Horticulture

Types of Degrees Horticulture Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many horticulture graduations there were in 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	1,701
Associate’s Degree	1,315
Undergraduate Certificate	749
Bachelor’s Degree	378
Master’s Degree	19
Doctor’s Degree	11
Graduate Certificate	2

What Horticulture Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, horticulture majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Horticulture Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in horticulture should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Horticulture Majors

A major in horticulture prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Abilities for Horticulture Majors

As a horticulture major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Horticulture Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with horticulture:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers	11.4%	$48,220
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	3.8%	$39,630
Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation	7.9%	$35,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 378 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture in 2018, making it rank #216 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 69% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of horticulture majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	6
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	22
White	324
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	17

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Horticulture. About 1.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• South Korea
• India
• Belarus

How Much Do Horticulture Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture have a median salary of $34,850 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $33,375 (25th percentile) and $39,575 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a horticulture degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Horticulture majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $45,080 to $79,940 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Horticulture

Some degrees associated with horticulture may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for horticulture careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	5.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	27.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	13.9%
Some College Courses	5.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	17.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.2%
Master’s Degree	2.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	8.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.3%

Online Horticulture Programs

In the 2017-2018 academic year, 309 schools offered some type of horticulture program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	264	2
Certificate (1-2 years)	208	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	7	0
Associate’s Degree	306	4
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	264	2
Master’s Degree	5	1
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Horticulture Worth It?

The median salary for a horticulture grad is $51,280 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 29% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $227,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Horticulture

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to horticulture.

Major	Number of Grads
Agricultural Economics & Business	8,521
Animal Science	7,549
General Agriculture	3,457
Plant Sciences	3,327
Agricultural Production	3,279
Food Science Technology	2,262
Agricultural Mechanization	1,449
Animal Services	1,166
Agricultural Public Services	725
Other Agriculture	530
Soil Sciences	434
Food Processing	226
International Agriculture	131

References

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By {} under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.