Employment Statistics and Major Employers of Botanists

Botanists are primarily employed by colleges and universities, government agencies, and by private companies. The best employment opportunities exist for those who have earned an advanced degree. Holders of Ph.D.s can expect the greatest employment opportunities, particularly at colleges and universities, where most professional botanists find employment. Community and state colleges are oriented primarily toward teaching and offer few research opportunities. For both Ph.D. and master's degree holders who enjoy teaching, the state and community college setting can be highly rewarding. In addition, universities and colleges employ botanists in research positions or administrative posts.

Federal and state agencies also employ a good number of botanists. In the U.S. Department of Agriculture, botanists work at the Medical Plant Resources Laboratory, the Germ Plasma Resources Laboratory, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Arboretum. At the Department of the Interior, botanists are employed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Botanists are employed by several other agencies, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Public Health Service, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. See "Tips for Job Hunters" for a full description of many of the above agencies. Botanists are also employed in agricultural agencies in each of the 50 states and territories.

Botanists can also find employment opportunities in private industry. Sectors of the economy in which botanists are employed include the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, the lumber and paper industries, food companies, fruit growers, seed and nursery growers, biotechnology firms, and fermentation industries.



The employment outlook for botanists is above average. Population pressures on food sources, genetically engineered plants, the need to discover new sources of medicine from exotic plants, and the protection of plant biodiversity all contribute to a strong job market for botanists. In some specialized fields like plant genetics and biochemistry, botanists will be in even greater demand.

Salary Statistics

According to the American Association of University Professors, the average starting salary for a botany professor in 1992 was $35,092. The average salary for a tenured professor was $54,209, while part-time instructors earned about $27,000.

Entry-level botanists working for the federal government with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn from $22,717 to $24,231, depending upon experience. The holder of a master's degree will earn between $27,789 and $29,641, while those with a Ph.D. can expect a salary of $33,623 to $35,865. Starting salaries for those in private industry are commensurate with government, while state employees earn slightly less.

Sources of Further Information

• American Phytopathological Society 3340 Pilot Knob Rd. St. Paul, MN 55121
  

The society publishes free of charge Careers in Plant Pathology.

• American Society of Plant Physiologists 15501-A Monana Drive Rockville, MD 20855
  

It publishes a free brochure entitled Careers in Plant Physiology.

• American Society of Plant Taxonomists Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 1500 North College Ave. Claremont, CA 91711
  

It publishes a free brochure entitled Careers in Biological Systematics.

• Botanical Society of America Department of Botany Ohio State University 1735 Neil Ave. Columbus, OH 43210
  

The society publishes the free Careers in Botany and the Guide to Graduate Study in Botany.

• Ecological Society of America Center for Environmental Studies Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287
  

The society publishes a free reference guide entitled Careers in Ecology.

On Becoming a Biologist (1985). By J. Janovy Jr. and published by Harper and Row.

• Phycological Society of America P.O. Box 368 Lawrence, KS 66044
  

It publishes a free information sheet on careers involving algae.