Department of Horticultural Sciences

Career Opportunities for B.S. in Horticulture

Many Horticulture graduates are attracted to hands-on careers where they are not stuck in a cubicle. Most days are filled with a variety of problem-solving challenges to keep jobs fresh and rewarding. Our graduates make the world a more beautiful, nutritious, environmentally sound, economically viable place to live. We have included a few of the exciting career opportunities available to Horticulture graduates.

Career Opportunities:

• Orchard Manager
  
• Vegetable Farm Manager
  
• Technician or field representative for fruit or vegetable processor
  
• Federal or state inspector for fruit and vegetables
  
• Producer of fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs
  
• Commercial Seed Producer
  
• Border, Port and Homeland Security Agents
  
• Sales or technical representative for seed companies, horticultural supply firms and chemical companies
  
• Wholesale or retail purchaser/ sales/technical service dealing with fresh or processed fruits and vegetables for chain stores, garden centers, government institutions and wholesale distributors.
  
• Marketing and Sales Representative of Fruits & Vegetables
  
• Marketing and Sales Representative of any product associated with the production of fruits and vegetables
  

Career Opportunities:

• Producer of nursery/floral crops, cut flowers, herbs
• Greenhouse Crop Manager
• Wholesale Nursery Manager
• Plant Propagator
• Sales or technical representative for seed companies, horticultural supply firms and chemical companies
• Wholesale or retail purchaser/ sales/technical service dealing, cut flowers, nursery/floral crops for chain stores, garden centers, government institutions and wholesale distributors
• Marketing and Sales representative of nursery/floral crops
• Marketing and Sales representative of any product associated with the production of nursery/floral crops
• Retail Garden Center Manager

Career Opportunities:

• Development and maintenance supervisor of landscapes in parks, recreation areas, residential homes, businesses, estates, botanical gardens, public and private gardens
• Landscape supervisor
• Lawn and grounds maintenance manager
• Landscape contractor
• Arborist
• Landscape Construction manager
• Landscape Installation manager
• Botanical gardens research scientist- plant identification and research
• Horticulturist in city, state or national parks
• Horticulturist in golf courses or other recreational parks
• Environmental consultant

Career Opportunities:

• Research scientist or technician
• university
• government agencies & labs (USDA, NSF, germplasm resource centers)
• industry (agrochemical, pharmaceutical, food , seed and nursery)
• Education
• colleges/universities
• K-12
• Museums, parks, nature centers
• Science writing and communication
• Science advisor for patent law, public policy, lawmakers