To complete an associate degree the program emphasis credit hours and the general education credit hours, which must be taken from the list approved by the General Education Committee, must total at least 64 credit hours.  Also see specific curriculum guide for program emphasis.  Certain general education courses are preferred for different programs.

Most Horticulture majors opt for the Associate in Science degree.  This degree is meant to transfer to a baccalaureate degree granting institution. The student must complete 64 semester hours with a grade point average of 2.00 (C) or above.

Description of Courses

HORT-141.  Community Gardening.  2 Hours.  This course is designed to help students with the home culture of vegetables, herbs, small fruits, bedding plants, and fruit and nut trees.  Choosing types of plants, edible landscaping, selecting and preparing a site, fertilizing and controlling pests, training and pruning, harvesting and preserving are featured.  Students will start seeds in the greenhouse, transplant and care for a food garden.

HORT-146.  Landscape Plants.  1 Hour. This course studies the identification, culture and landscape use of a variety of plants adapted to this climate. A survey of important evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, groundcovers, ornamental grasses and herbaceous perennial and annual flowers will be conducted. Campus walks and slides will be used to study many of the plants.  Two-thirds hour lecture and two-thirds hour lab per credit hour.

HORT-203.  Horticultural Science.  4 Hours.  Horticultural plant structure and function, effects of environmental factors on plant growth, and survey of the fruit, nut, vegetable, bedding plant, pot plant, cut flower, nursery and landscape industries are covered.  Students will learn about horticultural crop families, growing systems and culture needs, soil preparation and fertilization, selecting and propagating varieties, preventing pests, regulating growth, harvesting, value-added processing and marketing.

HORT-221.  Herbaceous Ornamental Plants. 2 Hours.  Students will learn the identification, cultural requirements and landscape value of ornamental flowering herbaceous plants.  This course provides garden design principles and various styles of gardens, and design and installation of herbaceous beds and borders.  Two hours lecture/studio/practicum per week.

HORT-248.  Landscape Design.  3 Hours.  In this course students will learn to create pleasing planting designs for residential, business and public properties. Site analysis and modifications, determining clients' needs, design principles, choosing plant materials, maintenance considerations, installation and care of plantings will be covered.  Students will create designs for a campus area, a home, a business and will participate in installing their campus design.  Offered for one credit and for three credits.

HORT-252.  Plant Propagation.  3 Hours.  Students will learn the principles and techniques of reproducing plant varieties by seed, leaf and root cuttings, bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes; layering, divisions, grafting and budding, and tissue culture.  Basic fundamentals of seed structure and vegetative makeup of plants are emphasized.  Students will propagate plants in the greenhouse, then grow them in the greenhouse or nursery until sale or landscape installation size.  Offered for three credits and for one credit.  Prerequisite:  Horticultural Science.

HORT-284.  Landscape Development Practicum.  3 Hours.  This course provides a learn-by-doing approach to landscape installation, development and management.  Students will evaluate campus landscape conditions and needs, and will suggest and implement improvements.  They will install new plantings, edgings and mulch, stake and prune plants and fertilize and apply irrigation and herbicides.