---

public horticulture

What public horticulture Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in public horticulture emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.7 / 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 emphasized by a public horticulture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, public horticulture graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by public horticulture professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)	Web page creation and editing software	—
Order management software	Procurement software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Dynamics	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for public horticulture graduates include:

• Home Services Consultant
• Home Economics Expert
• Agricultural Extension Agent
• Home Improvement Advisor
• Smart Home Expert
• Home Services Advisor
• Agriculture Extension Agent
• Farm Demonstrator
• District Extension Service Agent
• 4-H Youth Development Educator
• County Home Demonstrator
• Feed Management Advisor
• County Demonstrator
• Home Advisor
• Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	70.4%
Bachelor’s degree	14.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.7%
Doctoral degree	3.7%
Less than a high school diploma	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	3.7%

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

How Much Do public horticulture Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of public 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.}

Is a Degree in public horticulture Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, public 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
Ornamental Horticulture	01.0603
Plant Nursery Operations and Management	01.0606
Reserved	01.0680
Turf and Turfgrass Management	01.0607
Urban and Community Horticulture	01.0610
Agricultural Animal Breeding	01.0902

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.