
- CS,GN,HS 745 Quantitative genetics in plant breeding
- CS,GN,HS 746 Breeding methods
- CS,GN,HS 860 Plant breeding laboratory
- CS,GN,HS 861 Plant breeding laboratory
- ENT 762 Insect pest management in agricultural crops
- FOR,GN 725 Forest genetics
- PB 733 Plant growth and development
- PB 751 Advanced plant physiology I
- PB 752 Advanced plant physiology II
- PB 754 Lab for advanced plant physiology II
- PP,PB,MB 501 Biology of plant pathogens
- PP 507 Plant-microbe interactions
- PP 715 Applied evolutionary analysis of population genetic data
- PP 730 Fungal Gen. & Physiol.
- PP,CS,GN,HS 590D/790D Plant Disease Resistance Mechanisms and Applications; 3(3-0-0) F, Alt yrs
- ST 711 Design of experiments
- ST,GN 721 Genetic data analysis
- ST,GN 757 Statistics for molecular quantitative genetics
- ST,GN 770 Statistical concepts in genetics

Graduate Student Course Plan, PhD degree - Horticultural Science (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)

Year 1, Fall
- GN 701 Molecular genetics
- ST 511 Experimental statistics for biological sciences I
- HS 601 Seminar techniques and technology (HS601 syllabus)
- AEE 735 Effective teaching in agricultural and life sciences (AEE735 syllabus)
Year 1, Spring
- GN 703 Population and quantitative genetics
- ST 512 Experimental statistics for biological sciences II
- HS 703 Breeding asexually propagated crops
- PP 506 Epidemiology and plant disease control
Year 2, Fall
- BIT 568 Genome Mapping
- ST 524 Statistics in plant science
- CS,HS 541 Plant breeding methods (CS541 syllabus) (HS541 syllabus)
- HS 707 Environmental stress physiology
Year 2, Spring
- BIT 510 Biotechnology Core Tech.
- CS,GN,HS 745 Quantitative genetics in plant breeding
- CS,GN,HS 746 Breeding methods
- CS,GN,HS 860 Plant breeding laboratory
- HS 706 Fruit Dev. Posthar. Phys.
- HS 885 Doc. Superv. Teach.
Year 3, Fall
- PP,CS,GN,HS 590D/790D Plant Disease Resistance Mechanisms and Applications; 3(3-0-0) F, Alt yrs
- CS,GN,HS 861 Plant breeding laboratory
- HS 705 Physiology of flowering
- PP,PB,MB 501 Fungi and their interaction with plants
- HS 695/HS 895 MS thesis/PhD dissertation research
Year 3, Spring
- GN 702 Develop. Genetic
- CS,GN,HS 720 Molecular biology in plant breeding
- HS 701 Carborhydrate metabolism
- PP790D Plant Disease Resistance Mechanisms and Applications
Year 4, Fall
- BIT 567 DNA & PCR Fingerprint.
- PP 715 Applied evolutionary analysis of population genetic data
- HS 695/HS 895 MS thesis/PhD dissertation research
Year 4, Spring
- PP,BO,MB 501 Fungi and their interaction with plants
- PP 730 Fungal Gen. & Physiol.
- HS 722 Mineral Nutr. in Plants
Other courses
- ANS,GN 713 Quantitative genetics and breeding
- BIT 462 Microarrays
- BIT 567 PCR techniques / DNA fingerprinting
- BIT 581 Plt. Tiss. Cult. & Trans.
- BUS 590G Leadership & Ethics
- CS 713 Physiological aspects of crop production
- ENT 762 Insect pest management in agricultural crops
- FOR,GN 725 Forest genetics
- HS 525 Advanced Plant Prop.
- HS 706 Postharvest physiology
- PB 733 Plant growth and development
- PB 751 Advanced plant physiology I
- PB 752 Advanced plant physiology II
- PB 754 Lab for advanced plant physiology II
- ST 711 Design of experiments
- ST,GN 721 Genetic data analysis
- ST,GN 757 Statistics for molecular quantitative genetics
- ST,GN 770 Statistical concepts in genetics