Master of Science in Horticulture
- Fall January 10
- Spring July 1
- Pullman: Yes
- 550 TOEFL Minimum score
Degree Description:
This is a research-based degree, involving a formal, major research project. The objectives are to train students in the experimental method and to prepare students for handling major projects after graduation or for entering a doctoral program.
Student Learning Outcomes:
All graduates will be able to:
- To prepare students to enter the many and varied professions of horticulture and/or its related fields, the program provides students with:
- Advanced knowledge and skills necessary to function as a creative and professional practitioner, communicator, educator, or investigator in the field of horticulture.
- Intellectual means of identifying and assessing the interactions among the many issues associated with horticulture and society at large.
- Skills and intellectual means of contributing new knowledge to the profession of horticulture.
- To prepare students to be successful researchers in horticultural science and/or related fields, the program provides students with:
- Ability to design, conduct, analyze, and communicate a research plan and results.
- Critical thinking skills and ability to question or re-evaluate current thinking and standards related to horticultural science.
- Skills to identify, locate, and apply knowledge discovered from horticultural science and related fields of study.
- Opportunities to develop and communicate scientific hypotheses and problem solving.
Career Opportunities:
Federal and state agricultural laboratories
Extension agents
Management positions in allied and agricultural industries
Teaching positions
Technical positions
Career Placements:
Wine Export Manager
Assistant Production Manager for Nursery
Assistant Winemaker
Research Associate
Doctoral Program
Faculty Members:
Benedict, Chris, M.S.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Bondada, Bhaskar, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Anatomy and morphology of grapevine and berry, foliar applications of nutrients, water and nutrient transport into berry, berry growth and development, hydraulic architecture of vine and berry, ampelography, effect of management practices on fruit quality.
Brown, Charles Raymond
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Chalker-Scott, Linda K, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Environmental stress physiology, ecophysiology of plants in disturbed environments, and especially in the sustainable management of human-altered landscapes. Particular interest in testing horticultural products under controlled, scientific conditions to support or disprove marketing claims.
Collins, Tom, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
wine research
Coyne, Clarice
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Mapping and characterization of plant disease resistance genes in pea and chickpea; genomic approaches to plant germplasm characterization.
Davenport, Joan R, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Soil fertility and plant nutrition in for both annual and perennial crop plants grown in irrigated systems.
Devetter, Lisa Wasko, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Physiology and sustainable production of berry crops in the Pacific Northwest. Program emphasis is on maximizing productivity and fruit quality, as well as ensuring the health of adjacent natural resources critical for berry crop production.
Dhingra, Amit, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Horticultural genomics, plastid transformation, organelle genomics, photobiology and photosynthesis.
Du, Liqun
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Evans, Katherine M, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Pome fruit breeding, genetics, genomics and germplasm analysis.
Fellman, John K, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Post-harvest plant physiology and biochemistry of perishable commodities and their products (wine grapes, apples, onions, raspberries, cranberries, asparagus, cassava), studies of perishable shelf life extension, fundamental investigations of how signaling molecules interact with active oxygen species in controlling plant responses.
Ficklin, Steve, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
1) Improvement of the sensitivity and specificity of the models. This requires use of new statistical and computation methods to improve algorithms.
2) Through use of systems-genetics models, develop sets of gene targets of interest to breeders that can be used for crop improvement.
3) Creation of cyberinfrastructure to improve access and use of systems-genetics datasets. Specifically, to expand Tripal (http://tripal.info), an the open-source toolkit for creation of online genomic and genetic databases (of which I serve as a lead developer), to support systems genetics data sets.
Hadwiger, Lee A, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Genetic engineering of disease resistance in plants, gene activation in fungi and plants, signaling in host- parasite interactions
Hoheisel, Gwen, M.S.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Jr, David Robert Rudell, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Quantitative measurement of dynamic multiparametric metabolic responses of living systems to physiological stimuli or genetic modification
Jung, Sook
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Kalcsits, Lee
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Keller, Markus, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Viticulture, influence of environmental factors and management practices on crop physiology of wine and juice grapes, reproductive development, fruit ripening, scion-rootstock interactions, irrigation management.
Knowles, Lisa
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Knowles, Norman R, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Crop growth and development, postharvest physiology and biochemistry of vegetable crops, with a current major emphasis on potatoes
Kumar, Mohan G
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Main, Doreen, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Bioinformatics, plant comparative genomics, development of a comparative mapping database for rosaceaous crops, synteny conservation of resistance genes in Rosaceae, global analysis of functional units in plant chromosomes, development of plant bioinformatics analysis tools.
Mattheis, James Peter, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Postharvest physiology of apples, pears and cherries, assessment of fruit physiological and quality factors as indicators of fruit harvest maturity, determination of appropriate maturity indices for new fruit varieties grown in the Pacific Northwest, characterization of fruit responses to stressful storage environments and identification of principle volatiles produced by fruit as indicators of physiological condition. Preharvest field research include the study of apple and pear fruit blossom physiology. USDA-ARS Affiliate Scientist.
McFerson, James R
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
McGee, Rebecca, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Legume research genetics. USDA-ARS Affiliate Scientist.
McMoran, Donald W, MA
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Teaching in Agriculture Education
Miles, Carol Ann, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
High value vegetable crops, including wasabi, pea shoots, edamame, niche-market dry beans, icebox watermelon, leafy greens, grafted vegetables; plasticulture; hard cider.
Moore, Patrick P, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Strawberry and raspberry plant breeding and genetics with emphasis on fruit characteristics, disease resistance, and use of germplasm in breeding.
Moyer, Michelle M, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Viticulture Production (wine and juice grapes), Extension and Outreach Education in Viticulture, Decision Support Systems for Viticulture
Musacchi, Stefano, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Tree fruit physiology, management, and variety development.
Navarre, Duroy, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
– Molecular and biochemical basis of potato disease resistance and the nutritional enhancement of potatoes.
– Systemic acquired resistance and salicylic acid-mediate signaling, along with analysis of the role of plant small molecules in pathogen and pest interactions.
Patten, Kim David
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Pavek, Mark Joseph, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Potato cultural management systems including fertility, plant spacing and depth, irrigation and crop protection chemicals, variety development.
Peace, Cameron, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Tree fruit molecular breeding, genetics, genomics, and germplasm analysis, especially for fruit quality.
Poovaiah, B W, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Calcium/calmodulinmediated signaling in plants, particularly the functional significance of genes involved in this signal network.
Serra, Sarah
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Thornton, Robert E
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
Thornton, Robert K
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
Waters, Timothy David
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Pest management in vegetable crops
Whiting, Matthew David, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Stone fruit physiology and production systems.
Willett, Michael J
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
Wolfe, Wade Hampton, Ph.D.
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
Yang, Tinhao
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee
Zasada, Inga
Serves as: co-chair of graduate committee