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Landscaping & Groundskeeping

Types of Degrees Landscaping & Groundskeeping Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Landscaping & Groundskeeping may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	92
Associate’s Degree	253
Bachelor’s Degree	103
Master’s Degree	428

What Landscaping & Groundskeeping Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Landscaping & Groundskeeping develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Landscaping & Groundskeeping graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Landscaping & Groundskeeping emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Landscaping & Groundskeeping program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Landscaping & Groundskeeping careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Landscaping & Groundskeeping graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Landscaping & Groundskeeping professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Epic Systems	Medical software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Data management software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Landscaping & Groundskeeping graduates include:

• Junior Landscape Crew Leader
• Horticulture Teacher
• Animal Nutrition Teacher
• Agronomy Instructor
• Animal Husbandry Teacher
• Agriculture Professor
• Agriculture Teacher
• Irrigation Teacher
• Olericulture Professor
• Dairy Husbandry Teacher
• Soil Biology Teacher
• Agricultural Education Professor
• Soil Science Professor
• Soil Science Teacher
• Assistant Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	21.0%
Bachelor’s degree	16.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.0%
Postsecondary certificate	11.8%
Post-doctoral training	10.2%
Less than a high school diploma	10.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.9%
Master’s degree	5.3%
Some college courses	3.7%
Post-master’s certificate	2.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Landscaping & Groundskeeping?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 52.2% women and 47.8% men among Landscaping & Groundskeeping graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	458	52.2%
Men	419	47.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Landscaping & Groundskeeping graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	598	68.2%
Asian	19	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino	179	20.4%
Black or African American	26	3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	23	2.6%
Race Unknown	13	1.5%
International Students	17	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Landscaping & Groundskeeping Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Landscaping & Groundskeeping graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 Landscaping & Groundskeeping Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Landscaping & Groundskeeping. 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	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 Landscaping & Groundskeeping Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Landscaping & Groundskeeping 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
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	01.06
Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Business Services, Other	01.0699
Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General	01.0601
Floriculture/Floristry Operations and Management	01.0608
Greenhouse Operations and Management	01.0604
Ornamental Horticulture	01.0603
Plant Nursery Operations and Management	01.0606
Public Horticulture	01.0609
Reserved	01.0680
Turf and Turfgrass Management	01.0607
Urban and Community Horticulture	01.0610
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	01.0102

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.