Horticultural Science (BS): Landscape Design, Gardens & Urban Environments Concentration
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
The Bachelor of Science in Horticultural Science: Landscape Design, Gardens and Urban Environments Concentration is one of the four concentrations offered in by the Department of Horticultural Science. Students are offered a unique look at various aspects of Horticulture.
The Landscape Design, Gardens and Urban Environments concentration is a menu driven concentration that allows students to direct their education in either landscape design or gardens and their uses in urban spaces. Students are required to take two Biology courses, Soil Science, General Chemistry, and Whole Plant Physiology. The remaining courses for the major are selected from a series of topical menus: Plant Protection Electives, Business Electives, and Advised Electives.
Students can follow paths toward residential landscape design, landscape construction and maintenance, public gardens and urban ecosystem management or pursue a graduate degree.
Coordinator
Dr. Helen Kraus
Director of Undergraduate Programs and Associate Professor
Department of Horticultural Science
114 Kilgore Hall, Campus Box 7609
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7609
919.515.1208
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| ALS 103 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 | |
| or ALS 303 | Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | ||
| Communication | 3 | ||
| Public Speaking | |||
or COM 112 | Interpersonal Communication | ||
or COM 202 | Small Group Communication | ||
| Mathematics & Sciences | |||
| MA 107 | Precalculus I | 3 | |
| MA 114 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications | 3 | |
| or MA 121 | Elements of Calculus | ||
| or MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | ||
| or ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | ||
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| or PB 200 | Plant Life | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 | |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| or EC 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| or EC 205 | Fundamentals of Economics | ||
| Foundational Courses | |||
| HS 201 | The World of Horticulture: Principles and Practices | 3 | |
| HS 242 | Introduction to Small Scale Landscape Design | 3 | |
| HS 272 | Landscape Design/Build | 6 | |
| HS 290 | Horticulture: Careers and Opportunities | 1 | |
| HS 301 | Plant Propagation | 4 | |
| HS 303 | Ornamental Plant Identification I | 3 | |
| HS 304 | Ornamental Plant Identification II | 3 | |
| HS 471 | Landscape Ecosystem Management | 4 | |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 | |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| AEC 360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| or PB 360 | Ecology | ||
| Select one of the following Career Experience courses: | 3 | ||
| Horticulture Internship | |||
| Research Experience in Horticultural Science | |||
| Teaching Experience in Horticultural Science | |||
| Electives | |||
| Environmental Electives | 3 | ||
| Plant Protective Electives | 3 | ||
| Business Elective | 3 | ||
| Broad-Scope Elective | 3 | ||
| Advised Electives | 16 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2 | 6 | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement.
- *
Students will have at least one computer-aided design course. HS 418 Digital Media Graphic for Landscape Designers gives an overview of AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. as applied to a single semester-long project. If a student plans on pursuing an MLA degree, they should take LAR 210 Digital Drawing for Landscape Architecture and LAR 211 Digital Design Media for Landscape Architecture.
Environmental Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| ES 200 | Climate Change and Sustainability | 3 | |
| NR 303 | Humans and the Environment | 3 | |
| IDS 201 | Environmental Ethics | 3 | |
| IDS 203 | Humans and the Environment | 3 |
Plant Protective Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS 414 | Weed Science | 4 | |
| CS 415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| ENT 425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| or FOR 402 | Forest Entomology | ||
| FOR 318 | Forest Pathology | 3 | |
| or PP 315 | Principles of Plant Pathology | ||
| or PP 318 | Forest Pathology | ||
Business Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC 280 | Survey of Financial and Managerial Accounting | 3 | |
| ARE 215 | Small Business Accounting | 3 | |
| ARE 304 | Agribusiness Management | 3 | |
| ARE 306 | Agricultural Law | 3 | |
| ARE 309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| ARE 312 | Agribusiness Marketing | 3 | |
| ARE 321 | Agricultural Financial Management | 3 | |
| ARE 323 | Agribusiness Finance | 3 | |
| ARE 332 | Human Resource Management for Agribusiness | 3 |
Broad-Scope Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 470 | Urban Ecology | 3 | |
| CS 200 | Introduction to Turfgrass Management | 4 | |
| HS 280 | Hands-On-Horticulture | 3 | |
| HS 420 | Green Infrastructure | 3 | |
| HS 432 | Introduction to Permaculture | 3 | |
| HS 451 | Plant Nutrition | 3 | |
| HS 491 | Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship Study Abroad | 3 | |
| SSC 341 | Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management | 3 | |
| SSC 342 | Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis | 1 | |
| PB 215 | Medicinal Plants | 3 | |
| PB 220 | Local Flora | 3 |
Advised Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape Design Electives | |||
| HS 252 | Landscape Graphic Communication | 2 | |
| HS 357 | Landscape Grading and Drainage | 4 | |
| HS 400 | Residential Landscaping | 6 | |
| HS 416 | Planting Design | 4 | |
| HS 418 | Digital Media Graphic for Landscape Designers | 3 | |
| Gardens & Urban Environments | |||
| COM 289 | Science Communication and Public Engagement | 3 | |
| HS 357 | Landscape Grading and Drainage | 4 | |
| HS 418 | Digital Media Graphic for Landscape Designers | 3 | |
| HS 428 | Service-Learning in Urban Agriculture Systems | 1 | |
| HS 433 | Public Garden Administration | 3 | |
| HS 533 | Public Garden Administration | 3 | |
| NPS 340 | Fundamentals of Grant Development for Nonprofits | 3 | |
| PS 203 | Introduction to Nonprofits | 3 | |
| SMT 202 | Anatomy and Properties of Renewable Materials | 3 | |
| SMT 203 | Physical Properties of Sustainable Materials | 4 | |
| SSC 428 | Service-Learning in Urban Agriculture Systems | 1 | |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ALS 103 or ALS 303 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences or Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| HS 201 | The World of Horticulture: Principles and Practices | 3 |
| HS 290 | Horticulture: Careers and Opportunities | 1 |
| MA 107 | Precalculus I | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIO 183 or PB 200 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Plant Life | 4 |
| COM 110 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication or Small Group Communication | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| MA 114 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications or Elements of Calculus or Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A or Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| HS 303 | Ornamental Plant Identification I | 3 |
| PB/AEC 360 | Ecology | 4 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Advised Elective | 2 | |
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics or Principles of Microeconomics or Fundamentals of Economics | 3 |
| HS 242 | Introduction to Small Scale Landscape Design | 3 |
| HS 304 | Ornamental Plant Identification II | 3 |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Business Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Free Elective 2 | 3 | |
| HS 272 | Landscape Design/Build | 6 |
| HS 492 | Horticulture Internship or Research Experience in Horticultural Science or Teaching Experience in Horticultural Science | 1-3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Advised Elective | 4 | |
| Advised Elective | 6 | |
| Environmental Elective | 3 | |
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Advised Elective | 4 | |
| Advised Elective | 3 | |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| HS 471 | Landscape Ecosystem Management | 4 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Plant Protection Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| HS 301 | Plant Propagation | 4 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Career Opportunities
Horticulture graduates fill positions in production, processing, sales, service, and outreach. Among these are:
- County extension agents
- Vocational agriculture teachers
- Plant breeders
- Landscape designers and landscape contractors
- Floral crop grower or floral designer
- Fruit and vegetable growers
- Business owners
- Orchard, nursery, greenhouse, and garden center managers
- Research, production, and promotional specialists with commercial seed, fertilizer chemical, and food companies
- Urban horticulture specialists
- Garden writers
- Quality control technologists
- USDA specialists
- County and state government planners
- Leaders in other phases of agricultural and industrial developments
- Students also prepare for careers in research, teaching or extension in horticulture