text: can someone explain what a botanist actually does? i am looking into taking a botany major in college it seems very interesting to me...but i dont know what a botanist would do once graduated from college? i really dont wanna work for a nursery...i wanna research plants etc..etc.. i myself am a agriculture major with a master's degree. i have a few friends who are in the field of botany and plant pathology (it studies the diseases plants can get) here are some materials for your thinking.  if you think you like to do research, going to grad school at least for master's degree is necessary. as a botany major, you can work as a researcher/research assistant. schools like uc davis, uc riverside, cornell, purdue, texas a&m,etc, have great research labs to work at. you can also work for usda (department of agriculture). they have many many experimental stations in almost every state. at such environment you have more chance to work with local farmers or agro industry while doing research. some people like this better than pure research in universities. besides, you can also work as a plant breeder for private seed companies. teaching at college level is also an option after you finish the grad school.(be sure to work as a teaching asistance before you graduate. this gives you good experience-you get to teach while experienced professors are suprovising by your side)  since you have not decided your major, i would suggest you to work in a research lab in botany or horticulture, just to know what life is like working in this field. you'll know if it's for you soon after you work there. good luck and have fun!