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Horticultural Science

Types of Degrees Horticultural Science Majors Are Earning

Those studying Horticultural Science can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	17
Associate’s Degree	50
Bachelor’s Degree	585
Master’s Degree	194
Doctor’s Degree	57

What Horticultural Science Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Horticultural Science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Horticultural Science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Horticultural Science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Horticultural Science graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Horticultural Science professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ESRI ArcGIS software	Geographic information system	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Kahoot!	Multi-media educational software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Order management software	Procurement software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Horticultural Science graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Farm Consultant
• Farm Services Advisor
• Farm Management Specialist
• County Demonstrator
• 4-H Club Agent
• Agricultural Extension Educator
• Agricultural Agent
• Farm Demonstrator
• Community Educator
• Youth Development Professional
• Home Economics Expert
• Extension Worker
• Agricultural Extension Agent
• Home Improvement Advisor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	56.0%
Doctoral degree	14.5%
Bachelor’s degree	13.4%
Post-doctoral training	5.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.2%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
Less than a high school diploma	2.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
First professional degree	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Horticultural Science?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.4% women and 43.6% men among Horticultural Science graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	509	56.4%
Men	394	43.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	642	71.1%
Asian	9	1.0%
Hispanic or Latino	90	10.0%
Black or African American	22	2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.4%
Two or More Races	28	3.1%
Race Unknown	19	2.1%
International Students	89	9.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Horticultural Science Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Horticultural Science 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	$45,321
4 years	$49,331
5 years	$56,395

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,395 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Horticultural Science Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Horticultural Science. 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
Bachelor’s	1	2
Master’s	2	3

^{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 Horticultural Science Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Horticultural Science graduates earn a median of $49,331 four years after completion — roughly 30% 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
Plant Sciences	01.11
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	01.1104
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management	01.1105
Plant Sciences, General	01.1101
Plant Sciences, Other	01.1199
Range Science and Management	01.1106
Reserved	01.1180
Agricultural Animal Breeding	01.0902
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308
Animal Nutrition	01.0904
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901

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.