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Ornamental Horticulture

Types of Degrees Ornamental Horticulture Majors Are Earning

Those studying Ornamental Horticulture have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	15
Associate’s Degree	47
Bachelor’s Degree	12
Master’s Degree	30

What Ornamental Horticulture Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Ornamental Horticulture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Ornamental Horticulture graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	3.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Ornamental Horticulture professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Payroll software	Time accounting software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Ornamental Horticulture graduates include:

• Horticulture Manager
• Field Manager
• Junior Landscape Crew Leader
• Soil Conservation Teacher
• Agribusiness Professor
• Olericulture Professor
• Aquaculture Professor
• Agricultural Science Teacher
• Agricultural Soil Conservation Professor
• Agronomy Instructor
• Viticulture Teacher
• Animal Anatomy Teacher
• Animal Physiology Teacher
• Horticulture Professor
• Agriculture Instructor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	22.7%
Bachelor’s degree	16.7%
Postsecondary certificate	11.5%
Post-doctoral training	11.1%
Less than a high school diploma	9.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.4%
Master’s degree	5.8%
Some college courses	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	2.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Ornamental Horticulture?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.5% of Ornamental Horticulture degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	64	61.5%
Men	40	38.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	74	71.2%
Asian	2	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	15	14.4%
Black or African American	2	1.9%
Two or More Races	3	2.9%
Race Unknown	6	5.8%
International Students	2	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Ornamental Horticulture Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Ornamental Horticulture 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.}

Is a Degree in Ornamental Horticulture Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Ornamental 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
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
Landscaping and Groundskeeping	01.0605
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.