Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture

Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture offers diversified opportunities that are challenging, intellectually stimulating, and economically rewarding. Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture is the science and art of producing, distributing, marketing, and using flowers, flowering and foliage plants, and woody ornamental landscape plants. It offers a wide variety of employment opportunities at competitive salaries. Students completing this curriculum are prepared for many different careers including greenhouse or nursery management, landscape management, public service, and technical product research and sales. Students can also receive a minor in floriculture and ornamentals. The Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture concentration is in the Horticulture major.

Occupational Outlook Handbook: Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture supervisors are listed as farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers by the U.S. Bureau Labor of Statistics. The median income for these positions is $68,090 in May 2020. Career paths in the field of floriculture range from greenhouse or garden center members to sales professionals. Horticultural supervisors direct and coordinate plant-related functions, programs, and special events. Ornamental horticulturalists design landscapes and garden arrangements that are sustainable and pleasing to the eye. Careers often involve outdoor work arranging plants and flowers.

Curriculum

Mississippi State University is now offering degree programs that may be completed in three years. These undergraduate degree programs are special programs which allow highly motivated and hard-working students the opportunity to complete a degree in three years rather than the traditional four years. Both the three year and traditional four year degree program are available in Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture.

Download the three year curriculum

Download the four year curriculum

Accelerated Program

Highly qualified undergraduates at Mississippi State University are encouraged to consider applying to the Accelerated Program. This program permits enrollment in graduate courses in Agronomy, Horticulture, or Weed Science during the student’s final year of undergraduate studies. Enrollment of up to 9 hours of graduate courses is approved for students admitted to the Accelerated Program. Upon completion of the graduate course(s), undergraduate credit is also awarded for the course. Students need to consult with a potential graduate advisor to ensure graduate credit could be applied to a program of study for the M.S. degree. Application to this program may be made as early as the end of the junior year (i.e., after completion of 90 or more hours of graded undergraduate courses). This option is only available for students pursuing a thesis-based Master of Science degree in Plant and Soil Sciences with a concentration in Agronomy, Horticulture, or Weed Science.

Careers

City Horticulturist
Community College and VoTech Teaching
Community Supported Agriculture Farm Manager
Education director at a public garden
Extension Specialist
Garden Center management/owner
Garden Writer
Greenhouse owner/grower

Horticultural Consulting
Horticultural Product Technical Representative
Horticultural Sales and Marketing
Horticulture Therapy
Landscape Maintenance
Ornamental Nursery owner/grower
Public Garden, Botanical Garden and Arboretum curator
Research Technician

Internship Requirements

Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture students must complete a 12 week, 480 clock hour work (40 hours per week) experience in a floral industry enterprise. The internship requirement may be completed any semester after successful completion of PSS 2343 Floral Design or LA1803 Landscape Architecture Appreciation.

Minor

A Minor in Floriculture and Ornamentals consists of the following courses:

PSS 2423 Plant Materials I
PSS 3473 Plant Materials II
PSS 3923 Plant Propagation

Students also must choose two of the following:

PSS 3313 Interior Planting Design and Maintenance
PSS 4343 Controlled Environment Agriculture
PSS 4353 Arboriculture and Landscape Maintenance
PSS 4363 Sustainable Nursery Production
PSS 4613 Floriculture Crop Programming

Scholarships

Students may apply for university, college and departmental scholarships through one application. You can find the scholarship application once you login to myState. Under the banner tab, select Financial Aid and Scholarships. The application is listed as Submit/Revise General Scholarship Application.

Transfer Students

Students may transfer to Mississippi State University from regionally accredited community, junior or senior colleges for any period of enrollment, provided they have earned a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all college courses attempted as well as earned a 2.0 GPA on the 30-hours of core courses. Transfer students should look at the transfer course equivalent guide to determine which courses will transfer.

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Contact:

Richard Harkess | 662.325.4556