B.S. in Plant Sciences: Horticulture and Crop Production
The University of Maryland Horticulture and Crop Production curriculum is designed to lead students to managerial positions in large-scale agronomic production systems as well as in the intensive management of greenhouse, nursery, orchard and vegetable crop production. Students can choose among a large number of elective courses to prepare for a career in either the public or private sectors that are responsible for advancing the technology of food production and protection, as well as in the production of ornamental and landscape crops. The program also provides a strong background in environmental stewardship and its interface with agricultural systems.
Curriculum
The curriculum prepares students for managerial level entry into all aspects of agricultural industries. As an increasingly urbanizing state, Maryland is unique in the challenges and opportunities associated with the boundaries between agricultural and environmental concerns. The flexible curriculum allows students to choose between interests in traditional agronomic production and the production of ornamental crops by nursery and greenhouse industries.
Career Opportunities
- Farm managers certified to design and implement State mandated Nutrient and Pest Management Plans.
- Independent growers of fruits, including orchards and vineyards, vegetables and grains.
- Managers of commercial nursery and greenhouse industries.
- Horticulture managers for parks, botanic gardens, arboreta and zoos.
- Integrated Pest Management specialists in various agronomic and horticultural industries.
- Environmental managers for restoration and mitigation companies.
- State and regional specialists for agricultural extension.
See career opportunities and internships in other programs.
Location
College Park, MD is conveniently located close to numerous facilities such as the USDA Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, MD, with its associated National Agricultural Library, the National Arboretum, the National Botanical Garden and a number of Smithsonian Institution museums. Also associated with the University of Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station are a number of Research and Educational Centers such as the Western Maryland fruit and orchard facility, the Central Maryland grain farm and the Wye River and Lower Eastern Shore small fruit and vegetable farms on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In addition the department maintains a close association with a large number of commercial growers around the state and in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Facilities
In addition to being housed in the Plant Sciences Building, with modern teaching classrooms, laboratories and growth chamber facilities, we have a new state-of-the-art greenhouse. These on-campus facilities are among the best in the world for teaching students the most modern technologies for the management of agronomic and horticultural crops.
Faculty
All courses in the department are taught by scientists with a broad range of expertise ranging from traditional agronomic and horticultural management to soil science, genetics and biotechnology.