Horticulture
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Plant the seeds of your future and become an expert in gardening, landscaping, floral design, and sustainability with a Horticulture degree from our campus in Gainesville, TX. Learn all there is to know about beautiful garden design, nutritious foods, the science of plants, and making the world a greener place with a mixture of online, hybrid and in-person classes.
NCTC’s Horticulture Program provides a broad, technical education in the field of horticulture. Horticulture is the science and art of growing garden plants for the economic, aesthetic, and nutritional well being of society. As a dynamic and diverse field, it is among the few to bridge the gap between science, art, business, and technology.
In our program, we emphasize practical knowledge that will prepare you to work in multiple facets of the industry, including landscaping, floristry, horticulture crop production, and greenhouse management. You will learn a variety of techniques such as plant propagation, organic gardening soil preparation, plant identification, and pest management.
Landscaping
Sustainability
Floristry
Horticulture crop production
Emphasis on practical knowledge in:
Greenhouse production
Tree care
Irrigation
Food crop production
Tours of the gardens and greenhouses offered!
Come explore.
Degrees
Our classes are taught using hands-on labs, one-on-one instruction, online instruction, field trips, and lectures with some of the most passionate and experienced professors in our region. Through your classes at NCTC, you will learn the practical knowledge of greenhouse production, tree care, irrigation, food crop rotation and production, landscaping, sustainability, floristry, and horticulture crop production. With both the technical programs and hands-on skill sets obtained, our students go on to receive some of the most exciting and well-paying jobs in the Horticulture field.
By choosing our Horticulture program, you can opt to earn an Occupational Skills Award (OSA), one of two types of Level 1 Certificates, or an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree from NCTC. Certificate courses easily transfer into the AAS Degree Program. The AAS degree will transfer to several North Texas universities through AAS to BAAS transfer programs, ensuring no credit hours and time are lost in the transition.
Landscape Design OSA
The Occupational Skills Award (OSA) is a short program designed for the student primarily interested in landscape design as a career. Listed courses are all in-person.
First Semester
| Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| HALT 1422 LANDSCAPE DESIGN | 4 |
| Total for this semester | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours | 10 |
|---|
Horticulture Management Level 1 Certificate
This certificate is offered through a combination of hybrid, online and in-person classes. The program takes one year to complete. Upon completion of the Level 1 Certificate, you will be able to:
Identify and perform basic horticultural techniques and procedures of growing vegetables, fruits, nuts, flowers, and other ornamentals.
Discuss and apply the principles and elements of design as used in landscape design and floral composition and use appropriate terminology for describing and interpreting the design principles in a landscape or floral composition.
Identify garden pests and recommend both traditional and non-traditional control measures.
Propagate herbaceous and woody plants
First Semester
| Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| FMKT 1301 FLORAL DESIGN | 3 |
| HALT 1372 NATURALISTIC HORTICULTURE | 3 |
| HALT 1331 WOODY PLANTS | 3 |
| HALT 1422 LANDSCAPE DESIGN | 4 |
| HALT 2321 SMALL FARMING
or HALT 1333 LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION or HALT 1353 LANDSCAPE COMPUTER DESIGN or HALT 2307 FOOD CROPS |
3 |
| Total for this semester | 16 |
Second Semester
| Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| HALT 1303 HERBACEOUS PLANTS | 3 |
| HORT 1401 HORTICULTURE | 4 |
| HALT 2308 GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| HALT 2321 SMALL FARMING
or HALT 1333 LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION or HALT 1353 LANDSCAPE COMPUTER DESIGN or HALT 2307 FOOD CROPS |
3 |
| Total for this semester | 13 |
| Total Credit Hours | 29 |
|---|
Sustainable Horticulture Level 1 Certificate
This certificate is offered through a combination of hybrid, online and in-person classes. The program takes one year to complete. Upon completion of the Level 1 Certificate, you will be able to:
Discuss the sustainable management practices used on a small farm and the reasoning behind these practices.
Develop biodiversity in a landscape.
Produce crops in a small farm setting as well as in a greenhouse environment.
Create and manage sustainable horticultural soils.
First Semester
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
|---|
Capstone Requirement: Students completing the certificate must pass a comprehensive program exam with a score of 70% or higher to satisfy the capstone requirement. Exam must be scheduled the last semester enrolled in the program.
Horticulture AAS
The Associate of Applied Science degree can be completed through a mix of in-person, hybrid, and online classes. The program takes two years to complete. Upon completion of this Associate of Applied Science Degree, you will be able to:
Identify, propagate, and cultivate horticultural crops.
Apply the principles and elements of design to create landscape and floral designs.
Analyze and adjust soil conditions to maximize production of horticultural crops.
Grow horticultural crops in protected environments.
Identify garden pests and recommend control measures.
First Semester
Third Semester
| Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| AGCR 1371 INTRO TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE | 3 |
| HALT 1307 PLANT DISEASES | 3 |
| ARTS 1301 ART APPRECIATION
or CORE HUMANITIES OR FINE ARTS |
3 |
| ENGL 1301 COMPOSITION I | 3 |
| BUSG 2309 SMALL BUSINESS MGMT/ENTREPRENEURSHIP | 3 |
| Total for this semester | 15 |
Fourth Semester
| Course | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| HALT 1333 LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION | 3 |
| SOCI 1301 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
or CORE SOCIAL/BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE |
3 |
| SPCH 1315 PUBLIC SPEAKING
or CORE COMMUNICATIONS/SPEECH |
3 |
| HALT 2480 COOPERATIVE EDUCATION - APPLIED HORTICULTURE & HORTICULTURAL OPERATIONS, GENERAL | 4 |
| Total for this semester | 13 |
| Total Credit Hours | 60 |
|---|
Capstone Requirement: HALT 2480 Cooperative Education - is the capstone requirement and may not be substituted. It should be taken the last semester before graduation.
Scholarships available!
Scholarships specifically for horticulture are offered and awarded through the NCTC Foundation. There are also many outside organizations that offer horticulture scholarships. You’re welcome to fill out an application!
Places of Employment
Green Industry
Landscape Company
Lawn Care Company
Government Agencies
Public Gardens/Conservations
Research Facilities
Farms Sprinklers/Irrigation Company
Greenhouse/Nursery Producers
Health Care Industry/Prisons/Schools
Golf Courses
Arborists
Farmers' Markets
Florists
Jobs
Fruit/Vegetable Production Manager
Landscape Designer/Installer/Consultant
Greenhouse/Nursery/Garden Center Manager
Plant Propagator
Community Garden Coordinator
Horticultural Therapist
Floral Designer
Tree Trimmer
Irrigation Technician
Interiorscaper
Pest Manager
Lawn Specialist
Sales & Marketing Manager
Grow your Future
Start on your journey to a solid career in Horticulture today. Contact our team of Advisors to begin your enrollment and get started as soon as next semester!