Students engage in research projects and hands-on activities such as plant propagation and hybridization. Internships add depth to classroom work, and include projects such as studying seed viability, researching propagation methods, landscape mapping, and developing educational exhibitions.

Each summer two students study conservation genetics at Kew Gardens in London, and a group of students participate in a summer internship on campus.

Additionally, Botanic Garden staff members offer their expertise and consulting in the areas of conservation biology, ethnobotany, genetics, environmental education, landscape planning, and living collections management.