Institute of Applied Agriculture

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Ornamental Horticulture

Mr. Ray Bosmans
Program Advisor

The IAA's horticulture program prepares students to produce, protect, maintain and market ornamental plants. It also develops management skills needed to manage and operate a business. The Ornamental Horticulture program allows students the flexibility to take courses that meet their individual needs in nursery, greenhouse, interior plantscape or garden center management.

Career Opportunities

With an increasing need to conserve the urban forests/landscapes and a growing concern about the environment, the demand for arborists, horticulturists and landscapers is growing. Today, many businesses and private residents are hiring professionals to design their landscapes and maintain their grounds. According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Office of Plant Industries and Pest Management, there are 462 nurseries, 818 plant dealers, 432 general plant dealers, and 9100 acres of production and sales in the State. The number of plant dealers has more than doubled in the past decade. The horticulture field employs over 6,000 people in the State of Maryland and generates about $300 million dollars each year. Horticulture careers include landscaper, greenhouse manager, groundskeeper, nursery manager, and urban forester. Many IAA graduates establish their own companies and run successful businesses.

Ornamental Horticulture
1ST YEAR, FALL SEMESTER			Credit Hours	Plan	Grade
F	INAG 100	Introduction to Plant Science	3	____	____
F	INAG 101	Computer Applications	3	____	____
F	INAG 102	Business Operations	3	____	____
F	INAG 111	Written Communication	3	____	____
F	PLSC 253 *	Woody Plants for Mid-Atlantic Landscapes I	3	____	____
			15
1ST YEAR, SPRING SEMESTER
S	INAG 104	Agricultural Mathematics	3	____	____
S	INAG 105	Soils & Fertilizers	3	____	____
S	INAG 110	Oral Communication	3	____	____
S(odd)	INAG 114	Plant Propagation	3 or	____	____
S(even)	INAG 224	Greenhouse/Production Management	3	____	____
		APPROVED ELECTIVES	3	____	____
			15
SUMMER, BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND YEARS
	INAG 299A	Internship I	1	____	____
2ND YEAR, FALL SEMESTER
F	INAG 201	Personnel Management	3	____	____
F	INAG 226	Diseases of Ornamentals	3	____	____
F	INAG 299B	Internship II	1	____	____
F	INAG 231	Insects of Ornamentals\ Turfgrass	3	____	____
F	*ENBE 200	Fundamentals of Agricultural Mechanics	3	____	____
F		APPROVED ELECTIVES	3	____	____
			15
2ND YEAR, SPRING SEMESTER
S	INAG 106	Pesticide Use & Safety	2	____	____
S	INAG 204	Business Management	3	____	____
S	INAG 206	Business Law	3	____	____
S(odd)	INAG 114	Plant Propagation	3 or	____	____
S(even)	INAG 224	Greenhouse/Production Management	3	____	____
		APPROVED ELECTIVES	2	____	____
			14
		TOTAL CREDITS	60
APPROVED ELECTIVES
F	INAG 236	Spanish Communication	3	____	____
F	INAG 107	Turfgrass Management	4	____	____
F	INAG 203	Introduction to Finance	3	____	____
S	INAG 207	Power & Machinery	3	____	____
F	INAG 235	Survey, Drainage and Irrigation Practices	3	____	____
F(even)	INAG 218	Landscape Construction	3	____	____
S	PLSC 254 *	Woody Plants for Mid-Atlantic Landscapes II	3	____	____
S/F	PLSC 272*	Arboriculture	3	____	____
F/S	INAG 230	Employment Communication	1	____	____
F/S	INAG 1#9	Special Problems (check schedule)	1	____	____
S	INAG 237	GPS Applications in Agriculture	2	____	____
*Denotes courses in 4 year program
Revised June 2006

For additional information please complete the Information Request, visit our Admissions Page or download the Student Handbook (pdf document).

For further information about the Ornamental Horticulture major please contact Ray Bosmans, at the Institute of Applied Agriculture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, by telephone at 301-405-4685.

Links To Other Pages At The Institute of Applied Agriculture

Golf Course Management Landscape Management Equine Business Management Turfgrass Management   Agribusiness Management Ornamental Horticulture

This web page is maintained by the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. Comments and questions about this page can be directed to or (301) 405-4685.