AREA
LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Residential Design
Landscape Construction
Landscape Maintenance
Specialty Installation (Irrigation systems, ponds, rockscapes, lighting)
Sales and Contracting
EMPLOYERS
Landscape design companies
Garden centers
Parks, amusement parks, and zoos
Golf courses
Sport fields
Cemeteries
Large hotels and resorts
Industrial sites
Colleges and universities
Local/city governments
State highway departments
Self-employment
STRATEGIES
Get practical experience in the field through internships or summer and part-time jobs.
Be prepared to work seasonally or move to a climate where more year-round opportunities are available.
Develop skills in speaking, writing, and photography.
Obtain a business or agricultural economics minor if interested in management or self-employment.
Earn a landscape architect degree and obtain professional certification as a landscape architect for better positions, advancement opportunities, more responsibility, and higher pay.
Participate in the annual American Landscape Contractor's Association competition.
AREA
TURFGRASS SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
Golf Course Management
Sport Turf Management
Sod Production
Residential Lawn Installation and Management
Irrigation Systems
Research
EMPLOYERS
Golf courses
Lawn care companies
Colleges and universities
Sport and athletic fields
Local/city governments
Parks and amusement parks
Sod production firms
Pest management companies
Landscape companies
Irrigation firms
STRATEGIES
Get practical experience with golf courses and other turf businesses through internships or summer and part-time jobs.
Participate in relevant student organizations and professional associations, e.g. the Turf Club or Hort. Club.
Develop effective communication skills.
Obtain a business or agricultural economics minor if interested in management or self-employment.
Be prepared to work seasonally or move to a climate where more year-round opportunities are available.
AREA
PUBLIC HORTICULTURE
Adult and Youth Education
Urban Horticulture
Plant Collections
Urban Forestry
Horticulture Therapy
Communications
Management
EMPLOYERS
Public and botanic gardens
Arboreta and conservatories
Radio and television stations
Magazines, newspapers and internet sites
Zoos and aquariums
Cities and parks
State highway departments
Universities
Cemeteries
Theme parks
Extension Service
Hospitals and therapy centers
Nursing homes and senior centers
STRATEGIES
Develop excellent writing and speaking skills.
Join student organizations and seek leadership roles.
Learn to work well with all types of people.
Gain practical experience in the field through internships and summer and part-time jobs.
Earn Registered Horticultural Therapist licensure for plant therapy or become a Certified Horticulturist.
Obtain teacher certification for public school positions.
AREA
PLANT SCIENCES, HORTICULTURE, AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Greenhouse and Nursery Management
Vegetable and Fruit Production
Plant Biotechnology
Plant Breeding and Genetics
Agronomy
EMPLOYERS
Nurseries, greenhouses, florists, and other wholesale and retail companies
Extension Service
Biotechnology companies
Agribusinesses
Plant propagation and production businesses
Harvesting and fertilization manufacturers
Consulting firms
Government agencies: local, state, federal, and international
High schools, colleges, and universities
STRATEGIES
Gain practical experience in the field through internships and summer and part-time jobs.
Assist a professor with a research project.
Join horticultural or agronomy clubs or other student professional associations to network and cultivate related academic interests.
Become a Certified Horticulturist.
A master's or doctoral degree may be necessary for advancement. Some federal and private agency work, consulting positions, and especially research positions require a graduate degree.
Maintain a strong grade point average to be competitive for graduate school admission.
GENERAL INFORMATION
For entry-level positions in most areas of landscape design, horticulture, turf, agronomy and biotechnology, a bachelor's degree is sufficient. A graduate degree may be necessary for advancement in some fields such as research and consulting.
Depending upon which specialty you choose, supplement curriculum with important supporting courses: business, journalism, planning, geology, entomology, soils, biology. Take communications courses and develop computer skills.
Majoring in two subject areas or pursuing a minor can increase marketability. For example, study in landscape design and business, or public horticulture and journalism, can lead to greater opportunities.
Prepared by the Career Planning staff of Career Services at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (2006) UTK is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA Employer