MSc Botany Syllabus & Subjects 2024

Master of Science in Botany ( MSc Botany) is a postgraduate degree of two years. MSc Botany syllabus  focuses on Structure, Metabolism, Reproduction, Evolution and Development and the relationship of all Plants with the Environment. MSc Botany primarily focuses on the study of each and every aspect of plant life.

MSc Botany syllabus provides students with a thorough grasp of Botany, including Plant Morphology, Anatomy, Physiology, Taxonomy, Genetics, Ecology, and Biotechnology. Students get a strong understanding of the plant kingdom's richness and diversity via a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical instruction.

Students in the MSc Botany subjects participate in intensive coursework, laboratory activities, fieldwork, and research projects. They learn how to conduct scientific research, evaluate data, and interpret results. Students learn to recognize different plant species, research their development patterns, assess their ecological connections, and investigate their possible uses in diverse sectors via hands-on experience.

About the Course : MSc Botany syllabus duration is of two years. There are four semesters in total , each year is divided into two semesters with core subjects, elective subjects and practical subjects as well.

Eligibility: Some colleges or universities accept MSc Botany  admission on merit basis, whereas some institutes have their own entrance exams. Aspirants of the MSc Botany course are requested to keep a check on the official websites of the colleges so that they have the latest updates regarding the entrance exams.

Course Fee : The course of MSc Botany ranges from INR 25,000 to INR 1.2 LPA. 

Job Profiles : Botanist, Floriculturist,  Ecologist, Environmentalist, Plant Conversationalist, Researcher, Botany Professor are some of the job profiles that the graduates of MSc Botany can pursue after graduating.

Salary :  The average annual salary received by MSc Botany graduates is INR 4,85,000 LPA.

MSc Botany syllabus and subjects are listed below: 
 

MSc Botany First Year Syllabus : 

MSc Botany first year syllabus and subjects are listed below:  

• Phycology
• Plant Morphology and Anatomy
• Mycology
• Taxonomy of Angiosperms
• Bryology and Pteridology
• Reproductive Biology, Morphogenesis and Tissue culture
• Gymnosperm and Palaeobotany
• Cell and Molecular Biology

MSc Botany Second Year Syllabus :

MSc Botany second year syllabus and subjects are listed below:  

• Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
• Plant Resource, Utilization and Conservation
• Plant Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques
• Plant Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and IPR 
• Plant Biotechnology
• Plant Molecular Biology and Molecular Techniques
• Cytogenetics, Plant Breeding and Biostatistics

Given below is a semester wise list of all the MSc Botany subjects included in the course syllabus : 

Here are the core MSc Botany subjects are: 

• Microbiology
• Phycology
• Cell Biology
• Genetics and Genomics
• Plant Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics

Here are the elective MSc Botany subjects are: 

• Forest Ecology
• Plant Pathology
• Biology and diversity of Pteridophyte
• Advanced Plant Physiology
• Ecology and Environment
• Palaeobotany

Given below is an year wise list of all the practical MSc Botany subjects included in the course syllabus : 

MSc Botany Practical Subjects for Year 1 

• Phycology
• Mycology
• Plant Morphology and Anatomy
• Reproductive Biology, Morphogenesis and Tissue culture

MSc Botany Practical Subjects for Year 2 

• Plant Molecular Biology and Molecular Techniques
• Plant Physiology
• Plant Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques 
• Cytogenetics, Plant Breeding and Biostatistics

Here are the MSc Botany lab subjects: 

• Phycology
• Mycology
• Plant Morphology and Anatomy
• Reproductive Biology, Morphogenesis and Tissue culture
• Plant Molecular Biology and Molecular Techniques
• Plant Physiology
• Plant Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques 
• Cytogenetics, Plant Breeding and Biostatistics

Given below is a list of the MSc Botany subjects along with the topics that they cover :

Phycology and Limnology

•  Introduction to Limnology
• Properties of water
• Lake ontogeny
• Morphometry
• Physical factors like Light, Temperature, Heat and Stratification
   

 Bryology and Pteridology

• General introduction including broad outline of classification and evolutionary trends
• Anthocerotophyta: distribution
• General Introduction of pteridophytes ,their peculiar features and similarities and dissimilarities with bryophytes and gymnosperms
• Reproductive biology, Morphogenesis and Tissue culture
• Introduction to life history of angiosperms
• Brief history of plant embryology
• Anther: Structure and development wall layers and their role 
• Microsporogenesis
• Ovule: Ontogeny, structure, integuments and nucellus specialized structures, megasporogenesis
   

Plant Physiology

• Plant water relations
• Nitrogen metabolism, respiration and lipid metabolism
• Photochemistry and photosynthesis

The MSc Botany course curriculum is divided into subjects, projects, research, and seminars. The MSc Botany syllabus  is structured into four semesters, with the first three consisting of practicals and theories and the fourth consisting of research dissertation submission and optional courses and their practicals. 

• IV Semesters
• Core subjects
• Practical and Laboratory
• Research Dissertation Work
• Projects

The MSc Botany syllabus includes a variety of teaching methods and tactics to help students understand the broad range of subjects covered in their lectures. Several instructional approaches and tactics are used in the M.Sc Botany  curriculum, including:

• Practical & Laboratory sessions
• The emphasis of Practical Learning
• Experimentation
• Guest Lectures, Seminars, and Workshop
• Group Assignment and Discussion
• Learning through Industrial Visit
• Research & Development

The MSc Botany syllabus includes projects in the final year. It contains several credit points that may be used to qualify for the course, further your education, or career. Some MSc Botany project ideas are as follows:

• Combating the Global Food Crisis : Diazotroph Bacteria as a cereal crop growth promoter 
• The Lifespan of a Genetically Engineered Tomato 
• Environment Friendly Method to Suppress the Growth of Weeds 
• Investigating Seed Tolerance for Freezing Temperatures 

Given below is a list of books that the students of M.Sc Botany can refer to while pursuing the course: 

• Concise Encyclopedia for Plant Pathology by P. Vidhyasekaran 
• A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics by R.J Lincoln , G.A Boxshall , P.F Clark 
• Chemical Microbiology by Rose 
• Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science 
• Practical Botany by Ashok Bendre 
• Cell and Molecular Biology : Concept and Experiments by G.Karp 
• Textbook of Botany by Pardey 

To get admission into the course of MSc Botany , there are a lot of entrance exams held by different colleges and universities. Entrance exam and a good merit score from the undergraduate degree program of the same course is essential to get MSc Botany admission. 

The MSc Botany entrance exams are as follows : 

• SVUCET 
• CUET PG
• LPUNEST 
• TUEE

The question paper for the entrance exam of MSc Botany includes questions about various topics like reasoning and knowledge, qualitative and quantitative reasoning, biology and also topics which one studied in the science stream of class 11th & 12th. The candidates should also brush up on everything they had learned in their undergraduate degree as well. 

The pattern of the MSc Botany question paper is as follows:  

• MCQ with objective-type questions 
• A negative marking system
• The entrance exam is conducted in the English language
• The duration of the entrance exam is 2 hours
• General English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Mathematics are the main topics asked in the examination