Turf and Ornamental Horticulture

Associate Degree Program

As a student in the Turf and Ornamental Horticulture program, you will learn the fine art of creating a finished landscape plan and maintaining woody and herbaceous landscape plants and turfgrasses, while at the same time learning to safely operate a variety of equipment. This program will provide both hands-on skills and classroom experiences to ensure your success in this field. Graduates will be prepared to work in various industries such as golf courses and athletic fields, greenhouse and nursery operations, garden centers, or lawn care businesses. Students who want to become successful entrepreneurs will develop business and customer service skills.

Offered at the following campus(es): Georgetown

What You Can Do

In this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills to prepare you for positions such as:

  • Golf and country club horticulture
  • Assistant golf course superintendent
  • Landscape technician
  • Horticulture salesperson
  • Ornamental plant producer
  • Greenhouse manager
  • Lawn care specialist
  • Turf management technician
  • Nursery manager
  • Irrigation technician
  • Lawn and garden chemical applicator
  • Sports Field manager

What You Will Learn

Program Graduate Competencies

The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.

  1. Demonstrate professional behaviors that satisfy workplace expectations and include adherence to safety and environmental concerns related to the field.
  2. Demonstrate basic management functions to include environmental controls, scheduling, production, pest control, and nutrient management of turf and ornamental plants.
  3. Cultivate and maintain golf course landscapes.
  4. Apply business principles and strategies to the turf and ornamental horticulture industries.
  5. Explain the importance of environmental factors such as soil and water management to the turf and ornamental horticulture industries.
  6. Apply basic installation and maintenance techniques for irrigation systems.
  7. Design and install a finished landscape plan, using native plant materials when possible.
  8. Examine current agricultural issues and topics.

Core Curriculum Competencies

The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:

  1. Apply clear and effective communication skills.
  2. Use critical thinking to solve problems.
  3. Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
  4. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
  5. Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
  6. Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.

Suggested Pathway to Graduation

Semester 1

Number Course Title Credits
SSC 100First Year Seminar1
AGS 101Soil Science3
AGS 102Introduction to Agriculture3
AGS 105Principles of Plant Growth3
AGS 123Trfgrss Maintenance Practices3
ENG 101Composition I3

Semester 2

Number Course Title Credits
MAT 152Quantitative Reasoning3
ENG 102Composition II3
AGS 104Introduction to Agribusiness Management3
AGS 136Turf Equipment Operations3
AGS 203Landscape Design3

Semester 3

Number Course Title Credits
AGS 232Turf and Horticulture Work Experience3

Semester 4

Number Course Title Credits
ElectiveSocial Science Elective3
CIS 107Introduction to Computers/Application3
SCI 206Pesticide Principles and Applications3
AGS 244Landscape Construction and Maintenance3
 
SPA 133Using Beginning Spanish3
Or
GIS 101Introduction to GIS3

Semester 5

Number Course Title Credits
AGS 243Irrigation & Athletic Field Maintenance3
ElectiveScience Elective4/3
AGS 250Greenhouse Crop Production3
ElectiveSocial Science Elective3
AGS 225Agriculture Seminar3

Approved Electives

Select two (2) social science electives.

Number Course Title Credits
POL 111Political Science3
PSY 100Human Relations3
PSY 121General Psychology3
SOC 111Sociology3

Select one (1) science elective.

Number Course Title Credits
BIO 140General Biology4
BIO 150Biology I4
BIO 151Biology II4
CHM 110General Chemistry4

To complete program requirements, you must pass the above courses and earn at least 64 credits. The number of courses and credits required for graduation may be more depending on college readiness and the elective courses offered in your program major (if electives are a part of the program).

AGSAASTOH

Campus-Specific Program Information

This program is offered at the Georgetown campus.

Contact Georgetown:

Daniele Kidd
Department Chair, Instructor,
and Program Advisor
dkidd@51jiyangshi.com
(302) 259-6444

This program is offered at the Georgetown campus.

This program is offered at the Georgetown campus.