This ornamental horticulture program prepares students for entry level to middle management positions in the Green Industry. Many opportunities exist for graduates in landscape design and construction, landscape maintenance, wholesale nursery and greenhouse plant production, garden center management, inside sales, arboriculture and urban forestry, theme parks, public horticulture, arboreta, and much more. The curriculum of this two-year, full-time program includes a summer field experience between the first and second years and is composed of a balance of classroom, laboratory and practical educational experiences. This program is fully accredited by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, meeting the national standard for industry performance. Classes are available both day and evening, and students may enroll on either a full- or part-time basis.
Program contact: Learn more
This degree program contains one or more embedded certificates which will be automatically awarded when the certificate requirements are completed. If you do not want to receive the embedded certificate(s), please notify the Office of the Registrar at RegistrarOffice@tri-c.edu.
Learn more about how certificate credits apply to the related degree.
Program Admission Requirements
- High School Diploma/GED not required, but highly recommended.
- ENG-0995 Applied College Literacies or appropriate score on English Placement Test.
- Eligibility for MATH-1190 Algebraic and Quantitative Reasoning or MATH-1240 Contemporary Mathematics or higher
Other Information
- Submit all college transcripts to Office of the Registrar.
Program Learning Outcomes
This program is designed to prepare students to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
- Ensure that a contract is properly executed by actively listening, understanding, and implementing instructions and effectively communicating them to other members of the team.
- Provide positive motivation to crew members by displaying an impeccable work ethic and providing positive reinforcement to instill ownership of the project/product.
- Apply Green Industry Standards of quality, artisanship, and environmental responsibility to all aspects of work within the scope of the industry.
- Identify and describe cultural conditions for over 500 different ornamental landscape plants commonly found in the industry including deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals.
- Use knowledge of plants, soils, chemicals, fertilizers, and Integrated Pest Management to identify, correct, or prevent plant disease, insect pest, and physiologic issues as part of an Integrated Plant Health Care Program and be prepared to pass the State of Ohio Pesticide Core exam.
- Demonstrate ability to safely operate and perform preventative maintenance on hand tools as well as small and large power equipment found within the Green Industry as well as evaluate the best tool to safely accomplish each task with efficiency.
- Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills to develop professional interpersonal relationships with suppliers, co-workers, and clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Effectively use math and the most recent technologies to create estimates for production of a product including labor and materials needed.
- Sit, when eligible, for relevant industry certification exams including but not limited to Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association: Ohio Certified Landscape Technician and National Association of Landscape Professionals Landscape Industry Certified Technician.
Suggested Semester Sequence
| First Semester | Credit Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| PST-1301 | Horticultural Botany | 3 |
| PST-1311 | Deciduous Woody Landscape Plants | 3 |
| PST-1411 | Equipment Operations and Safety | 2 |
| HLTH-1230 | Standard First Aid and Personal Safety | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| Honors College Composition I | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Computer Applications | ||
| Honors Computer Applications | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Select one of the following: 3 | 3 | |
| Algebraic and Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Contemporary Mathematics (or higher) | ||
| PST-1321 | Evergreens, Groundcovers, and Herbaceous Landscape Plants | 3 |
| PST-1420 | Landscape Practices | 3 |
| PST-1441 | Introduction to Landscape Design | 3 |
| PST-1380 | Introduction to Tree Care | 2 |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Summer Session | ||
| PST-2950 | Field Experience | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 3 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| PST-2321 | Plant Pest Diagnostics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| Environmental Geography | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Honors Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Select one lecture & lab from the following: | 4 | |
| Environment, Ecology, and Evolution | ||
| Environment, Ecology, & Evolution Laboratory | ||
| Everyday Chemistry | ||
| Everyday Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| Small Business Management | ||
| Garden Center and Nursery Management | ||
| Landscape Contracting | ||
| PST-XXXX | Plant Science Elective (Select from below list) | 3 |
| Plant Propagation | ||
| Planting Design | ||
| Arboriculture | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| PST-1600 | Irrigation and Drainage | 2 |
| PST-2310 | Soil Technology | 3 |
| PST-2370 | Introduction to Turfgrass | 2 |
| PST-xxxx | Plant Science Elective (select from below list) | 3 |
| Plant Production | ||
| Landscape Design - CAD | ||
| Arboriculture Practices | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Speech Communication | ||
| Honors Speech Communication | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Honors College Composition II | ||
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 61 | |
Electives
Landscape Contracting Concentration
Recommended Electives for concentration in Landscape Contracting
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PST-1510 | Landscape Contracting | 3 |
| PST-2431 | Planting Design | 3 |
| PST-1450 | Landscape Design - CAD | 3 |
Tree Care Concentration
Recommended Electives for concentration in Tree Care
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PST-1510 | Landscape Contracting | 3 |
| PST-2381 | Arboriculture | 3 |
| PST-2480 | Arboriculture Practices | 3 |
Garden Center/Nursery Management Concentration
Recommended electives for concentration in Garden Center/Nursery Management.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PST-1400 | Garden Center and Nursery Management | 3 |
| PST-1331 | Plant Propagation | 3 |
| PST-1351 | Plant Production | 3 |
MATH-1140, MATH-1141, MATH-1200, MATH-1270, and MATH-1280 can no longer count towards fulfilling the college-level mathematics requirement. These courses were re-classified as developmental mathematics by the state of Ohio in 2016. Tri-C established a 5-year transitioning window for students who had completed these courses prior to 2016 to apply them towards meeting graduation requirements, which expired in Summer 2021. It is highly recommended to see a counselor to determine the appropriate math required for your current major.