Accommodating Change in a Diverse Horticulture Curriculum
in HortScienceThe Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture offers majors in Horticulture with four concentrations (Floriculture, Horticultural Business Management, Horticultural Food Crops, and Horticultural Science) and Landscape Horticulture with three concentrations (Landscape Design and Construction, Nursery and Landscape Management, and Turf Management). A third major in Landscape Architecture is also offered. The department maintained the concentrations in past years of low enrollment by switching courses to alternate years, dropping nonmajor courses, and through hiring part-time staff. Currently, increasing enrollments, with limited additional funding and the need for broadened general requirements, increased career guidance, and capstone courses have increased pressures on consolidation of concentrations. Faculty have refocused senior courses to create capstone courses in several concentrations, moved the senior seminar to sophomore status for career enhancement, and are currently discussing other options.
