About The Program

The Master in Plant Health Management (MPHM) is a new master's degree designed to provide advanced knowledge in plant health management, augmented with professional training in communication, leadership and management.

 MPHM is Ohio State's first graduate program to achieve Professional Science Masters affiliation.

Excerpt from PSM Website: "The Professional Science Master's (PSM) is an innovative, new graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or mathematics, while simultaneously developing workplace skills highly valued by employers. PSM programs consist of two years of academic training in an emerging or interdisciplinary area, along with a professional component that may include internships and "cross-training" in workplace skills, such as business, communications, and regulatory affairs. All have been developed in concert with employers and are designed to dovetail into present and future professional career opportunities."

Who is This Program For?

The program is designed for working professionals and recent graduates who wish to develop expertise in plant health management.  We welcome students from all academic majors (applicants should have at least a college-level biology, college-level biology, plant biology, microbiology or chemistry course).  This is a non-thesis master's program.

Prospective students come from an array of fields:

• Professionals in the agriculture industry; turf and landscape industries; retail garden centers; forestry/natural resource management; certified crop advisers
• Seed Industry/Plant Industry/Animal Plant Health Inspection agencies
• Extension educators and personnel
• Agriculture and science teachers and others seeking in-service training
• Business and legal professionals seeking specializations in plant health and pest management (e.g., environmental, regulatory, and/or intellectual property aspects)
• Professionals from other fields who wish to pursue plant health management careers
• Others seeking advanced training in plant health management

Learning Goals for MPHM Students

• Understand the adverse effects of pathogens, insects and other pests influencing plant health;
• Learn how to synthesize information to study and assess a plant health management issue; and
• Learn how to evaluate plant health management strategies in agricultural, urban, and natural ecosystems using current informational resources.

Overview of Requirements

• Core Courses and Credits
  35-40 minimum graduate semester credits, including 8 required core courses.
  > MPHM Course Requirements

  A Master's Examination, administered by the student's advisory committee as a test of the the student's mastery of the field, must be satisfactorily completed in the final quarter.
  > Graduate School Master's Degree Requirements

• Project
  Independent project or internship in student’s area of interest.  Projects may be with industry, government agencies, non-profit organizations, or with faculty in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
  > Project ideas

Time to Completion

Admission

1. Applicants must have an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university by the expected date of entry, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher (4.0 scale) or the equivalent on another grading system on all previous undergraduate and graduate work.
2. The GRE is not required, however applicants with a GPA below 3.0/4.0 for all previous undergraduate college work must submit GRE (General Exam) scores.
3. GRE (General Exam) is also required for applicants who wish to be considered for university fellowships (> Fellowship Information and Eligibility)
4. All majors are eligible.  Applicants to the MPHM program should have a college-level biology, plant biology, microbiology or chemistry course.
5. Applicants whose native language is not English, must submit a recent, official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score or other approved proficiency test (IELTS, MELAB).  Specific requirements can be found on the Graduate Admissions website:
   gradadmissions.osu.edu/TOEFL_requirement.html
6. Applications are accepted year-round. For admission to a specific term, see Graduate School Deadlines: gradadmissions.osu.edu/deadlines.html

   Applicants who wish to be considered for university fellowships should follow fellowship deadlines
   > Graduate School Fellowships

7. > How to Apply

How Much Will This Cost?

For more information