Our Department of Horticulture has been recognized nationally for its research programs, its student-centered faculty members and its high rate of employment for graduates. As a horticulture major, you’ll learn how to establish, propagate, harvest and manage fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants. You’ll also learn the principles of landscape design to create and manage aesthetically pleasing environments.
Undergraduate program
As a student in our horticulture fruit and vegetable production major track, you will find many opportunities to support fruit and vegetable production, including cooperative extension, research with private companies and government agencies such as the USDA-ARS, and marketing.
What can I do with this major?
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Organic Gardening and Farming
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Fruit and Vegetable Production
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Natural Resource Management
The landscape horticulture major track will provide you with the opportunity to combine the science of horticulture and your creative abilities in creating aesthetically beautiful, inviting and functional environments. You will learn valuable skills that will provide you with the competitive edge employers are looking for.
What can I do with this major?
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Landscape Design
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Botanical Gardening
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Environmental Conservation
As a student in nursery and greenhouse science major track, you will learn how to manage container nurseries, field nurseries and greenhouses for the production of woody and herbaceous perennial ornamentals, annuals and florist crops. Business and science in horticulture will come together as you prepare for many different job opportunities, including greenhouse or nursery manager, retail sales positions, wholesale brokerage and many more.
What can I do with this major?
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Greenhouse Management
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Nursery Management
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Botanical Gardening
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Nursery Production
Landscape architecture is the art and science of design, planning and management of the land and the natural and human-made elements upon it. The pre-landscape architecture major will prepare you to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. The Department of Horticulture works in conjunction with the College of Architecture, Design and Construction for you to further your education and obtain a professional degree in landscape architecture.
What can I do with this major?
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Arboretum Design, Development
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Landscape Design
Graduate programs
The M.Ag. program places greater emphasis on knowledge obtained in the classroom versus that gathered in research. It is offered as a non-thesis degree and prepares students for careers in secondary education, cooperative extension and agribusiness.
Learning outcomes
Students with graduate degrees in horticulture from Auburn University will:
- Be able to evaluate, integrate, and apply abstract and pragmatic information to identify and develop solutions for problems within their area of study.
- Based on their inquiry, students will use critical analysis to develop and execute research/project plans, that once complete, will add to the body of knowledge within the discipline.
- Students will effectively communicate research plans and results to broad audiences in written formats including their research paper, thesis or dissertation as well as publications for peer-reviewed journals and possibly extension publication, poster presentations, or grant proposals.
- Students will be expected to clearly communicate their plans and results to broad audiences in oral formats including departmental seminars as well as oral sessions in state, regional, and or national conferences.
- Effectively facilitate at least a portion of an undergraduate course or lab. This requires the student to articulate knowledge of subject through verbal and or written communication skills and to develop classroom management skills.
Curriculum and requirements
The M.Ag. requires successful completion of 32 credit hours, 21 of which must be in agricultural sciences. Credit for research and thesis cannot be counted toward graduation requirements for the M.Ag. Additional courses may be required for individual students as determined by the major professor and the advisory committee. There is no specific schedule of courses for M.S. or M.Ag. students or a foreign language requirement for any graduate students in Horticulture. Students in this option must complete a research or special project and pass a comprehensive oral exam covering course work and the project.
Several minors are available for horticulture graduate students. Auburn University’s Department of Horticulture and School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences offer a minor in urban forestry. An interdisciplinary minor in environmental studies administered by the Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department is also an option, as are minors in ecology and biochemistry and cell/molecular biology.
Master–level degree programs are available to students with undergraduate degrees in horticulture and to those from other areas seeking opportunities in horticulture-related careers.
Learning outcomes
Students with graduate degrees in horticulture from Auburn University will:
- Be able to evaluate, integrate, and apply abstract and pragmatic information to identify and develop solutions for problems within their area of study.
- Based on their inquiry, students will use critical analysis to develop and execute research/project plans, that once complete, will add to the body of knowledge within the discipline.
- Students will effectively communicate research plans and results to broad audiences in written formats including their research paper, thesis or dissertation as well as publications for peer-reviewed journals and possibly extension publication, poster presentations, or grant proposals.
- Students will be expected to clearly communicate their plans and results to broad audiences in oral formats including departmental seminars as well as oral sessions in state, regional, and or national conferences.
- Effectively facilitate at least a portion of an undergraduate course or lab. This requires the student to articulate knowledge of subject through verbal and or written communication skills and to develop classroom management skills.
Curriculum and requirements
The M.S. requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work, including at least 21 credit hours in the major field of study and six of which may be research and thesis hours.
The student’s plan of study is individually tailored by the student, the major professor and the advisory committee to meet the student’s career goals. A thesis based on research by the student is required. Students in the M.S. program in Horticulture who are on departmental funding cannot change to the Master of Agriculture program.
The Doctor of Philosophy program requires the completion of a thesis-based degree and meeting the same requirements as for master-level programs.
Learning outcomes
Students with graduate degrees in horticulture from Auburn University will:
- Be able to evaluate, integrate, and apply abstract and pragmatic information to identify and develop solutions for problems within their area of study.
- Based on their inquiry, students will use critical analysis to develop and execute research/project plans, that once complete, will add to the body of knowledge within the discipline.
- Students will effectively communicate research plans and results to broad audiences in written formats including their research paper, thesis or dissertation as well as publications for peer-reviewed journals and possibly extension publication, poster presentations, or grant proposals.
- Students will be expected to clearly communicate their plans and results to broad audiences in oral formats including departmental seminars as well as oral sessions in state, regional, and or national conferences.
- Effectively facilitate at least a portion of an undergraduate course or lab. This requires the student to articulate knowledge of subject through verbal and or written communication skills and to develop classroom management skills.
Curriculum and requirements
Doctoral candidates must follow all Graduate School and departmental requirements concerning course work. For the Ph.D., the Graduate School requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graded graduate course work (6000-level and above) beyond the bachelor’s degree, and at least 30 semester hours of additional graduate course work that may include ungraded courses. The advisory committee may require additional course work.
Upon completion of all course work, Ph.D. students may be required to take a general written examination by his/her committee. Students must pass all parts of the written examination before scheduling the required preliminary oral examination (referred to as the Ph.D. prelim exam). After satisfactory completion of the prelim exam the student advances to candidacy. The Ph.D. student will conduct independent research and prepare a dissertation through the guidance and direction of an advisory committee. After completion of the dissertation, the student must pass a final oral examination defending the dissertation.
Public Horticulture is an advancing career field that connects traditional horticulture with public outreach. Potential career fields might include working in public gardens, arboreta, university extension services, hospitality industry (resorts), zoos, and community gardens. Potential career practices include public garden administration, teaching, horticultural therapy, and garden design and event planning.
Learning outcomes
Students with graduate degrees in horticulture from Auburn University will:
- Be able to evaluate, integrate, and apply abstract and pragmatic information to identify and develop solutions for problems within their area of study.
- Based on their inquiry, students will use critical analysis to develop and execute research/project plans, that once complete, will add to the body of knowledge within the discipline.
- Students will effectively communicate research plans and results to broad audiences in written formats including their research paper, thesis or dissertation as well as publications for peer-reviewed journals and possibly extension publication, poster presentations, or grant proposals.
- Students will be expected to clearly communicate their plans and results to broad audiences in oral formats including departmental seminars as well as oral sessions in state, regional, and or national conferences.
- Effectively facilitate at least a portion of an undergraduate course or lab. This requires the student to articulate knowledge of subject through verbal and or written communication skills and to develop classroom management skills.
Curriculum and requirements
The certificate curriculum includes courses that give students practical experience with horticultural skills and garden management as well as exposure to top public gardens around the world through travel and internship experiences.
Application process
Application deadlines for this program are based on the semester you wish to begin studies. Domestic students must apply 60 days prior to the first day of the beginning semester. International students must apply 120 days prior to the first day of the beginning semester. (Please note that this is slightly earlier than regular graduate school applications.)
The application process is handled completely through an online portal of the Auburn University Graduate School.
