B.S. in Plant Sciences: Landscape Management
The University of Maryland Landscape Management Program provides students with academic resources applicable to management positions within the horticulture and landscape industries.
Curriculum
The curriculum provides a strong foundation in the plant sciences, which in combination with business management courses enables graduates to meet the challenges of industry, public horticulture, and entrepreneurship. Incorporated throughout the program are opportunities to become exposed to professional representatives from the horticulture and landscape management fields.
Career Opportunities
The landscape management industry is a multi-billion industry. Recent mergers have resulted in the development of landscape management corporations with career opportunities throughout the United States. These corporations have also become multifaceted with divisions in design/build, maintenance and environmental design. The rapid expansion of the industry has created a strong demand for management personnel. Students graduating from the University of Maryland Landscape Management Program may pursue a career as any of the following:
- Landscape managers responsible for commercial property maintenance and enhancements.
- Landscape project managers for residential and commercial landscape and development.
- Landscape designers for commercial and residential landscapes, seasonal color displays, and landscape enhancements.
- Environmental managers for mitigation project development and subsequent monitoring.
- Horticulture division managers for botanical gardens and zoos with responsibilities for plant collection acquisition, management, and displays.
- Park department supervisors responsible for landscape development and management.
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
The program is located in the Plant Sciences Building, which has state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratory facilities. Computer labs equipped with industry-related software enable students to gain hands-on experience with design assessment and spread sheet analyses. Greenhouses and research farms provide additional venues for expanding student learning.
Faculty
Students enrolled in the Landscape Management Program are instructed by professors with outstanding credentials in their respective fields. Many of these individuals have extensive experience in the horticulture and landscape industries. An advisory board, comprised of landscape management executives, is periodically invited into the classroom to provide an additional dimension to the learning process. Faculty emphasize the latest research and industry developments and provides visualization through field trips to research institutions and corporations.
Landscape Management faculty take a personal interest in the students and serve as mentors in directing them toward internships and careers. Internships are highly encouraged to provide the students with exposure to their professional interest and for development of new skills. In many instances, internships have been entrées to career positions.