Horticulture

Associate Degree in Horticulture

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About This Program

The Horticulture program prepares graduates to work in a wide variety of horticultural occupations, such as tree, shrub and perennial plant nurseries, arboreta, greenhouses, garden centers, landscape contracting and design, municipal parks, arboriculture, turf production, golf course management, lawn and grounds maintenance, florist shops, interior landscaping, estate gardening, cut flower production, herb and specialty plant production, market gardening, organic food production, horticultural equipment supplies and sales, and horticulture education. Many graduates own businesses and contribute significantly to their communities.

The Horticulture program is a hands-on, broad-based curriculum, which provides or sponsors additional opportunities including: tuition scholarships for students who qualify, educational field experiences, visiting lecturers with expertise in horticulture and related fields, and short courses that introduce students to specialized topics presented by members of the “green industry.” Graduates from the Horticulture program have successfully transferred credits toward baccalaureate degrees in related areas of study at a variety of colleges and universities.

Your Degree Courses

Horticulture offers an Associate in Applied Science degree requiring a mix of general education and hands-on courses. The following courses are a sampling of what you might take as a student in this program and are subject to change.

Program Course Sampling

Current Major-Specific Courses Available

Interested in seeing some of the current major-specific courses being offered as a part of this degree program?

• View a list of current major-specific courses for this program.
• View a list of all current courses.

Graduation Requirements

Prospective Students

If you are thinking about attending SMCC and are curious what the current program course requirements are to earn your degree, download the current SMCC Course Catalog.

Current Students

If you are a current student, your program requirements may be different than those listed for the current catalog year. To view your specific program requirements or to search and register for courses, log in to MySMCC and visit the MyDegree webpage.

Graduation Outcomes

• Apply the basic principles of plant function and development, emphasizing horticultural applications.
• Identify and analyze soil properties as they relate to plant growth and land use decisions.
• Identify, use and care for a wide variety of woody and herbaceous plants in landscape and crop production.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of landscape site analysis and landscape design using appropriate tools, techniques, skills and knowledge.
• Identify common biotic and abiotic plant pests and disorders, and develop strategies to manage them in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner.
• Apply horticultural skills and knowledge to operate various business entities, including landscape, arborist, greenhouse, nursery and turf management areas.

Equipment Requirements

• Download the Horticulture Tool & Equipment List

Estimated Degree Completion Time

Please note, these estimates are based on a student taking an average of 15 credits per semester and do not include college preparatory or developmental courses.

SMCC Graduates

Transfer Agreements for Horticulture