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Doctoral Programs by the Numbers

September 30, 2010

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Plant Sciences

The National Research Council assessed programs according to 21 different criteria. Here are the NRC’s five major ratings summarizing those criteria. For a detailed explanation, see our FAQ.

S-Rank: Programs are ranked highly if they are strong in the criteria that scholars say are most important.
Research: Derived from faculty publications, citation rates, grants, and awards.
Students: Derived from students’ completion rates, financial aid, and other criteria.
Diversity: Reflects gender balance, ethnic diversity, and the proportion of international students.
R-Rank: Programs are ranked highly if they have similar features to programs viewed by faculty as top-notch.

Institution, program	S-Rank High	S-Rank Low	Research High	Research Low	Students High	Students Low	Diversity High	Diversity Low	R-Rank High	R-Rank Low
Auburn U. Agronomy and Soils	80	106	64	110	56	91	12	33	87	110
Auburn U. Horticulture	113	116	113	116	55	100	22	55	115	116
Auburn U. Plant Pathology	45	102	19	98	45	82	65	94	90	113
Claremont Graduate U. Botany	24	78	20	84	45	104	19	54	76	113
Clemson U. Plant and Environmental Sciences	37	89	25	89	7	31	70	93	25	72
Colorado State U. Horticulture	98	114	70	113	61	101	48	81	105	114
Cornell U. Horticulture	35	95	30	102	66	93	42	69	10	70
Cornell U. Plant Biology	17	60	8	52	82	102	28	58	4	17
Cornell U. Plant Breeding	1	8	1	9	18	48	13	32	2	19
Cornell U. Plant Pathology	18	68	19	82	28	68	25	60	11	49
Cornell U. Soil and Crop Sciences	16	66	27	92	40	89	21	45	11	48
Indiana U. at Blooming- ton Plant Sciences	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R
Iowa State U. Crop Production & Physiology	65	104	55	106	38	99	18	43	56	101
Iowa State U. Horticulture	105	114	109	116	34	86	44	75	74	111
Iowa State U. Plant Breeding	10	49	5	32	10	46	39	74	15	65
Iowa State U. Plant Pathology	44	103	20	86	11	41	78	102	43	95
Iowa State U. Plant Physiology	9	45	7	46	30	71	7	17	17	54
Kansas State U. Agronomy and Crop Sciences	47	99	19	92	80	105	100	110	29	87
Kansas State U. Horticultural Science	104	114	96	114	12	65	19	54	81	112
Kansas State U. Plant Pathology	8	44	5	37	6	31	30	67	17	54
Louisiana State U. at Baton Rouge Agronomy	61	99	67	108	71	97	87	104	43	93
Louisiana State U. at Baton Rouge Horticulture	104	115	86	114	111	116	75	104	97	114
Louisiana State U. at Baton Rouge Plant Health	85	110	90	114	17	70	73	102	84	108
Michigan State U. Crop and Soil Sciences	4	28	6	49	4	22	97	109	9	46
Michigan State U. Horticulture	10	43	14	76	16	48	4	7	16	70
Michigan State U. Plant Biology	5	29	6	44	34	77	48	80	6	32
Michigan State U. Plant Breeding & Genetics	22	78	23	89	5	55	18	57	20	69
Michigan State U. Plant Pathology	32	83	46	102	23	78	3	6	58	95
Mississippi State U. Agronomy (degree: Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences)	81	110	35	99	105	111	44	80	81	113
Mississippi State U. Horticulture (degree: Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences)	115	116	114	116	113	116	44	79	115	116
Mississippi State U. Weed Science (degree: Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences)	53	103	27	100	86	107	97	111	93	114
Montana State U. at Bozeman Plant Science	37	94	37	100	25	78	59	92	60	98
New Mexico State U. at Las Cruces Plant and Environmental Sciences	71	105	73	111	20	56	20	47	76	111
North Carolina State U. Botany	42	92	41	99	24	73	20	56	19	74
North Carolina State U. Crop Science	29	86	30	94	4	38	81	103	9	44
North Carolina State U. Horticultural Science	55	102	63	111	11	62	56	88	21	72
North Carolina State U. Plant Pathology	29	87	24	93	2	39	16	40	13	73
North Dakota State U. Main Campus Plant Pathology	72	109	49	110	62	88	79	103	94	114
North Dakota State U. Main Campus Plant Sciences	45	93	47	107	9	34	38	77	67	105
Ohio State U. Main Campus Horticulture and Crop Science	33	87	30	97	48	90	7	16	10	71
Ohio State U. Main Campus Plant Pathology	6	45	5	48	4	41	69	97	6	39
Ohio State U. Main Campus Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology Program	3	20	4	36	5	67	34	73	8	50
Ohio U. Main Campus Environmental and Plant Biology	43	90	44	98	24	81	54	85	34	79
Oklahoma State U. Main Campus Crop Science	74	108	75	113	45	78	105	112	56	105
Oklahoma State U. Main Campus Plant Pathology	29	91	28	102	5	21	1	3	70	111
Oregon State U. Botany and Plant Pathology	14	66	11	74	17	73	80	102	12	51
Oregon State U. Crop Science	29	88	29	95	77	108	7	24	49	104
Oregon State U. Horticulture	35	89	40	101	30	85	20	51	61	101
Oregon State U. Rangeland Ecology and Management	97	113	82	113	83	111	111	115	88	113
Pennsyl- vania State U. Horticulture	31	87	37	100	19	68	70	98	41	81
Pennsyl- vania State U. Plant Biology	1	3	1	6	9	48	30	60	1	8
Pennsyl- vania State U. Plant Pathology	8	45	22	91	1	8	51	87	20	64
Purdue U. Main Campus Agronomy- Crops & Genetic	13	68	22	82	27	82	87	106	18	74
Purdue U. Main Campus Botany & Plant Pathology	58	98	46	102	110	115	86	104	39	89
Purdue U. Main Campus Horticulture	5	30	5	39	56	90	9	24	9	46
Rutgers U. at New Brunswick Plant Biology	23	76	23	85	11	52	44	71	6	47
Southern Illinois U. at Carbondale Plant Biology	12	41	58	100	1	5	54	87	15	73
Texas A&M U. Horticulture	41	100	48	109	6	37	27	62	65	96
Texas A&M U. Plant Pathology	44	97	41	104	19	58	66	97	31	82
Texas A&M U. Agronomy	85	111	35	102	7	37	111	114	92	113
Texas A&M U. Plant Breeding	42	98	11	76	8	38	46	75	59	108
U. of Arizona Plant Pathology	59	104	27	97	109	115	4	6	65	107
U. of Arizona Plant Science	6	40	4	30	98	111	20	53	12	65
U. of Arkansas Main Campus Plant Science	38	93	46	106	3	19	101	111	46	89
U. of California at Berkeley Plant Biology	1	6	1	5	43	82	8	23	1	5
U. of California at Davis Plant Biology	5	29	6	43	78	102	42	72	1	5
U. of California at Davis Plant Pathology	7	42	5	42	46	77	44	80	11	36
U. of California at Riverside Plant Biology	13	48	16	71	21	62	8	19	6	28
U. of California at Riverside Plant Pathology	16	64	19	81	42	99	15	41	27	79
U. of Connec- ticut Plant Science Ph.D.	69	107	47	110	87	109	12	32	66	109
U. of Delaware Plant and Soil Sciences	30	81	34	95	6	26	59	92	33	68
U. of Florida Agronomy	38	92	36	102	6	37	80	103	44	83
U. of Florida Botany	26	78	10	54	75	103	34	65	21	75
U. of Florida Horticultural Science	35	93	12	77	81	101	30	57	14	79
U. of Florida Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology	18	70	12	68	15	62	10	32	16	74
U. of Florida Plant Pathology	54	98	39	105	39	88	65	97	49	86
U. of Georgia Agronomy	14	59	8	58	37	83	106	112	19	68
U. of Georgia Horticulture	81	106	92	113	95	109	79	103	67	109
U. of Georgia Plant Biology	5	22	10	53	32	70	19	50	5	20
U. of Georgia Plant Pathology	21	75	30	99	14	63	13	35	50	92
U. of Hawaii- Manoa Botany	97	114	58	109	85	106	70	99	64	108
U. of Hawaii- Manoa Tropical Plant & Soil Sciences	89	113	59	110	87	106	6	14	92	112
U. of Idaho Plant Science	42	99	22	97	59	95	37	66	74	105
U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Biology-Physiological and Molecular Plant Biology	12	65	10	64	51	101	30	57	32	79
U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Crop Sciences	10	48	10	65	13	43	76	100	7	45
U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Natural Resources and Environmental Science	12	48	19	84	79	104	67	96	4	29
U. of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Plant Biology	43	86	15	70	101	111	70	98	11	46
U. of Kentucky Crop Science	87	110	72	111	83	109	78	104	67	101
U. of Kentucky Plant Pathology	25	83	29	98	52	96	17	48	30	87
U. of Kentucky Plant Physiology	14	69	17	92	13	52	20	60	20	73
U. of Maryland at College Park Natural Resource Sciences	58	101	72	111	46	99	19	56	43	91
U. of Massachu- setts at Amherst Plant Biology	20	76	8	64	51	98	1	4	60	96
U. of Massachu- setts at Amherst Plant and Soil Sciences	72	111	44	105	104	112	81	104	47	96
U. of Minnesota- Twin Cities Applied Plant Sciences	25	79	14	73	23	70	51	89	22	60
U. of Minnesota- Twin Cities Plant Biological Sciences	32	83	18	74	54	96	25	51	27	72
U. of Minnesota- Twin Cities Plant Pathology	34	94	21	88	30	92	68	96	41	85
U. of Missouri at Columbia Plant, Insect and Microbial Sciences	42	93	22	90	78	105	33	62	23	76
U. of Nebraska at Lincoln Agronomy	10	53	13	78	25	59	12	33	10	53
U. of Nebraska at Lincoln Plant Systems Biology	15	65	14	79	15	77	1	4	38	84
U. of New Hampshire Plant Biology	97	113	85	114	45	97	26	65	85	111
U. of Tennessee Plants, Soils, and Insects	72	106	67	111	4	36	112	115	82	107
U. of Texas at Austin Plant Biology	9	43	8	58	22	56	10	30	11	63
U. of Wisconsin at Madison Agronomy	16	77	9	81	35	80	100	111	22	80
U. of Wisconsin at Madison Botany	9	40	10	53	29	68	10	30	3	32
U. of Wisconsin at Madison Horticulture	38	93	26	94	106	113	95	110	22	73
U. of Wisconsin at Madison Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics	2	14	2	17	33	73	41	74	1	9
U. of Wisconsin at Madison Plant Pathology	26	88	17	90	10	51	13	39	20	83
U. of Wyoming Plant Science	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R	N/R
Utah State U. Plant Science (AG)	98	114	38	106	113	116	115	116	97	114
Virginia Tech Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences	24	84	42	109	1	4	112	115	39	82
Virginia Tech Horticulture	55	98	92	114	2	16	69	96	35	83
Virginia Tech Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science	33	91	53	111	36	90	7	15	44	91
Washing- ton State U. Botany	36	89	11	63	77	102	101	110	30	83
Washing- ton State U. Crop Science	13	59	11	73	70	106	55	90	39	87
Washing- ton State U. Horticulture	46	103	37	106	54	89	37	73	66	110
Washing- ton State U. Molecular Plant Sciences	2	12	1	7	27	85	53	85	5	27
Washing- ton State U. Plant Pathology	25	81	26	94	56	91	40	76	40	84
Washing- ton U. in St. Louis Plant Biology	2	15	6	49	6	46	51	84	5	24
Methodology: This interactive tool is based on rankings developed by the NRC. For a complete explanation of the methods the research council used, go to its site; registration may be required.