Horticulture (HORT)
Professor Instructor
Dr. Charles Heuser Ms. Paige Thomas
814-863-2253 814-863-6087
hortweb.cas.psu.edu
Horticulture is the production, utilization, and improvement of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. It involves plant propagation; plant breeding and genetics; nutrition, harvesting, handling, and storage of ornamentals, vegetables, and fruits; and ecology.
The Horticulture major offers preparation in the fundamentals of plant growth and development, cultural techniques, and related sciences. This major offers a Production/Business option and a Science option. Students in the Production/Business 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, ecology, 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 also may be interested in growing plants as a leisure activity. Below are listed career opportunities.
Landscape Construction and Management
You can operate your own landscaping business or work for a landscape design/build contracting firm. A wide variety of career opportunities are available from landscape planning and design to installation, construction and maintenance. Projects include residential and/or commercial design and management as well as restoration and management of wetlands and other ecosystems.
Production and Sales
Operating a business or managing an orchard, vegetable farm, greenhouse, flower or plant shop, nursery, landscaping service, garden center, or food processing firm.
Marketing
Being involved in the wholesale or retail sale of fresh or processed fruits and vegetables, seeds, cut flowers, house plants, floral arrangements, or nursery stock. Being a buyer of these items for a chain store, a government or private institution, or wholesale distributor.
Research
You can be a scientist. Horticulturists seek ways to improve the yield and quality of fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants, and to develop methods for handling, storing and, marketing them. You may choose to specialize in plant breeding, plant nutrition, plant growth regulation, plant physiology, or biotechnology.
Pest Management
You can be trained to work with state or federal regulatory agencies, agricultural and chemical suppliers, growers, processing corporations, and agricultural educators. You can specialize in integrated pest management or organic agriculture.
Education
You can be a teacher. The United States needs qualified teachers of horticulture in high schools, technical schools and universities. County extension educators and extension specialists often teach horticulture via workshops and conferences. Horticulture touches the lives of every person, and providing educational experiences in horticulture to persons of all ages can be very rewarding.
Industries Serving Growers of Horticultural Crops
Canning and freezing companies, seed firms and manufacturers of fertilizers, pesticides, and production equipment offer personnel with horticultural training a wide variety of career opportunities in research, development, technical service, and sales work.
Communications
Writing for farm and garden magazines, newspaper, television and radio can offer rewarding careers for horticulturists.
Public Gardens and Arboretums
Public gardens and arboreta offer a wide range of career opportunities in management and production in greenhouses and conservatories, landscaping, education, conservation, ecology, and integrated pest management.
Zoo Horticulture
You can design and maintain natural habitats for zoo animals and create aesthetically pleasing landscaping in zoo environments.
Characteristics of Successful Students
Students in the Horticulture major are first of all interested in plants and they generally prefer to work outdoors. They are environmentalists and have a concern for improving it. Students with an interest in organic food production and methods of reducing the impact of modern society on the environment will also tend to migrate to the major. In addition, students interested in a basic science career focusing on improving plants and understanding their interactions with the environment will also be successful.
Course Scheduling Tips
- Refer to the "Recommended Academic Plan for Horticulture Major" in this advising handbook.
- Always visit your adviser before registering or changing your current course selection during the semester
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Recommended Academic Plans
Business/Production Option: Berks Campus (PDF), Other Penn State Campuses (PDF), University Park (PDF)
Science Option: Berks Campus (PDF), Other Penn State Campuses (PDF), University Park (PDF)