Internship and Career Opportunities
Job prospects, interest in environment drawing more college students to agriculture schools
November 17, 2009 By The Associated Press  DAVID MERCER (Associated Press Writer). Read more @ newsday.com
Internship and Job Openings!
Internships
All majors require students to take an internship. Students from our department are easily placed in internships. There are dozens of internships available within each student's field. Companies and institutions are eager to provide interns with a good learning experience. Students typically work in the internship during the summer but enroll for internship credits in a fall-semester course, PLSC 389. (Taken during Junior and/or Senior year)
The internship is an organized, managed experience, under the direction of Dr. Steven Cohan.
Career Opportunities
Horticulture and Crop Production
- 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.
Landscape Management
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.
Plant Science
- Science
- Technical Positions in Agricultural Biotechnology Industries
- Managers and corporate administrators of Horticultural and Crop Industries
- Policy makers for government and private organizations
- Researchers investigating plant biotechnology and molecular biology
Turf and Golf Course Management
The management of turfgrasses is a highly specialized profession with numerous career opportunities for those possessing degrees in turfgrass management. Traditionally, the number of opportunities available to Turf and Golf Course Management students has exceeded the number of graduates. This trend is expected to continue in the future. Turf and Golf Course Management Program graduates are commonly employed as:
- Golf course superintendent
- Grounds superintendent
- Stadium and professional sports facility manager
- Parks and recreational facility manager
- Regional sales or manufacturing representative
- Sod production manager
- Lawn care company owner/manager
- Turfgrass facility construction specialists
- Governmental or private sector turfgrass environmental specialists
Urban Forestry
- Consultants for urban forest management and tree care
- Urban foresters and land managers with federal, state, and local jurisdictions
- Managers and corporate administrators of urban tree care companies
- Policy makers for government and private organizations
- Researchers investigating the ecology of urban forests
Landscape Architecture
In recent decades, the concern for a better natural and built environment has grown significantly. This national and global involvement has increased professional employment opportunities for the landscape architect. Landscape architects hold positions in private design firms and corporations, public agencies and on the faculties of universities and colleges. Types of work attracting graduating students include the following:
- Design and planning for historic
areas, residences, resort developments, health care facilities and
academic campuses; - Design for urban parks, plazas and streetscapes;
- Landscape planning for waterways, coastal areas and the vegetation and wildlife they influence;
- Feasibility studies and site planning for commercial and industrial centers and new communities;
- Land planning, land management and master planning projects;
- Recreational and playground areas;
- Reclamation of mined lands, landfill sites and abandoned properties;