Horticulture
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Horticulture
Study Options
Requirements and Core Courses
Graduate Programs in Horticulture
Careers in Crop Horticulture
Suggestied Strengths, Interests and Preparation
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Campus Organizations and Activities
Contact Information
Horticulture
Horticulture is the science and art of growing plants for food, personal enjoyment, and environmental enhancement. Horticulture includes the production, marketing, and utilization of fruit and vegetable products that improve health and well-being, shade trees that reduce the urban heat island effect, bedding plants that increase business profits, and interior plants that reduce stress and enhance productivity.
• Offered at WSU: Bachelor of science, master of science, Ph.D.
• Available at: Pullman
Study Options
WSU’s horticulture program offers four areas of focus:
• Students majoring in environmental horticulture will learn about propagation, greenhouse and nursery management, landscape plant installation and management, floral crop production and marketing, and other aspects of plant utilization in our environment.
• Students majoring in fruits and vegetables, tree fruit management, or viticulture and enology will study the science and technology of propagation, cultural practices, harvesting, handling, storage, processing, marketing, and genetic improvement, plus specific aspects of horticultural crops.
Requirements and Core Courses
Bachelor of Science in Horticulture
A minimum of 120 total credits with at least 40 in 300- and 400-level courses are required for graduation. Students also must meet course requirements outlined in the General Catalog to graduate.
The following list provides an example of courses available to students. Courses vary among the different areas of focus. For a complete program, visit the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Web site.
Hort 102—Cultivated Plants
Hort 202—Crop Growth and Development
Hort 231—Landscape Plant Materials I
Hort 232—Landscape Plant Materials II
Hort 251—Propagation of Plants
Hort 310—Pomology
Hort 313—Viticulture and Small Fruits
Hort 320—Olericulture
Hort 326—Vineyard and Winery Equipment
Hort 332—Interior Plantscaping
Hort 334—Controlled Environments for Horticultural Production
Hort 340—Nursery Management
Hort 356—Preparation for Entering the Horticulture Profession
Hort 413—Advanced Viticulture
Hort 416—Advanced Horticultural Crop Physiology
Hort 418—Postharvest Biology and Technology
Hort 425—Future World Trends and Horticultural Impact
Hort 435—Chemistry and Biochemistry of Fruit and Wine
Hort 439—Ornamental Plant Production
Hort 490—Potato Science
Hort 495—Research Experience
Ag Ec 201—Economics in Agriculture
or Econ 102—Fundamentals of Macroeconomics
SoilS 201—Soil: A Living System
Entom 340—Agricultural Entomology
Chem 101—Introduction to Chemistry
or 105—Principles of Chemistry I
Biol 120—Introduction to Botany
SoilS 441—Soil Fertility
Pl P 429—General Plant Pathology
IPM 452—Pesticides and the Environment
Graduate Programs in Horticulture
For information about the University’s graduate programs in horticulture, visit the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Web site.
Careers in Horticulture
With the prominence and importance of environmental issues, the job market has expanded for fruit, vegetable, and environmental horticulturists as research workers, extension specialists, teachers, professors, and scientists. Careers in some of these areas require education beyond the bachelor’s degree.
Horticulturists enjoy rewarding careers as production superintendents, marketing managers, inventory controllers, buyers, landscape maintenance specialists, landscape supervisors, interior plantscapers, bedding plant producers, education coordinators, and research and extension technicians and assistants.
Other possible careers include growers, farm managers, field personnel, brokers, shippers, warehouse and storage operators, handlers, processors, consultants, producers, and advertising and promotion specialists.
These positions are found in such various organizations as garden centers, nurseries, greenhouses, maintenance firms, florists, seed producers, bedding plant companies, bulb producers, wholesale distributors, handling and transportation firms, botanical gardens, schools and colleges, city parks, and arboretums. Horticulturists are also employed by fruit and vegetable farms, vegetable seed companies, marketing and promotional organizations, produce firms, grading and packing businesses, storage operations, and manufacturers of production and harvest machinery, fertilizers, and agricultural chemicals.
International horticulture offers career opportunities in overseas supervision and technical assistance with commercial companies and international food programs. Volunteer opportunities are available with the Peace Corps and other humanitarian organizations.
Suggested Strengths, Interests and Preparation
• Enjoy growing plants and using plants to benefit humanity
• Desire to know about cultivated plants and their dynamic responses to the environment
• Desire to develop strategies to optimize horticultural practices and find applications for biotechnology
• Desire to explore the nutritional, physical, and psychological interdependence among people, plants, and gardens
• Plans to enter graduate school in the plant sciences
Scholarships and Financial Aid
The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture awards approximately $30,000 in scholarships to more than 30 students annually. In addition, horticulture students are eligible to compete for some of the $500,000 in scholarships available through the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, and some of the $30 million in financial aid dispersed to Washington State University students each year. Scholarship and financial aid funds are available to entering freshmen and continuing students.
Campus Organizations and Activities
• The Horticulture Club is one of the largest and most successful student groups at Washington State University. Members participate in scholarship fund-raising projects such as plant sales and cider pressing, host guest scientists and industry representatives, and sponsor social events such as the annual winter holiday party, spring picnic, and the fall barbecue for new students.
• Students also may participate at the regional level with the Western Association of Collegiate Horticulture Students and at the national level through the American Society for Horticultural Science.
Contact Information
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Sciences
Johnson Hall, Room 149
PO Box 646414
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6414
hobart@wsu.edu
509-335-9502
Visit Department Web Page
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Watch a Video about this program
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Strengths of the Program
- Learn from world-recognized authorities in horticulture, many of whom have traveled widely to study international agriculture, cropping systems, small farms, and sustainable agriculture.
- Gain hands-on experience in first-rate laboratories, computer facilities, greenhouses, field plots, and a production orchard—all available to WSU horticulture students.
- Benefit from the experiences and knowledge of more than 40 faculty members who are associated with the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
- Learn from professors who are experts in genetic engineering, reproduction physiology, post-harvest handling, plant culture, computer technology, water quality, and plant impacts on people.
- Interact with faculty who provide students with opportunities to be involved in research projects and work in individual faculty laboratories.
- Benefit from advising and counseling services that are provided by the faculty, allowing students to receive individual guidance.
- Join other science, math, and engineering students in the Gannon-Goldsworthy residence hall—share courses with your neighbors, study together, get free tutoring, and use the hall’s own computer lab.