home departments & majors departments horticulture and crop sciences

If you have an interest in plants, enjoy working outdoors, and like to interact with people, a career in the environmental horticulture industry may be a perfect fit for you! Professionals in this industry understand how plants grow and are experts in the culture and utilization of plants to enhance our environment. 

California is home to some of the largest nurseries, greenhouse operations, and landscape maintenance companies in the United States and ranks second among states in the number of golf courses. The state's horticulture industry is a multibillion-dollar business that provides many exciting opportunities for qualified individuals. Graduating seniors are in high demand by the industry and typically have several job opportunities from which to choose.

	Department Website... http://hcrs.calpoly.edu/ Department Head:   Dr. John C. Peterson Phone:   (805) 756-2279 Fax:   (805) 756-6504 College of Agriculture:  cafes@calpoly.edu

The Horticulture and Crop Science Department (HCS) offers a technically oriented education that prepares students to meet the challenges of the industry. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a broad background in all facets of horticulture and well as develop a specialization such as turfgrass production and management, nursery production and management, the landscape industry, horticulture communications, plant protection, or post-harvest physiology and technology, among others. The HCS Department also offers a minor in Ornamental Plant Production and a Master of Science in Agriculture with a specialization in Environmental Horticultural Science.

The Horticulture and Crop Sciences Department has one of the largest horticulture programs in the country. Besides state-of-the-art tissue culture, landscape drafting, and floral design laboratories, the department also has 35,000 square feet of greenhouse space, a 7,500-square-foot U.S. Golf Association specification experimental green, and the five-acre Leaning Pine Arboretum.

The Horticulture and Crop Science Department offers the following major degree programs:

• B.S. Environmental Horticultural Science

Also offered is the following minor program:

• Ornamental Plant Production

For graduate students the Horticulture and Crop Science Department coordinates with the College of Agriculture to offer a Master of Science in Agriculture with a specialization in Environmental Horticultural Science.

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