Department of
Plant Pathology & Microbiology
6 Degree Options
A degree in the STEM field of Bioenvironmental Sciences equips you to play a direct role in developing and implementing solutions to environmental problems. Our graduates often enter careers in industry or government associated with the prevention and remediation of environmental hazards, such as microbial threats, toxic wastes, and other damage to fragile ecosystems.
9 Research Areas
Faculty programs focus on a diversity of plant-microbe interactions, from plant innate immunity, biocontrol, host-pathogen interactions (signals, volatiles), mycotoxins, pathogenicity mechanisms, control of programmed cell death, to biofuels. and bioinformatics. The department encompasses projects that attack applied problems like plant disease control with both classical and modern approaches.
300+ Enrolled Students
Use of hands-on experiences in our classrooms, laboratories, and excellent internship opportunities ensure that you gain experience with the concepts and the technology essential for prevention, assessment, and abatement of environmental problems.
Plant Pathology and Microbiology News
A future in fungi and law
When Mary Cowser ’25 stepped through the door of her mold and mushrooms class during her first year, she had no idea it would mark the beginning of a transformative college experience — one that would lead her from a plant pathology lab to Washington, D.C., and ultimately, toward a future in law. Cowser, a senior in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, is studying bioenvironmental sciences, a program she admits she chose on a whim. But that chance decision turned into a passion.
Students’ fascination with fungi flourishes at Texas A&M
Older than dinosaurs, stranger than fiction; you’ve likely eaten them, stepped on them and even feared them at some point, but you’ve probably never taken a deep dive into the wild world of fungi. In one Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences course, though, fungi aren’t just food or footnotes — they’re the main event. The course, BESC 204 Molds and Mushrooms: The Impact of Fungi on Society and the Environment, has mushroomed in popularity since its inception.
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