The Ways of a Botanist
By Stephanie Huerta #5
The Study of Botany
The Educational Requirements
To be a botanist, get a bachelor's degree in botany. Be sure to take English, mathematics, chemistry, physics, arts and humanities, social sciences, and biological sciences. Computer and communications courses also help. Summer jobs or internships with educational institutions, governmental agencies, or private companies are also valuable. In high school, take college preparatory courses in English, mathematics, biology, history, geography, and foreign languages. Get involved in science clubs or fairs and in hobbies such as camping and photography.
Specific Fields
Educational institutions hire botanists as teachers and researchers. Some botanists work in botanical gardens, arboretums, herbariums, zoos, and medical plant or germplasm resources laboratories. Others work in plantrelated industries such as biological supply houses, biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, nursery or greenhouse businesses, and petrochemical companies. Some work in publication, sales, or animal or plant health inspection.