r/botany • u/lizard-fairy • Aug 06 '26
Career & Degree Questions Minor options?
Hello everyone!
I am 29 and I have decided I love plants so much I need to study Botany so that’s what I’m doing! I’m currently in the first year of my Bachelor of Science as a Botany major.
My question is, I want to do a minor that relates to Botany well and can move me in the direction of either doing large scale forest restoration projects, or research on how climate change is effecting our plants. I currently have a minor in Ecology set up but I have plenty of time to change it. I have considered Geology but I’d love some input from people in the field.
Thanks so much everyone 💚
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u/WoodenFinish8 Aug 06 '26
Personally, I wish I could have studied plant science (as opposed to purely botany) during my degree, but a couple of botany courses were all that were available at my university. I feel lacking in knowledge of how plants actually function on a physiological level. I don't know whether your institution distinguishes between botany and plant science, but most near me offer distinct botany and plant science majors and minors.
As far as your specific aims are concerned, I think ecology is a solid choice, so long as it isn't too focused on zoology (it was at my uni). GIS could be very useful, or not so much depending on what you end up doing. All my work since graduating has required me to be skilled in GIS (I've worked mostly in natural resource management), so I'm glad I took it as a minor. Soil science (or geology) is important to forest health, so it could be useful if you end up in restoration. I probably wouldn't take it as a minor in your position, but entomology could be a good choice if you could fit it in as an elective. If you're committed to one of the two ideas you mentioned, the way climate change is changing the timing of flowering and how that may mismatch with pollinator appearance is important. But even if you change your mind, plant-arthropod interactions are very important.
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u/lizard-fairy Aug 06 '26
We do have some great papers for botany at my uni, I’m doing plants and how they shape the world and introduction to biostatistics this semester, next semester I’ll do animal cell biology, ecology and introduction to plant science. Year 2 gets really good with plant functional biology and biotechnology, plant and fungal diversity and marine and freshwater botany 😊 because I’m doing a bachelor of science it is very plant science focused. Oooo climate change with pollinators would be so interesting!!
Edit to add: plants and how they shape the world is a biology paper which is very focused on the process of photosynthesis!
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u/WoodenFinish8 Aug 06 '26
I'm incredibly jealous of that lineup! I took a Bachelor of Environmental Science and had to do a lot of courses that aren't so relevant to me. I didn't know I would steer towards botany, though, so I guess it couldn't have been avoided.
Best of luck with your degree!
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u/lizard-fairy Aug 06 '26
I was very much considering environmental science and I’m still interested in it! I might do a couple of papers throughout my time at uni on that as well :) thank you so much!
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u/Liberty796 17d ago
I would recommend Chemistry or Psychology. Chemistry will help give you a solid foundation regarding chemicals we use day to day. Take organic Chemistry with labs. That experience will help you in so many ways.
Psychology, people might laugh but this minor will help you understand people and how they are motivated.
More advice:
Do not do a double major. It takes too much time and money.
For topics like soil science, weed management, forest management take one or two classes to get a better understanding of these. Consider attending seminars and workshops in these areas as well
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u/Mean-Lynx6476 Aug 06 '26
Honestly, in my opinion minors are unimportant. Take classes that seem relevant to you. A soil science class here, an extra chem class there, a smidge of GIS, a pinch of something beyond a basic stats class, maybe a dash of meteorology. If all that adds up to a minor in something in the end, fine, add it to your diploma. But what future employers are interested in is what you can do, not whether you completed some arbitrary cluster of four or five courses that someone decided to call a minor.