Plant Sciences **UNA Equivalent - Environmental Biology major**
What can I do with this major?
Landscape Design and Construction
Area
- Residential Design
- Landscape Construction
- Landscape Maintenance
- Specialty Installation (Irrigation systems, ponds, rockscapes, lighting)
- Sales and Contracting
Employer
- Landscape design companies
- Garden centers
- Parks, amusement parks, and zoos
- Golf courses
- Sport fields
- Cemeteries
- Large hotels and resorts
- Industrial sites
- Colleges and universities
- Local/city governments
- State highway departments
- Self-employment
Information / Strategies
- Get practical experience in the field through internships or summer and part-time jobs.
- Be prepared to work seasonally or move to a climate where more year-round opportunities are available.
- Develop skills in speaking, writing, and photography.
- Obtain a business or agricultural economics minor if interested in management or self-employment.
- Earn a landscape architect degree and obtain professional certification as a landscape architect for better positions, advancement opportunities, more responsibility, and higher pay.
- Participate in the annual American Landscape Contractor's Association competition.
>Turfgrass Science and Management
Area
- Golf Course Management
- Sport Turf Management
- Sod Production
- Residential Lawn Installation and Management
- Irrigation Systems
- Research
Employer
- Golf courses
- Lawn care companies
- Colleges and universities
- Sport and athletic fields
- Local/city governments
- Parks and amusement parks
- Sod production firms
- Pest management companies
- Landscape companies
- Irrigation firms
Information / Strategies
- Get practical experience with golf courses and other turf businesses through internships or summer and part-time jobs.
- Participate in relevant student organizations and professional associations, e.g. the Turf Club or Hort Club.
- Develop effective communication skills.
- Obtain a business or agricultural economics minor if interested in management or self-employment.
- Be prepared to work seasonally or move to a climate where more year-round opportunities are available.
Public Horticulture
Area
- Adult and Youth Education
- Urban Horticulture
- Plant Collections
- Urban Forestry
- Horticulture Therapy
- Communications
- Management
Employer
- Public and botanic gardens
- Arboreta and conservatories
- Radio and television stations
- Magazines, newspapers and internet sites
- Zoos and aquariums
- Cities and parks
- State highway departments
- Universities
- Cemeteries
- Theme parks
- Extension Service
- Hospitals and therapy centers
- Nursing homes and senior centers
Information / Strategies
- Develop excellent writing and speaking skills.
- Join student organizations and seek leadership roles.
- Learn to work well with all types of people.
- Gain practical experience in the field through internships and summer and part-time jobs.
- Earn Registered Horticultural Therapist licensure for plant therapy or become a Certified Horticulturist.
- Obtain teacher certification for public school positions.
Plant Sciences, Horticulture, and Biotechnology
Area
- Greenhouse and Nursery Management
- Vegetable and Fruit Production
- Plant Biotechnology
- Plant Breeding and Genetics
- Agronomy
Employer
- Nurseries, greenhouses, florists, and other wholesale and retail companies
- Extension Service
- Biotechnology companies
- Agribusinesses
- Plant propagation and production businesses
- Harvesting and fertilization manufacturers
- Consulting firms
- Government agencies: local, state, federal, and international
- High schools, colleges, and universities
Information / Strategies
- Gain practical experience in the field through internships and summer and part-time jobs.
- Assist a professor with a research project.
- Join horticultural or agronomy clubs or other student professional associations to network and cultivate related academic interests.
- Become a Certified Horticulturist.
- A master's or doctoral degree may be necessary for advancement. Some federal and private agency work, consulting positions, and especially research positions require a graduate degree.
- Maintain a strong grade point average to be competitive for graduate school admission.
General Information and Strategies
- For entry level positions in most areas of landscape design, horticulture, turf, agronomy and biotechnology, a bachelor's degree is sufficient. A graduate degree may be necessary for advancement in some fields such as research and consulting.
- Depending upon which specialty you choose, supplement curriculum with important supporting courses: business, journalism, planning, geology, entomology, soils, biology. Take communications courses and develop computer skills.
- Majoring in two subject areas or pursuing a minor can increase marketability. For example, study in landscape design and business, or public horticulture and journalism, can lead to greater opportunities.