The Department | Graduate Faculty and Graduate Students | Overview of Degree Options | Contact Information
The Department of Horticulture has 23 on-campus faculty and 17 off-campus faculty located at branch stations and federal labs. Approximately 100 students are enrolled in the undergraduate program. Currently there are 19 students in the graduate program.
The department’s main office and teaching and laboratory facilities are located in the Agricultural and Life Sciences Building (ALS), completed in 1992. Research space includes laboratories that are well equipped with up-to-date laboratory equipment and computers, cold rooms, growth chambers, and a research tissue culture facility. It has convenient access to the well-equipped Central Services Laboratory of the Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology.
The department has ample greenhouse space and over 100 hectares of research field plots on three research farms, including a 10 hectare vineyard. In addition, there are four off-campus research and Extension facilities located in Aurora, Hood River, Hermiston, and Medford.
Graduate Faculty and Graduate Students
Nearly 40 faculty members of the Horticulture Department serve on the Graduate Faculty. Their interests are varied, ranging from farming and cropping systems, crop production, plant physiology, post-harvest, germplasm evaluation, plant breeding, genetics, and biotechnology. There are Graduate Faculty located on-campus as well as at branch experiment stations and federal labs.
Graduate students are professionals and important members of the research teams headed by the faculty. The majority of graduate students are provided research assistantships funded by state and/or external funds assigned to individual research faculty.
The Department of Horticulture offers graduate work leading to the following degrees:
- Master of Agriculture (MAg)
- Master of Science (MS)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The MS and PhD degrees culminate in original research reported in a thesis and are often pursued by students interested in research related careers, or who wish direct training in research methods. The MAg degree provides for broad training in several fields of agriculture. It is usually reserved for those not desiring the specialized research training and experience of the MS degree. A detailed research thesis is not a requirement of the MAg degree.
Students select thesis topics and programs of study in consultation with a graduate committee chaired by their graduate advisor. As such, research topics and programs of study are highly personalized and tailored to each student’s specific skills, interests, and career goals. Despite this diversity, the work of our faculty and graduate students can be classified into three broad areas of strength and emphasis:
Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology
Faculty and students explore fundamental questions related to the control and regulation of plant traits using a variety of techniques and tools including molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics. Faculty and students also apply fundamental knowledge to make genetic improvements to crop plants and to modify plant growth and productivity. Current breeding programs exist in berry, hazelnut and vegetable systems.
Sustainable Crop Production
Faculty and students explore basic and applied questions related to the design and management of sustainable and productive horticultural cropping and farming systems. The program integrates a diverse set of disciplines and tools including basic plant sciences, applied crop management, and field experimentation and analysis. Program areas include viticulture and enology, berries and small fruit, tree fruit and nuts, vegetables, and nursery and greenhouse production.
Community and Landscape Horticultural Systems
Faculty and students explore basic and applied questions related to the design and function of urban and community landscapes including golf courses, sports fields, gardens, parks and open space. Program areas include turf and landscape management, community food systems, pollinator ecology, and sustainable landscapes.
To request more information or to apply contact Barbara Reed or use the Request Information link:
Barbara J. Reed
Department of Crop and Soil Science
Oregon State University
107 Crop Science Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-3002
Barbara.J.Reed@oregonstate.edu
Phone: 541-737-5854
Fax: 541-737-1589
Department Head | Graduate Program Coordinator |
| Dr. Anita Azarenko Department of Horticulture Oregon State University azarenka@hort.oregonstate.edu (541) 737-5475 | Dr. John Lambrinos Oregon State University Department of Horticulture lambrinj@hort.oregonstate.edu (541) 737-3484 |