Career Options for a Botanist

Botany is a basic science discipline which deals with the study of plants. The scientific disciplines such as agricultural sciences and forestry are based on the basic science of botany. A person qualified in botany is called a botanist. A botanist study and research on various aspects of the plant kingdom such as origin and development of various plant species, taxonomic classification, plant physiology, plant pathology, plant fossils, mycology and so on.

All leading universities at national and international level offer bachelor, master and doctorate level programmes in botany such as B.Sc botany, M.Sc. Botany and PhD in Botany. Various specializations available at master and doctoral level are Plant Taxonomy (classification of plants); Plant Pathology (study of plant diseases); Plant Morphology (study of plant structures and organs); Plant Physiology (study of the life processes of plants); Plant Genetics (study of heredity in plants); Plant Ecology (study of the relationship between plants and their environment); Ethnobotany (study of medicinal and food plants); Paleobotany and Palynology  (study of plant fossils); Economic Botany and Weed Science (study of weeds).

Various career choices available for professional botanists are as Plant Taxonomists in herbariums and research institutions where their major job profile is the classification and identification of preserved plants; as Ethnobotanists in food and herbal industry where they will be responsible for research work on all medicine and food related plants; as Palaeobotanists and Palynologists in archaeological museums where they are responsible for the study and research of plant fossils; and as plant physiologists and plant pathologists in research laboratories.

Candidates with advanced qualifications can pursue either an academic career in academic institutions where they can work in various faculty positions such as lecturers and professors or a scientific career in various scientific positions such as Plant Scientists and Weed Scientists. Another major career profile is as Economic Botanists where they deal with economic aspects of the various plant species.