The Department of Plant Biology is administered jointly by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Natural Science. Plant Biology is the branch of natural science that deals with all aspects of the biology of plants, encompassing all levels of biological organization from molecules to the ecosystem. Plant biology concerns itself with the study of the structure, function, evolution, physiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and systematics of all taxonomic groups of plants and fungi. Plant biology is central to the wide divergence of disciplines that make up modern plant science at Michigan State University and deals with the relationships between plants and society. Students in this program can study all aspects of plant biology and they are trained to integrate information between different hierarchies of biological organization while at the same time developing a deep understanding of their area of specialization.

The department offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs with majors in plant breeding, genetics and biotechnology–plant biology through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Those programs are referenced below. The department also offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs with majors in plant biology through the College of Natural Science. For information about those programs, refer to the statement on the Department of Plant Biology in the College of Natural Science section of this catalog.