[4][5] She was educated at Nga Tawa Diocesan School near Marton, and went on to study at the University of Otago.
[4][7] Also in 1946, Wylie was awarded a postgraduate science scholarship by the University of New Zealand, to fund two years of overseas study.
[4] In 1944,[8] Wylie was completing her honours degree in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago when Professor John Holloway retired suddenly through ill health.
Alongside Betty Batham, Margaret Cookson and Brenda Shore, Wylie took up teaching to keep the department going.
Wylie submitted her Masters thesis, titled Vascular anatomy of New Zealand's malvaceous trees in 1945, while resident in St Margaret's College.