Forest pathology and mycology trains students to understand tree diseases and fungi from the perspective of basic biology and ecology as well as that of societal needs. This requires global understanding of the positive and negative ecological roles of diseases in the forest environment. It requires a broad knowledge of fungi, viruses, bacteria and abiotic environmental factors affecting forest systems. It also requires sophisticated application of molecular biology, physiology and genetics to host pathogen systems. Areas of interest include environmental, fungal and viral tree diseases, mycorrhizae, wood decay, monitoring and impact assessment of disease in forest and urban tree systems, epidemiology of tree diseases and the genetics of resistance to tree diseases and pathogen variability, molecular biology and physiology of fungus infection and invasion, and taxonomy and ecology of fungi. Professional Experience Option requires at least 30 credits of graduate coursework, of which 24 must be taken in residence at ESF.