Plant Sciences: What Can I Do With This Degree?

Landscape Design and Construction Residential design Landscape construction Landscape maintenance Specialty installation (irrigation systems, ponds, rockscapes, lighting) Sales and contracting

Employers Landscape design companies Garden centers Parks, amusement parks, and zoos Golf courses Sport fields Cemeteries Large hotels and resorts Industrial sites Colleges and universities Local/city governments State highway departments Self-employment

Information & Strategies Get practical experience in the field through internships or summer and part-time jobs. Be prepared to work seasonally or move to a climate where more year-round opportunities are available. Develop skills in speaking, writing, and photography. Obtain a business or agricultural economics minor if interested in management or self-employment. Earn a landscape architect degree and obtain professional certification as a landscape architect for better positions, advancement opportunities, more responsibility, and higher pay. Participate in the annual American Landscape Contractor's Association competition.

Turf Grass Science and Management Golf course management Sport turf management Sod production Residential lawn installation and management Irrigation systems Research

Employers Golf courses Lawn care companies Colleges and universities Sport and athletic fields Local/city governments Parks and amusement parks Sod-production firms Pest management companies Landscape companies Irrigation firms

Information & Strategies Get practical experience with golf courses and other turf businesses through internships or summer and part-time jobs. Participate in relevant student organizations and professional associations, e.g. the Turf Club or Hort Club. Develop effective communication skills. Obtain a business or agricultural economics minor if interested in management or self-employment. Be prepared to work seasonally or move to a climate where more year-round opportunities are available.

Public Horticulture Adult and youth education Urban horticulture Plant collections Urban forestry Horticulture therapy Communications Management

Employers Public and botanic gardens Arboreta and conservatories Radio and television stations Magazines, newspapers and internet sites Zoos and aquariums Cities and parks State highway departments Universities Cemeteries Theme parks Extension service Hospitals and therapy centers Nursing homes and senior centers

Information & Strategies Develop excellent writing and speaking skills. Join student organizations and seek leadership roles. Learn to work well with all types of people. Gain practical experience in the field through internships and summer and part-time jobs. Earn registered horticultural therapist licensure for plant therapy or become a certified horticulturist. Obtain teacher certification for public school positions.

Plant Sciences, Horticulture, and Biotechnology Greenhouse and nursery management Vegetable and fruit production Plant biotechnology Plant breeding and genetics Agronomy

Employers Nurseries, greenhouses, florists, and other wholesale and retail companies Extension service Biotechnology companies Agribusinesses Plant propagation and production businesses Harvesting and fertilization manufacturers Consulting firms Government agencies: local, state, federal, and international High schools, colleges, and universities

Information & Strategies Gain practical experience in the field through internships and summer and part-time jobs. Assist a professor with a research project. Join horticultural or agronomy clubs or other student professional associations to network and cultivate related academic interests. Become a certified horticulturist. A master’s or doctoral degree may be necessary for advancement. Some federal and private agency work, consulting positions, and especially research positions require a graduate degree. Maintain a strong grade point average to be competitive for graduate school admission.

General Information

• For entry-level positions in most areas of landscape design, horticulture, turf, agronomy and biotechnology, a bachelor’s degree is sufficient. A graduate degree may be necessary for advancement in some fields such as research and consulting.
• Depending upon which specialty you choose, supplement curriculum with important supporting courses such as business, journalism, planning, geology, entomology, soils, or biology. Take communications courses and develop computer skills.
• Majoring in two subject areas or pursuing a minor can increase marketability. For example, study in landscape design and business, or public horticulture and journalism, can lead to greater opportunities.

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