As a graduate program within the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences (SPES), the core mission of the Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science (PPWS) program is to optimize plant productivity and quality by limiting the impact of biotic and abiotic stresses on the profitability of crops and other plant enterprises, as well as the impact of these stresses on natural and agricultural ecosystems. The program offers a Ph.D. degree in several areas of concentration within SPES: plant pathology, the study of diseases, plant pathogens and their management, plant physiology, the study of plant function, growth and development and response to environmental stresses, weed science, the study of weed biology, ecology and management, and molecular plant sciences, basic biology, biochemistry and genetics of plant and plant pathogen systems. At the master's level, PPWS students participate in the M.S. program in Life Sciences, which also allows flexibility among the different options. For the M.S., students apply to the MSLFS degree type and select PPWS as the program.