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ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE Greg Huber, Program Coordinator
Environmental Horticulture |
The Environmental Horticulture Degree, Diploma, and Technical Certificate programs are designed to serve existing and potential employees in the green industry. Courses cover a wide spectrum of topics including landscape design, installation, management, hardscapes, turfgrass, irrigation, plant identification, propagation, greenhouse operation, nursery production, pest management, and garden center management. These courses introduce, develop, and reinforce the academic knowledge, technical skills, and attitudes required for career development and professional advancement.
What career opportunities are available to graduates?
Graduates typically follow a career path in one of four primary sectors of the green industry: plant production, plant sales, landscape installation, an landscape management. Within these broad categories there are many specialty niches including landscape design, irrigation, marketing, research, and the sale of equipment, chemicals, and outdoor products. Last year the graduate placement rate was 100%, and many employers routinely seek quality student graduates for employment.
What makes the Griffin Technical College Horticulture Program unique?
Griffin Technical College serves an arc of south metro counties that offer a dynamic range of career opportunities. The region includes both rural and suburban counties of west central Georgia including Henry, Fayette, Clayton, Spalding, Pike, Lamar, Upson, and Butts counties. The counties north of the college are experiencing tremendous residential growth, and generate many opportunities for landscape design, installation, management, and retailing. The counties south of the college are primarily rural in nature and provide many opportunities for students interested in nursery production, greenhouse operations, and other horticultural products and commodities. All sectors of the horticulture industry have a positive outlook in the south metro region.
Another benefit of the program is that the Griffin Technical Horticulture program is located in close proximity to many excellent horticultural resources. The University of Georgia Griffin Campus, formerly known as the UGA Agricultural Experiment Station is located nearby, and field trips are routinely planned to these facilities to give student the opportunity to meet some of the top researchers in the turfgrass industry and to see the excellent showcase of plant materials and water gardens at the research and education garden.
How can someone already working in the industry advance themselves?
Licensing and Certification
In addition to preparing students for a variety of careers in
Horticulture, the Griffin Technical College Environmental Horticulture
Program offers courses that will help students to prepare for the many
certification and licensing opportunities available through other
organizational and agencies such as he Georgia Certified Landscape
Professional Certifications (GCLP) and the Georgia Pesticide Applicators
License.
Distance Education
Many horticulture and academic courses are available online or partially
online. As part of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult
Education (DTAE) system, students are eligible to enroll in online
classes offered at Griffin Technical College as well as other
institutions in the system.
Internships and Job Placement
As part of the Associates degree or diploma programs, students complete
an internship within a field related company or organization. This
creates an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable
experience and develop relationships in the industry while giving
employers a chance to recruit quality employees. Job opportunities
are also communicated through guest speakers and are posted in the
classroom. Many employers have recognized that Griffin Technical
College is an excellent recruiting ground for quality student graduates.
Student Recruitment
Students are recruited from all walks of life. Some students
enroll in the program to prepare for a career change. Many
students are sent by their employers to learn new skills such as
irrigation or landscape design. Others enroll directly from high
school or transfer from other institutions. Our student body is
unique in that it encompasses a highly diverse age group. Students
range in age from eighteen to eighty-one! There is typically an equal
ratio of male and female students. The curriculum is designed to
provide students with a well-rounded knowledge of the filed and to
prepare them for an array of opportunities in the green industry.
Guest Speakers and Filed Trips
Many of the courses include filed trips and guest speakers from the
industry. Below is a list of guest speakers and field trips from
the 2006-2007 academic year:
2006-2007 Guest Speakers
Scott Reinblatt - Big Blue Landscaping
John Newman - Classic Landscapes
Mather Topper - Skinner Nurseries
Brian Arnold, Jeff Garner - Natures Landscape Services
Aaron Gabie - Aarons Lawn Services
Ludie Creache - Initial Tropical Plants
Recent Field Trips
UGA Griffin - Turfgrass Field Day
Lone Oak Tree Farm
Flanders Nurseries
Atlanta Botanical Garden
UGA Research and Education Garden
Atlanta History Center
Meadowlark Gardens
Harps Farm Nurseries
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE DEGREE PROGRAM
The
program is intended to produce
graduates who are prepared for employment as
horticulturists in nurseries, garden centers, and
landscape businesses. Program graduates are to be
competent in the general areas of English, mathematics,
and interpersonal relations. Program graduates are to be
competent in the science of horticulture; environmental
regulations relating to the handling, storage, use and
disposal of pesticides (EPA); interior and exterior
landscape design, installation, and maintenance; and
business management as it applies to career
opportunities in environmental horticulture and
landscape contracting.
credits required for graduation: 95.
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NAME
|
NO.
|
CREDIT
|
|
| Area 1- Humanities/Fine Arts | |||
| ENG | 191 | Composition and Rhetoric I |
5
|
| ENG | 1931 | Composition and Rhetoric II |
5
|
|
OR
|
|||
| HUM | 191 | Introduction to Humanities |
(5)
|
| SPC | 191 | Fundamentals of Speech |
5
|
|
Area 2-
Social/Behavioral Sciences (Choose one of the following) |
|||
| PSY | 191 | Introduction to Psychology |
5
|
| ECO | 191 | Principles of Economics |
(5)
|
| SOC | 191 | Introduction to Sociology |
(5)
|
|
Area 3-
Natural Sciences/Mathematics |
|||
| MAT | 190 | Mathematical Modeling |
5
|
|
OR
|
|||
| MAT | 191 | College Algebra |
(5)
|
| PHY | 190 | Introduction to Physics |
5
|
|
30
|
|||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| SCT | 100 | Introduction to Microcomputers |
3
|
| EHO | 100 | Horticulture Science |
5
|
| EHO | 101 | Woody Ornamental Plant Identification |
6
|
| EHO | 102 | Herbaceous Plant Identification |
5
|
| EHO | 108 | Pest Management |
5
|
| EHO | 115 | Environmental Horticulture Internship |
3
|
|
27
|
|||
| 1 | 1 |
1
|
|
|
Completion
of one specialization is required
|
|||
| Horticulturist Specialization |
26
|
||
| EHO | 103 | Greenhouse Operations |
3
|
| EHO | 104 | Horticulture Construction |
4
|
| EHO | 105 | Nursery Production |
4
|
| EHO | 106 |
Landscape
Design
|
5
|
| EHO | 107 | Landscape Installation |
3
|
| EHO | 112 |
Landscape
Management
|
5
|
| EHO | 114 | Garden Center Management |
3
|
| Guided Electives |
|
||
| XXX | xxx | Electives |
11
|
|
26
|
|||
|
OR
|
|
||
| Landscape Management Specialization |
26
|
||
| EHO | 104 | Horticulture Construction |
3
|
| EHO | 106 | Landscape Design |
5
|
| EHO | 107 | Landscape Installation |
3
|
| EHO | 112 | Landscape Management |
5
|
| EHO | 133 | Turf Grass Management |
5
|
| EHO | 131 | Irrigation |
5
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| Guided Electives | |||
| XXX | xxx | Electives |
12
|
|
Total
CREDIT hours:
|
95
|
||
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE DIPLOMA PROGRAM
The program is intended to produce graduates who are prepared for employment as horticulturists in nurseries, garden centers, and landscape businesses. Program graduates are to be competent in the general areas of English, mathematics, and interpersonal relations. Program graduates are to be competent in the science of horticulture; environmental regulations relating to the handling, storage, use and disposal of pesticides (EPA); interior and exterior landscape design, installation, and maintenance; and business management as it applies to career opportunities in environmental horticulture and landscape contracting.
Diploma Admission Requirements: Applicants must meet general admissions requirements, and must also:
Present official documentation of an earned high school diploma, GED, or college degree.
Present acceptable ASSET, COMPASS, SAT, ACT or CPE scores taken within the last five years or transfer of program level English and math from a regionally accredited college or university with a grade of C or better.
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NAME
|
NO.
|
CREDIT
|
|
| ENG | 101 | English |
5
|
| MAT | 101 | General Mathematics |
5
|
| EMP | 100 | Interpersonal Relations & Professional Development |
3
|
|
13
|
|||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| SCT | 100 | Introduction to Microcomputers |
3
|
| EHO | 100 | Horticulture Science |
5
|
| EHO | 101 | Woody Ornamental Plant Identification |
6
|
| EHO | 102 | Herbaceous Plant Identification |
5
|
| EHO | 108 | Pest Management |
5
|
| EHO | 115 | Environmental Horticulture Internship |
3
|
|
27
|
|||
| 1 | 1 |
1
|
|
|
Completion
of one specialization is required
|
|||
| Horticulturalist Specialization |
26
|
||
| EHO | 103 | Greenhouse Operations |
3
|
| EHO | 104 | Horticulture Construction |
3
|
| EHO | 105 | Nursery Production |
4
|
| EHO | 106 |
Landscape
Design
|
5
|
| EHO | 107 | Landscape Installation |
3
|
| EHO | 112 |
Landscape
Management
|
5
|
| EHO | 114 | Garden Center Management |
3
|
| Guided Electives |
|
||
| XXX | xxx | Electives |
12
|
|
26
|
|||
|
OR
|
|
||
| Landscape Management Specialization |
26
|
||
| EHO | 104 | Horticulture Construction |
3
|
| EHO | 106 | Landscape Design |
5
|
| EHO | 107 | Landscape Installation |
3
|
| EHO | 112 | Landscape Management |
5
|
| EHO | 133 | Turf Grass Management |
5
|
| EHO | 131 | Irrigation |
5
|
| Guided Electives | |||
| XXX | xxx | Electives |
12
|
|
Total
CREDIT hours:
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78
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ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATES
The Environmental Horticulture Department also offers following related certificate programs, including: Garden Center Technician and Landscape Specialist
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Landscape Specialist Certificate
Program Description: |
|||
| EHO | 100 |
Horticulture Science |
5 |
| EHO | 101 | Woody Ornamental Plant Identification | 6 |
| EHO | 107 | Landscape Installation | 3 |
| EHO | 108 | Pest Management | 5 |
| EHO | 112 | Landscape Management | 5 |
| XXX | xxx | Elective | 5 |
|
Total CREDIT hours |
29 |
||
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Garden Center Technician
Program Description: |
|||
| EHO | 101 | Woody Ornamental Plant Identification | 6 |
| EHO | 102 | Herbaceous Plant Identification | 5 |
| EHO | 108 | Pest Management | 5 |
| EHO | 114 | Garden Center Management | 3 |
| XXX | xxx | Elective | 3 |
|
Total CREDIT hours |
22 |
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