Admission Requirements and Curriculum (catalog) 

AWARD OFFERED Certificate (4 Semesters)

 
This program is designed to prepare students for various jobs in local agriculture, business, and industry.

Students learn skills in greenhouse and nursery operations, landscaping, seeding, transplanting and planting flowers, trees and shrubs, and grafting plants.

Graduates of this program will find career opportunities in a variety of businesses related to the agricultural field. The course content consists of basic studies, agriculture-related management and marketing, and technically-oriented agriculture courses.

Students may find jobs in areas such as landscaping, forestry, aquaculture operations, conservation, and farming. Other potential opportunities include managing or owning a farm, greenhouse or nursery. Work in this field is largely seasonal with spring and summer being the busiest times of the year. Agriculture and forestry attract people who enjoy working outdoors and living an independent lifestyle. For many, the wide-open physical expanse and the variability of day-to-day work provide benefits that offset the sometimes hard labor and the risks associated with unseasonable or extreme weather.

Agricultural managers manage the day-to-day activities of one or more farms, ranches, nurseries, timber tracts, greenhouses, and other agricultural establishments. These managers usually determine the best time to plant seed, apply fertilizer and chemicals, and harvest and market the crops.

Like other businesses, agriculture operations have become more complex in recent years, so many farmers use computers to keep financial and inventory records. They also use computer databases and spreadsheets to manage breeding, dairy, and other farm operations. The completion of a two-year or four-year degree program in a college of agriculture is becoming increasingly important for those interested in a career in agriculture.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, jobs for nursery and greenhouse workers are expected to increase through the year 2014 due to an increased demand for landscaping services. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Martha Netherton, Department Head
256/352-8234
martha.netherton@wallacestate.edu