Horticulture Management

Subject Description

The art and science of plant cultivation is what is referred to by horticulture. With research areas covering subjects from genetic engineering to crop production this is a vast area of study as well as a very important one. With climate change holding an ever more important place in how we feed populations and maintain agricultural industries, the work of the horticulturalist is essential. Moving into this sphere could see you working to improve the nutritional value of crops, increase plants' resistance to insects, tackling environmental issues, increasing crop yields, tackling quality issues, or tackling disease, amongst others.

Students of horticultural management focus not only on this very important practical side of horticulture, but also on the more theoretical business and management side of this industry. Scholars can find themselves juxtaposing plant breeding with theories of international business, pollination management with financial management. With such a varied syllabus horticultural management is taught by a variety of means including small group tutorials, seminars and lectures as well as laboratory teaching and field work. Most courses also offer the opportunity to take a sandwich year either abroad or within the UK to work in industry, either focusing on a particular environment or field of horticulture or to gain general horticultural experience. Assessment equally comes in a variety of forms including examination, coursework and presentations; however the majority of emphasis tends to be on assessed individual projects and tested laboratory projects.

Most courses in horticultural management have a focus on the broader, more general subject areas in the first two years, giving you the chance to build up a solid knowledge and understanding of the whole horticultural sphere before becoming more specialised either prompted by your sandwich year or through your personal choices in your final year. Graduates of horticultural management should expect to emerge from their studies with a good theoretical base, strong applied management skills and sound practical ability. This may be tailored towards areas such as sports turf management, commercial crop production, retailing, landscape management, amenity management or nursery management.

Example Areas of Study

You will need to check with your preferred institution directly to find out the exact subjects you will be studying, however typical subjects covered by horticulture management include:

• Commercial horticulture
• Management planning for amenity and nature conservation landscapes
• Arboriculture and practical horticulture
• Communications and business skills
• Introduction to business management
• Role and function of management
• Financial management
• Strategic management
• International context
• Personnel management
• Marketing planning
• Contract management
• Amenity horticulture management
• Commercial horticulture technology
• Plant diversity, structure and utilisation
• Soil use and management
• Garden management
• Gardening techniques
• Landscape and garden design
• Historical landscapes
• Contemporary garden management
• Plant sales and nursery projects
• Genes and chromosomes
• Ecology: species and their interactions
• Introduction to enterprise and marketing
• Ornamental and urban landscapes
• Weed biology and control
• Crop pests and integrated crop protection
• Ecological aspects of environmental assessment
• Habitat management
• Plants and climate
• Plant physiology, development and tissue culture
• Temperate horticultural crop physiology and technology
• Controlled environment technology
• Principles and practice in biological control

Some Career Possibilities

There are a very broad array of potential careers that the qualified horticulturalist can enter into - these are found within private collections (working on behalf of an individual/small private organisation), government institutions, within industry or within education. Graduates of horticultural management can expect to consider positions such as cropping system engineer, retail or wholesale business manager, tissue culture specialist, plant breeder, research scientist, crop production adviser and propagator as well as more general business opportunities at a management level or education - teaching at the higher or further education levels. A number of students of horticulture management also choose to go on to further study with a number of opportunities at the master, doctoral or professional levels.

What do I need to get on a Course?

Entry requirements vary from course to course so you will need to check with your preferred institution to get up-to-date information on the requirements they have for entry.  To give you a general idea of what is expected please see below:

• UCAS Tarriff: 140-200 points
• A-Levels: Any two subjects
• SQA Highers: CCC
• Irish Leaving Certificates: CCCC
• International Baccalaureate: 24-28 points
• Mature Entry:  Considered on an individual basis and generally encouraged
• BTEC: Merit overall

For Your Application or Interview, the Following May be Useful

• A strong interest in plants, the environment and their interaction
• A desire to apply scientific and social theories to practical situations
• An interest in improving global sustenance
• Further information can be found at the Royal Horticultural Society and the British Library resources

To find out more about the typical subjects you will study, potential career paths and further information useful for your application log-on to Course Discover at www.coursediscoveronline.co.uk*

*NB: Your school or college will need a subscription to Course Discover in order for you to gain access, for further information go to:www.coursediscover.co.uk