Plant Sciences B.S.
Overview
The Plant Sciences major is grounded in real world learning to prepare undergraduates for professional careers in the many public and private sectors of horticulture.
Many of the classes include a lab section or integrate hands-on activities with lectures and readings. In addition, students are able to count up to 12 credits of experiential learning towards the 120 credits required for graduation. After successful completion of the major, students are awarded a degree in Plant Sciences in one of three options:
- turfgrass management,
- ornamental horticulture, and
- sustainable crop production.
Graduates of this program pursue careers ranging from landscape contractor, golf course superintendent, director of parks, botanical gardens or arboreta, garden center or floral shop proprietor, plant propagator, nursery production manager, vegetable or fruit grower, lawn service manager or technical representative for seed, equipment, and chemical companies, to name just a few of the opportunities available. Other graduates enter graduate school and pursue careers in research and education at public and private institutions. The unifying theme of the major is the development of sustainable culture and use of plants for amenity or food.
A recognized credential
Your degree will meet the standards of several certification organizations. Students in the ornamental horticulture option qualify for certification with the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association and the International Society for Arboriculture. Graduates of the turfgrass management option qualify for certification as turfgrass managers or turfgrass specialists with the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops, and Soils, Ltd. of the American Society of Agronomy. These same graduates also meet the requirements for registration with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.