Horticulture

Horticulture is the production, utilization, and improvement of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. It involves plant propagation, breeding, nutrition, harvesting, handling, and storage.

The Horticulture major offers preparation in the fundamentals of plant growth and development, cultural techniques, and related sciences. This major offers a Production Option and a Science Option. Students in the Production Option focus on fruit, vegetable, flower, or ornamental plant production as well as business and pest management. Students in the Science Option focus on plant nutrition, plant breeding and genetics, or plant physiology as well as biology, chemistry, and other related sciences. Students in both options are required to participate in a horticulture internship or horticulture research project.

Why Major in Horticulture?

You may be interested in majoring in Horticulture if you want to:

• operate a plant-related business;
• grow and develop plants for better human nutrition, greater insect/disease resistance, or aesthetic qualities;
• help improve our environment by using plants to modify our surroundings.

Career Opportunities for Horticulture Graduates
Horticulturists combine scientific knowledge and technical skills to grow plants. They discover new knowledge about plants, develop technology, and manage public and private organizations involved in plant production, sale, and use. They may be interested in growing plants as a leisure activity.

Production, marketing, and service offer employment possibilities to qualified graduates. Production positions include owning and managing greenhouses, nurseries, or fruit- and vegetable-growing enterprises. Marketing positions include wholesaling, distribution, and retailing horticulture crops, products, and services. Service positions include careers in teaching, research, and cooperative extension.

Horticulture graduates are also needed in industries such as canneries, seed companies, agricultural chemical companies, utilities, and grower cooperatives as field technicians, sales representatives, directors, and technical advisers. Other possible positions include landscape contractors, quality control personnel with food processors, and inspectors for various state and federal regulator agencies.

For more information about Horticulture, contact

Ms. Paige Thomas
208 Tyson Building
University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-863-6087
E-mail: pmt2@psu.edu

Or visit the Horticulture Web site:
http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/academic/academ.html