Botanists can decide to focus their study on one specific plant or a single family of plants, such as ferns or corn. Some botanists study environmental systems and the impact they have on the plants and vice versa. Others study the potential uses of plants and plant products in the fields of medicine or chemistry. There are also botanists who study food producing plants to help agricultural companies produce more food.
The basic degree in botany is the bachelor's degree. With a bachelor's degree, a botanist can get an entry-level position in a research facility, but not much else. In order to move forward in her career, a botanist should earn a doctorate in her particular field of interest. With a Ph.D., a botanist can work in a university or lab setting doing original research. A botanist with a doctoral degree can also work as a professor or program administrator at the university level.
Botanists work in research facilities, universities and secondary schools. A large percentage of botanists work for the government, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, performing ecological studies and guiding policy in the areas of forestry and agriculture.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the various job fields of botany are expected to grow much faster than average in they years 2008 through 2018, with much of that growth in the private sector. Botanists without their Ph.D. have their greatest job opportunities in the private sector. The average salary for a botanist in 2009 was $72,792.