Horticultural Science

The Graduate Certificate in Horticultural Science is an individually designed program in horticultural science. To earn your graduate certificate, you need to complete 15 credit hours. No thesis or dissertation is required. Courses are taught via the web so you won’t need time off from work or face long commutes to campus. Each student is assigned an advisor and consults with the advisor to design his or her program. Because of the diversity of subject matter and learner interest, students may concentrate in such areas as general horticulture, food horticulture, and ornamental horticulture and may also include a limited number of courses from other academic areas within agriculture.

Eligibility

Participants must hold a bachelor’s degree to enroll in this program. Online Horticulture Certificate applicants should have majored in horticulture, crop science, plant science, or agricultural education with a concentration in plant science, or another closely related degree.

Students may begin taking courses for the certificate in Summer, Fall, or Spring. All certificate coursework must be completed within four years of enrollment.

Plan of Study

Five courses (15 credit hours) are required. The student and his/her advisor will select the courses that will constitute the student's certificate requirements.

At least three courses in the certificate must be from the Department of Horticultural Science. The remaining two courses may also be in Horticultural Science, or from one of the following areas: Agricultural and Resource Economics, Agricultural and Extension Education, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Crop Science, Entomology, Food Science, Plant Pathology, and Soil Science. Note that not all courses are offered each semester.

Up to twelve (12) credit hours of courses taken while the student is classified as a Post-Baccalaureate Studies (PBS) student may be used in the certificate program if approved by the student’s advisor.

Career Prospects

Work outdoors or in greenhouses. Cultivate perfect landscapes. Some of our program graduates plan and design parks and other commercial, industrial and residential sites as landscape designers. Others manage greenhouses, farms, nurseries, plant breeding facilities or research laboratories. The Graduate Certificate in Horticultural Science provides the deep knowledge and expertise required to advance your career in horticulture.