Horticulture is the study of plants and their uses. However, unlike botany–the science and study of plant life–horticulture focuses on the different ways that plants are cultivate for human use. Horticulture is practiced by individuals who plant their own gardens as well as large corporations that produce food for sale throughout the world. Horticulture involves a diverse array of activities including growing and cultivating plants for food (e.g., herbs, vegetables fruits, grains, etc.) as well as growing non-food plants such as flowers, trees, and grass for landscaping.
Horticulturalists use their skill and knowledge improve crop production, engineer genetically enhanced plants that can withstand intense drought, improve the quality of plant foods and produce plants/herbs with medicinal application. Horticulturalists and horticulture scientists must have a indepth understanding of mathematics, biology, geology, chemistry, and physics–as well as industry specific sciences including plant pathology, genetics, entomology, and soil science, among many other related disciplines.
Areas of Study
The two general areas of horticulture are ornamentals (non-food plants) and edibles (crop plants). These areas can be further grouped into the following categories:
- Arboriculture
- Floriculture
- Turf Management
- Olericulture
- Landscape horticulture
- Postharvest physiology
- Oenology
- Pomology
- Viticulture
Horticulturists work in various sectors, including government, higher education, or private industry. For those seeking a career in horticulture, obtaining formal education in marketing, business, commerce, and health care will greatly enhance career opportunities.
Higher education programs in horticulture focus on the general production and processing of domesticated plants, flowers, shrubs, groundcovers, foliage, trees, and related plant materials; the management of technical and business operations connected with horticultural services.
The following colleges and universities provide majors and degree programs in horticultural and horticulture services.
- Alamance Community College Graham, NC
- Alvin Community College Alvin, TX
- Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI
- Anoka Technical College Anoka, MN
- Arkansas Northeastern College Blytheville, AR
- Augusta Technical College Augusta, GA
- Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA
- Bergen Community College Paramus, NJ
- Black Hawk College Moline, IL
- Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock, NC
- Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington, KY
- Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID
- Butte College Oroville, CA
- Calhoun Community College Tanner, AL
- Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable, MA
- Carteret Community College Morehead City, NC
- Cecil College North East, MD
- Central Community College Grand Island, NE
- Central Florida Community College Ocala, FL
- Central Georgia Technical College Macon, GA
- Central Lakes College Brainerd, MN
- Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
- Central Texas College Killeen, TX
- Clackamas Community College Oregon City, OR
- Clark College Vancouver, WA
- Clark State Community College Springfield, OH
- Clemson University Clemson, SC
- Coffeyville Community College Coffeyville, KS
- College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL
- College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA
- College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO
- Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO
- Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA
- Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
- Cuyahoga Community College: Metropolitan Campus Cleveland, OH
- Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
- Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
- Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA
- Dodge City Community College Dodge City, KS
- Eastern Oklahoma State College Wilburton, OK
- Edmonds Community College Lynnwood, WA
- Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL
- Forsyth Technical Community College Winston-Salem, NC
- Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI
- Front Range Community College Westminster, CO
- Fullerton College Fullerton, CA
- Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
- Harford Community College Bel Air, MD
- Harper College Palatine, IL
- Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA
- Haywood Community College Clyde, NC
- Heritage University Toppenish, WA
- Illinois Central College East Peoria, IL
- Illinois Eastern Community Colleges: Lincoln Trail College Robinson, IL
- Illinois Eastern Community Colleges: Wabash Valley College Mount Carmel, IL
- Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa, IA
- Iowa State University Ames, IA
- J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond, VA
- Jefferson Community and Technical College Louisville, KY
- Jefferson Davis Community College Brewton, AL
- John Wood Community College Quincy, IL
- Johnston Community College Smithfield, NC
- Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL
- Kaskaskia College Centralia, IL
- Kent State University: Salem Salem, OH
- Kishwaukee College Malta, IL
- Lake Washington Technical College Kirkland, WA
- Lenoir Community College Kinston, NC
- Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, CA
- Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke, PA
- Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI
- Mayland Community College Spruce Pine, NC
- McHenry County College Crystal Lake, IL
- Merced College Merced, CA
- Mesa Community College Mesa, AZ
- Metropolitan Community College Omaha, NE
- Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
- Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead, MS
- Mount Marty College Yankton, SD
- Mt. Hood Community College Gresham, OR
- Naugatuck Valley Community College Waterbury, CT
- Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Curtis, NE
- Nebraska Indian Community College Macy, NE
- North Shore Community College Danvers, MA
- Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI
- Northeastern Junior College Sterling, CO
- Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS
- Oakland City University Oakland City, IN
- Ocean County College Toms River, NJ
- Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute Wooster, OH
- Paul Smith’s College Paul Smiths, NY
- Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA
- Piedmont Technical College Greenwood, SC
- Purdue University West Lafayette, IN
- Rend Lake College Ina, IL
- Richland College Dallas, TX
- Richland Community College Decatur, IL
- Sampson Community College Clinton, NC
- San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA
- Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
- Shasta College Redding, CA
- Shawnee Community College Ullin, IL
- Sierra College Rocklin, CA
- Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon, WA
- South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
- South Puget Sound Community College Olympia, WA
- Southeast Technical Institute Sioux Falls, SD
- Southern Maine Community College South Portland, ME
- Southwest Tennessee Community College Memphis, TN
- Southwestern Illinois College Belleville, IL
- Spartanburg Community College Spartanburg, SC
- Spokane Community College Spokane, WA
- St. Catharine College St. Catharine, KY
- State Fair Community College Sedalia, MO
- State University of New York at Farmingdale Farmingdale, NY
- State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville Morrisville, NY
- State University of New York College of Technology at Delhi Delhi, NY
- Stephen F. Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
- Surry Community College Dobson, NC
- Tarrant County College Fort Worth, TX
- Technical College of the Lowcountry Beaufort, SC
- Temple University Philadelphia, PA
- Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
- Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
- Thomas Edison State College Trenton, NJ
- Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA
- Trident Technical College North Charleston, SC
- Trinity Valley Community College Athens, TX
- Triton College River Grove, IL
- University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
- University of Georgia Athens, GA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
- University of New Hampshire Durham, NH
- University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI
- Vermont Technical College Randolph Center, VT
- Vincennes University Vincennes, IN
- Virginia Western Community College Roanoke, VA
- Wallace State Community College at Hanceville Hanceville, AL
- Western Piedmont Community College Morganton, NC
- Western Texas College Snyder, TX
- Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood, PA
- Wilkes Community College Wilkesboro, NC
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