Master of Science (M.Sc) in Botany, also called Plant Biology, is a postgraduate level Master degree course. It is generally of 2-years duration, but some universities offer 3 year courses and 5 year integrated MSc-PhD courses in Botany as well. It is a very popular postgraduate level course among the bio-science students.
Admission to MSc Botany courses in most of the top universities and Science colleges are taken through entrance exams. It is compulsory for a candidate to have a minimum 50% marks in their bachelor degree (preferably BSc with either Botany or biological sciences as honours subject.) to be eligible to apply for admission.
MSc Botany course is best suited for the students who have completed their graduation in botany or integrated biology (biological sciences), and are looking to pursue a course that will have an adequate mix of mainstream biology along with genetics and biotechnology. During this course, a candidate is given a complete idea about the entire plant kingdom and plant physiology, along with some additional topics related to genetics and biotechnology, cell biology, microbiology, and ecology.
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) provides the rankings of all the top universities in India which provides master degree courses. In the table given below, we have provided the list of top universities which provide MSc Botany courses according to NIRF 2020 rankings.
The average cost of pursuing this course ranges from INR 30,000 to INR 1 Lakh per annum. The average salary earned after completing the degree is up to INR 4.85 Lakhs per annum. Rest depends primarily on the skills and knowledge of the graduates.
If a student wants to go for further studies after completing MSc degree in Botany, then they can pursue a PhD degree or M.Phil degree. A PhD degree is more valued to those who want to pursue a career in research, and higher academics.
| Course Level | Postgraduate |
| Full-Form | Master of Science in Botany |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Eligibility | BSc Botany with minimum 50% marks. |
| Admission Process | Both Entrance Exams and Merit Based |
| Average Course Fee | INR 30,000- INR 1 Lakhs per annum |
| Average Annual Salary | INR 4.58 Lakhs |
| Job Opportunities | Teacher and professor, Medical Coder, Data Analyst, Incident Manager, and Corporate Communications Manager. |
MSc Botany Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility criteria for admission to MSc Botany courses are discussed below:
- A candidate must have a BSc degree with Honours preferably in Botany, Biological sciences or Life sciences, however, Zoology honours students can also apply.
- The candidates should complete graduation with minimum 50% marks, but some very good universities also demand for 55% marks.
- A candidate should come to the course after a minimum of 10+2+3 years of continuous study, with bio-science in 10+2 level.
The other eligibility criteria like age limit and caste-based eligibility criteria vary from University to University. Most of the top universities do not have age limit criteria.
Most of the universities also conduct university and national level entrance tests for offering admission to this MSc Botany course. You need to score good numbers in entrance exams for securing admission in the college of your choice. Cutoff of these entrance exams varies from university to university.
There are a number of jobs and career options available after this course. MSc Botany opens you to a wider range of job opportunities and sectors where you can apply for. The opportunities for botany graduates are widespread over both the public and private sectors.
In the public sector, the opportunities await in areas like public health service, national park services, department of agriculture, forest service, departments of conservation, and land management. In the private sectors, the opportunities are in the oil industry, food companies, seed companies, fruit growers, and biotechnology firms.
- MSc Botany candidates with a good hold of genetics and biotechnology can pursue a career in biotechnological research on various species of bacteria, algae, and fungi, which are quite popular nowadays.
- There is no end in the findings of new plants. A bulk majority of plant species are still unknown and researches are continuously going on to know about them. They are sure to grow in the future.
| Job Profile | Job Role | Average Salary Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher | Teaching science to students. Their role is to teach botany to students in higher secondary classes. Every school has a different biology or botany teacher for tier students. Their responsibility is to manage the time table and course curriculum of the respective subject. | INR 5.66 Lakhs |
| Data Analyst | Analyzing the data available from various scientific projects, and providing suitable solutions based on that. The Data Analyst role is to gather a large pool of data and interpret that data in an efficient way. | INR 3.56 Lakhs |
| Medical Coder | To analyze medical reports and make codes. Medical coders need to have an in-depth grasp of the content of the health records with which they work so they can find the necessary information to properly code the records. | INR 3.03 Lakhs |
| Incident Manager | Providing the first response to an incident and managing it. Incident managers are responsible for identifying emerging incidents and ensuring their prompt resolution. Their primary responsibilities are to address and solve service failures as quickly and effectively as possible. | INR 6.36 Lakhs |
| Corporate Communications manager | Managing communications at a corporate house. Corporate communications managers are in charge of managing their company’s communications efforts, they are responsible for reviewing and approving company statements, as well as participating in drafting corporate communications. | INR 8 Lakhs |