Botanists study plant life to discover its structure, physiology, heredity, distribution, and economic value. They study plant chromosomes, reproduction and structures. They investigate environment and plant communities and the effect of rainfall, temperature, climate, soil and elevation on plant growth from seed to mature plants. Working conditions range from working in the field, to working in a greenhouse, to working in a laboratory, to teaching and fulfilling academic duties.

AlgebraBiologyCalculusChemistryEarth ScienceEnglishGeometryPhysicsSocial StudiesTrigonometry

Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources / Science, Technology, Engineering & Math :

Agricultural EngineerAgricultural Scientist Biological ScientistForester and Conservation ScientistMarine BiologistMicrobiologist Oceanographer Range Manager Soil ScientistWildlife Biologist

Plant Pathologists: Plant Pathologists conduct research in nature, case and control of plant diseases and decay of plant products.

Cytologists: Cytologists study structure, function, and life history of plant and animal cells.

Paleobotanists: Paleobotanists study fossilized remains of plants and animals found in geological formations to trace evolution and development of past life.

Mycologists: Mycologists study all types of fungi to discover those that are useful to medicine, agriculture and industry.

Bachelor’s DegreeMaster’s DegreeDoctorate’s Degree

Biological scientists held about 87,000 jobs in 2006. Employment of botanists is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2016, which means that employment is projected to increase 7 to 13 percent. This is due to the increased demand of food sources by the population, the need to discover new sources of medicine from plants, and the protection of plants. Specialized fields like plan genetics and biochemistry will be in even greater demand.

There were 590 people employed in botany in North Carolina in 2006. The number employed in 2016 is expected to be 670, an increase of 13 percent.

The average salary for this occupation varies from city to city. These are the 2009 averages for selected North Carolina cities:

Charlotte : $ 50,920 Greensboro : $ 49,043 Raleigh : $ 48,690 Wilmington : $ 46,541 Winston-Salem : $ 44,818

"Botany." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. Columbia: Columbia University Press, 1981. p.1. Print.

“Botanist Occupation Profile.”Coin Career Library. http://www.coin3.com 27/05/2010. Web.