PLANT PATHOLOGY at Pennsylvania State University Park Campus

Plant pathology is the study of disease in plants and concerns the dynamic interaction between the plant, the causal agent (bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, etc.), and their environments. A student prepares for a professional career in research, teaching, extension, or industry through advanced studies of the principles of plant infection, the physiology of disease in plants, the ecology of root diseases, the nature and inheritance of disease resistance in plants, epidemiology, microbial ecology, phytobiomes, translational taxonomy, ecology and physiology of air pollution injury to plants, or plant disease management by biological or chemical means. A student may specialize in the etiology and integrated management of diseases of forest trees, agronomic or horticultural crops. Advanced studies in molecular systematics of fungi and applied mycology, related to the production of the commercial mushroom, are also available. Modern, well-equipped laboratories, controlled environment facilities and greenhouses, and well-developed field research areas are available for graduate study.