1. Welcome

We are pleased that you have selected our department for the next phase of your education and career. This should be a challenging and rewarding time in your life. You will grow professionally and personally. As you begin your career as a scientist, we encourage you to become involved with the direction of your career early on and refer to this handbook periodically as a source of information relevant to your graduate program and opportunities for professional development. The Graduate Program at the University of Nebraska has a long and rich history, with many of our alumni leading successful careers across the world within and outside academia. Our goal is to help you achieve your highest potential. Welcome to the University of Nebraska and welcome to the Department of Plant Pathology!

1.1 Importance of Plant Pathology

Plant pathology is the science of plant disease. It encompasses the study of the organisms that cause disease in plants; the study of the interactions between these causal agents, the plant, and the environment during the disease process; and the development of strategies and tactics for managing or controlling plant disease. Plant pathology is interdisciplinary, interfacing with many scientific disciplines including mycology, bacteriology, nematology, virology, agronomy, microbiology, botany, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, plant breeding, statistics, and computational biology. Thus, the training of plant pathologists includes research and coursework experience in plant pathology.

The Department of Plant Pathology strives to serve the University, the State of Nebraska, and the global agricultural and scientific community by training effective and impactful future scientists and leaders who will address current and future critical needs in agriculture. The most important of these needs is increasing plant productivity to feed the world’s growing population using economically and environmentally sustainable practices. The training of plant pathologists is essential because there is high demand in the world’s plant protection industries and research institutions for their expertise and scientific innovation to increase food availability and security and improve quality of life.

1.2 History of the Plant Pathology Graduate Program

Plant pathology training at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) began in 1884, with the creation of the Department of Botany, which included plant pathologists. When founded in 1920, the Department of Plant Pathology was a member of the Experiment Station and was not an instructional department in the College of Agriculture. Consequently, faculty members in the Department of Plant Pathology carried titles in the Department of Botany in the College of Arts and Sciences, and all instruction in plant pathology as part of the Department Plant pathology training at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) began in 1884, with the creation of the Department of Botany, which included plant pathologists. When founded in 1920, the Department of Plant Pathology was a member of the Experiment Station and was not an instructional department in the College of Agriculture. Consequently, faculty members in the Department of Plant Pathology carried titles in the Department of Botany in the College of Arts and Sciences and all instruction in plant pathology as part of the Department of Botany course offerings. In 1973, the Department of Botany joined other units to form what is now known as the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) within the College of Arts and Sciences. The Department of Plant Pathology kept its affiliation with SBS for its teaching component and retained funding and administration of the Department within the College of Agriculture in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR).

In 2006, the organizational mechanism by which the Department’s graduate degrees were granted through SBS was modified so that the Plant Pathology “emphasis” in SBS was formalized as a Specialization in Plant Pathology. In the same year, the Plant Pathology Specialization in Agronomy and Horticulture (A&H) was also created. While the two Specializations were parallel (i.e., entry requirements were similar and a standard curriculum was required for students in both programs) creating Specializations in two graduate programs provided opportunities to attract students with a more agricultural or crop production focus, as well as students from traditional biology backgrounds. Since 2006, increasing numbers of students were admitted through both programs. By 2018, close to 90% of the department’s graduate students were registered in A&H and the total number of graduate students that were advised by faculty in our department were at a record high, 28 in September 2018, which made it feasible for the Department to offer and administer its own degree program. Coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of the Department of Plant Pathology, the graduate program offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology was formalized in 2020.

1.3 Importance of Graduate Degrees in Plant Pathology

The purpose of the Plant Pathology Graduate Program is to train students in all areas of plant pathology from basic to applied. Emphasis is placed on the development of solid research, teaching; and/or extension expertise that provides graduates a competitive advantage for employment in private industry, academia, government, and non-government positions. Currently, the main subject areas related to plant health are pathogenic and beneficial interactions between plants and microbes, diagnostics and management strategies, basic and applied mycology, bacteriology, nematology, virology, and epidemiology. All these areas are supported by foundational knowledge in other science disciplines including agronomy, microbiology, botany, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, plant breeding, statistics, and computational biology.The purpose of the Plant Pathology Graduate Program is to train students in all areas of plant pathology from basic to applied. Emphasis is placed on the development of solid research, teaching; and/or extension expertise that provides graduates a competitive advantage for employment in private industry, academia, government, and non-government positions. Currently, the main subject areas related to plant health are pathogenic and beneficial interactions between plants and microbes, diagnostics and management strategies, basic and applied mycology, bacteriology, nematology, virology, and epidemiology. All these areas are supported by foundational knowledge in other science disciplines including agronomy, microbiology, botany, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, plant breeding, statistics, and computational biology.The purpose of the Plant Pathology Graduate Program is to train students in all areas of plant pathology from basic to applied. Emphasis is placed on the development of solid research, teaching; and/or extension expertise that provides graduates a competitive advantage for employment in private industry, academia, government, and non-government positions. Currently, the main subject areas related to plant health are pathogenic and beneficial interactions between plants and microbes, diagnostics and management strategies, basic and applied mycology, bacteriology, nematology, virology, and epidemiology. All these areas are supported by foundational knowledge in other science disciplines including agronomy, microbiology, botany, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, plant breeding, statistics, and computational biology.The purpose of the Plant Pathology Graduate Program is to train students in all areas of plant pathology from basic to applied. Emphasis is placed on the development of solid research, teaching; and/or extension expertise that provides graduates a competitive advantage for employment in private industry, academia, government, and non-government positions. Currently, the main subject areas related to plant health are pathogenic and beneficial interactions between plants and microbes, diagnostics and management strategies, basic and applied mycology, bacteriology, nematology, virology, and epidemiology. All these areas are supported by foundational knowledge in other science disciplines including agronomy, microbiology, botany, biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, plant breeding, statistics, and computational biology.

The goal of the program is to train our graduates in current knowledge of organisms and environmental conditions that cause disease in plants, the mechanisms of disease development, disease progression in time and space, the interactions between disease causal agents and plants, the effects of disease on plant growth, yield and quality, and the methods of diagnostics and disease management. Graduates will be able to generate new knowledge and make information- and research-based decisions that will enhance plant health and increase crop production and food security.The goal of the program is to train our graduates in current knowledge of organisms and environmental conditions that cause disease in plants, the mechanisms of disease development, disease progression in time and space, the interactions between disease causal agents and plants, the effects of disease on plant growth, yield and quality, and the methods of diagnostics and disease management. Graduates will be able to generate new knowledge and make information- and research-based decisions that will enhance plant health and increase crop production and food security.

1.4 Learning Outcomes

As with other graduate programs in Science-Technology-Engineering-and-Math (STEM) fields, the Plant Pathology Graduate Program provides opportunities for students to develop the attributes and skills of cutting-edge scientists. These include the ability to think critically, conduct research using the scientific method, interpret research results, and communicate research findings to the scientific community and the general public in written and verbal forms. Regardless of whether a student’s interest leads to a regulatory, research, or teaching/outreach career, the Plant Pathology Graduate Program trains and exposes its graduate students to diverse research methodologies and provides students with opportunities and experiences in teaching and outreach. These learning objectives are achieved by completion of the research and teaching requirements outlined below.

1.5 Plant Pathology Knowledge

Specialized training in Plant Pathology requires transferring and transforming skills and knowledge to research, outreach, and extension activities. Specific skills of plant pathologists include disease diagnosis, plant-pathogen isolation and culture, and identification of plant pathogenic organisms. Core knowledge areas specific to plant pathology include the biology and ecology of plant pathogenic organisms; plant disease epidemiology; evolution, phylogenetics, and systematics of plant pathogens; molecular, cellular, and genetic interactions between plant pathogens and plants; and plant disease management strategies. To meet the plant pathology-specific learning objectives, a slate of graduate courses currently taught by faculty in the Department of Plant Pathology was identified as the plant pathology graduate curriculum for this program (see Course Requirements).