Turf and Ornamental Horticulture

Associate Degree Program

As a student in the Turf and Ornamental Horticulture program, you will learn the fine art of creating a finished landscape plan and maintaining woody and herbaceous landscape plants and turfgrasses, while at the same time learning to safely operate a variety of equipment. This program will provide both hands-on skills and classroom experiences to ensure your success in this field. Graduates will be prepared to work in various industries such as golf courses and athletic fields, greenhouse and nursery operations, garden centers, or lawn care businesses. Students who want to become successful entrepreneurs will develop business and customer service skills.

This program is offered at the Georgetown campus.

What You Can Do

In this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare you for positions such as:

• Golf and country club horticulture
• Assistant golf course superintendent
• Landscape technician
• Horticulture salesperson
• Ornamental plant producer
• Greenhouse manager
• Lawn care specialist
• Turf management technician
• Nursery manager
• Irrigation technician
• Lawn and garden chemical applicator
• Sports Field manager

What You Will Earn

Competitive starting salaries range from $30,000-$60,000

What You Will Learn

Program Graduate Competencies

The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.

1. Demonstrate professional behaviors that satisfy workplace expectations and include adherence to safety and environmental concerns related to the field.
2. Demonstrate basic management functions to include environmental controls, scheduling, production, pest control, and nutrient management of turf and ornamental plants.
3. Cultivate and maintain golf course landscapes.
4. Apply business principles and strategies to the turf and ornamental horticulture industries.
5. Explain the importance of environmental factors such as soil and water management to the turf and ornamental horticulture industries.
6. Apply basic installation and maintenance techniques for irrigation systems.
7. Design and install a finished landscape plan, using native plant materials when possible.
8. Examine current agricultural issues and topics.

Core Curriculum Competencies

The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:

1. Apply clear and effective communication skills.
2. Use critical thinking to solve problems.
3. Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
4. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
5. Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
6. Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.