Botany is the scientific study of plants. These studies are pursued in the field, in the botanic garden and in laboratories. Plants range from the largest forest trees to single celled algae of fresh and marine waters. The study of plants is of vital importance; they are the source of the food people eat, the oxygen they breathe, most of the medicines they use, and are core to the understanding of the processes of global climate change. Dealing with the threats from global climate change will be one of the biggest challenges of this century. Human manipulation of plants in the future will need to provide food and energy for an expanding human population, whilst conserving the biodiversity of living organisms and integrity of habitats.

Graduates can move directly into a career related to plant biology, such as nature conservation, environmental consultancy, environmental protection, plant evolutionary biology or agricultural research as well as teaching at second level.