Plant Science: Neotropical Environment (Ph.D.)
Offered by: Plant Science (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Program Description
Students who have taken their M.Sc. degree at McGill University will be required to spend one term in study at another research institution.
The required thesis for this Ph.D. degree must display original scholarship expressed in proper literate style and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge.
Candidates must participate in the STRI seminar series when in residence in Panama, and in the MSE-Panama Symposium Presentation in Montreal.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis
A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.
Required Invitational Seminar
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PLNT 690 | Research Horizons in Plant Science 1. | 0 |
Research Horizons in Plant Science 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 A series of seminars presented by invited speakers, staff and senior graduate students. The topics are selected to integrate the many fields of plant science. | ||
Required Courses (6 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 640 | Tropical Biology and Conservation. | 3 |
Tropical Biology and Conservation. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Long-term research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute will be organized and synthesized to examine historical assembly and ecological maintenance of tropical communities. This synthesis will draw on phylogenetic concepts for historical insight and will examine the probable resilience of these communities to global change, pollution and biodiversity loss. | ||
| ENVR 610 | Foundations of Environmental Policy. | 3 |
Foundations of Environmental Policy. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Analysis of current environmental policies to reveal implicit and explicit assumptions regarding scientific methods, hypothesis testing, subject/object, causality, certainty, deities, health, development, North-South concerns for resources, commons, national sovereignty, equity. Discussion of implications of such assumptions for building future environmental policies. | ||
| PLNT 701 | Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. 1 | 0 |
Doctoral Comprehensive Examination. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 An examination that must be passed by all doctoral candidates in order to continue in the doctoral program. | ||
- 1
Must be taken within one year of registering.
Elective Courses (3 credits)
3 credits at the 500 level or higher, on environmental issues to be chosen in consultation with and approved by the student's supervisor AND the Neotropical Environment Options Director.