Degree Offered
- Associate of Arts
Nature of Program
Horticulture is the science of production, processing, and marketing of fruit, vegetable, greenhouse and nursery crops. Students will study physiology, culture, harvest, quality control, sales and utilization of horticulture crops.
Career Opportunities
The program prepares students to become employed as orchard managers, vegetable farmers, greenhouse managers, landscape contractors, golf course managers, park horticulturists, seed and supply representatives, and state and federal nursery inspectors.
Faculty
Chair
- Dr. Heidi B. Samuels - Ed.D.
West Virginia University
Associate professor
- Dr. Donna Ballard - Ph.D.
West Virginia University
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Skills | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| GEF Elective Requirements (5, 6, or 7) | 3 | |
| ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 | Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research (GEF 1) | 6 |
| MATH 124 | Algebra with Applications (GEF 3) | 3 |
| BIOL 101 & BIOL 103 | General Biology and General Biology Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| BIOL 102 & BIOL 104 | General Biology and General Biology Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | Survey of Chemistry (GEF 2) | 4 |
| CHEM 112 | Survey of Chemistry (GEF 8) | 4 |
| A&VS 251 | Principles of Animal Science | 4 |
| AGEE 110 | Microcomputer Applications in Agricultural Education | 3 |
| or CS 101 | Intro to Computer Applications | |
| AGRL 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| AGRL 112 | Professions in Agriculture | 1 |
| ARE 150 | Introductory Agricultural and Agribusiness Economics (GEF 4) | 3 |
| AGRN 202 & AGRN 203 | Principles of Soil Science and Principles of Soil Science Laboratory | 4 |
| ARE 204 | Agribusiness Management | 3 |
| HORT 220 | General Horticulture | 3 |
| PLSC 206 | Principles of Plant Science (GEF 8) | 4 |
| Tracks (Select one of the following): | 6 | |
Agroecology | ||
| Agribusiness Accounting | ||
| Elementary Statistical Inference | ||
Horticulture | ||
| Woody Plant Materials | ||
| Herbaceous Plant Materials | ||
Environmental Protection | ||
| Planet Earth and Planet Earth Laboratory | ||
| Environmental Geoscience and Environmental Geoscience Laboratory | ||
| Elementary Statistical Inference | ||
Entrepreneurship | ||
| Agribusiness Accounting | ||
| Survey of Economics | ||
or BUSA 202 | Survey of Accounting | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| BIOL 101 & BIOL 103 (GEF 8) | 4 | BIOL 102 & BIOL 104 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| MATH 124 (GEF 3) | 3 | AGRL 112 | 1 |
| AGRL 191 | 1 | ARE 204 | 3 |
| Track Course | 3 | HORT 220 | 3 |
| GEF 5, 6, or 7 | 3 | ||
| 14 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 111 (GEF 2) | 4 | CHEM 112 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| PLSC 206 (GEF 8) | 4 | AGRN 202 & AGRN 203 | 4 |
| ARE 150 (GEF 4) | 3 | A&VS 251 | 4 |
| Track Course | 3 | AGEE 110 or CS 101 | 3 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 60 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Horticulture
- Diagnose and solve horticultural problems through the mastery of basic business concepts, a thorough understanding of genetics, plant physiology, plant pathology, soil science, microbiology, and entomology, and a demonstrated ability to manage and lead interdisciplinary teams
- Develop and implement sustainable and profitable horticultural production plans, systems, and uses to improve productivity and efficiency of horticultural and green industry operations
- Formulate answers to horticultural production, landscaping, and public green space problems in ways that fosters long term productivity, sustainability, and livable spaces