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Horticulture

Types of Degrees Horticulture Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Horticulture may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	664
Associate’s Degree	1,305
Bachelor’s Degree	322
Master’s Degree	1,859

What Horticulture Majors Need to Know

Programs in Horticulture build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Horticulture graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Horticulture emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Horticulture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Horticulture careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Horticulture graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Horticulture professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Payroll software	Time accounting software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Horticulture graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Farm Management Specialist
• Farm Consultant
• Extension Service Specialist
• 4-H Youth Educator
• Community Educator
• Extension Worker
• District Extension Service Agent
• Family Resource Management Specialist
• Smart Home Expert
• Home Demonstration Agent
• Extension Service Advisor
• Extension Officer
• Farm Demonstrator
• Home Agent

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Horticulture graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	30.4%
Bachelor’s degree	14.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	12.0%
Doctoral degree	11.9%
Postsecondary certificate	8.0%
Less than a high school diploma	7.6%
Post-doctoral training	5.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.7%
Some college courses	2.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Horticulture?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 46.1% women and 53.9% men among Horticulture graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,918	46.1%
Men	2,246	53.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Horticulture graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,833	68.0%
Asian	64	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	629	15.1%
Black or African American	348	8.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	26	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	125	3.0%
Race Unknown	105	2.5%
International Students	31	0.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Horticulture Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Horticulture graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,555
4 years	$43,505
5 years	$48,599

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $48,599 — roughly 29% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Horticulture Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Horticulture. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	6
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Horticulture Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Horticulture graduates earn a median of $43,505 four years after completion — roughly 14% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agriculture Ag Operations	01
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	01.05
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.04
Agricultural Business and Management	01.01
Agricultural Mechanization	01.02
Agricultural Production Operations	01.03
Agricultural Public Services	01.08
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other	01.99
Agriculture, General	01.00
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs	01.13
Animal Sciences	01.09
Food Science and Technology	01.10

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.