Horticulture is the combination of art and science in the production, marketing, use, and improvement of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. It is a large and diverse industry of commercial enterprises that provide a wide variety of products and services. Horticulture affects everyone by providing a large portion of our daily diet and an endless source of beauty and enrichment in our homes and communities and in our leisure activities.

The Horticulture Undergraduate Program at Virginia Tech

The horticulture curriculum builds on a broad foundation in science, communication, economics, and horticultural science during the first two years and then provides for an individualized program of study based on students' interests and goals. In the junior year, or earlier if desired, students may begin specializing in one of the following options:

Horticulture Crops Production - Students gain knowledge to manage and market ornamental and food crops. They learn sustainable and organic alternatives to meet tomorrow's challenge, whether in Virginia or around the globe.

Landscape Contracting - Graduates design, build, and manage beautiful and functional landscapes using sustainable practices that improve the living environment.

Horticulture Science and Biotechnology - Graduates find cutting-edge careers improving horticulture crops through micropropagation, molecular engineering, and plant-pathogen interactions.

Horticulture Education - Graduates assist and teach others through rewarding, people-oriented careers in horticultural education.

Academic Preparation

All admission offers for this program of study are made through the University's Admissions Office. To be a competitive candidate for freshman admission, follow the guidelines listed on the Admissions homepage. In order to be a competitive candidate, students seeking to transfer into the horticulture program after one year of college work should have a 3.0 grade point average and successfully complete transferable course work in English, mathematics, and appropriate lab sciences. Students planning to transfer under the Guaranteed Admissions Articulation Agreement between Virginia community colleges and the College should follow the academic guidelines noted under College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on the Admissions homepage Articulation Agreements Web page.

Career Opportunities

Horticulture graduates enter a wide array of satisfying and rewarding careers in wholesale and retail businesses and in public and private service fields.

Graduates in crop production become grower specialists and managers of greenhouses, plant nurseries, orchards, vegetable farms, and seed companies. They may provide services in agricultural consulting, including integrated pest management, environmental quality, and international development; plant pest and quality regulations; or marketing, including plant and produce brokering, horticultural supplies, and retail florist or garden center operations.

One of the fastest growing fields in horticulture is landscape contracting. There is a high demand for graduates in landscape management, design, and contracting by garden centers, landscape nurseries, golf courses, interior plantscaping firms, arboreta and botanical gardens, and municipalities. Many graduates begin their careers as entrepreneurs.

Graduates with a science specialization, usually with advanced study, enter research and development careers with universities, government agencies, and agricultural businesses. Their opportunities are diverse and exciting, from efficiency of production technology to environmental management to crop improvement through biotechnology.

Those who graduate with an education emphasis enter careers as teachers of high school students preparing for horticultural employment, as horticulture therapists to individuals with disabilities and other special needs, as education directors for arboreta and botanical gardens, as Cooperative Extension horticultural agents, and as community college and university educators.

Beyond the Classroom

  • Internships and service learning opportunities offer valuable work experience where students can hone their skills while making important career connections in the green industry.
  • Education-abroad opportunities offer a range of global experiences from helping enhance food production in a developing country to studying landscape design in Europe.
  • The Horticulture Club and Pi Alpha Xi honorary society are active organizations that offer leadership and networking opportunities.

Facilities

Horticulture advisors and other members of the teaching faculty are located in Saunders Hall. Applied laboratory experiences are stressed in the horticulture curriculum, utilizing the computer, design studio, and biological science laboratories, the greenhouse complex, fields at Kentland Farm, and the Peggy Hahn Horticulture Garden.

Overview of Course Work

As an applied botanical science, horticulture builds on a foundation in basic sciences and analysis with courses emphasizing putting science to work. An extensive selection of courses, with curriculum flexibility and advisor assistance, allows students to develop both the breadth and concentration they seek in preparing for the future. Study in horticultural sciences, pest management, environmental stewardship, and communications expand into personal specializations for business, design, education, environmental quality, research and a wide array of future opportunities.

For More Information Contact:

Alan R. McDaniel, Coordinating Counselor
Horticulture Department
401 Saunders Hall (0327)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-5781
alanmcd@vt.edu

Department of Horticulture Homepage

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