Students weigh two- versus four-year horticulture degrees

Editor's note: This story is part of Lawn & Landscape's "Back to School" series that culminates with the debut of our newest cover story September 10.

When it comes to getting a horticulture degree, there are a variety of options. Traditionally, most students enter into either a two-year or four-year degree program at a local college or university.

Marcus Duck, an academic specialist with Michigan State University’s department of horticulture, says at his school the main difference between the programs is the brevity of the coursework.

“The two-year program is the nuts and bolts of horticulture,” he says. “The four-year bachelor’s degree gets into the chemistry, the genetics and higher levels of plant functions.”

As an educator, Duck says he doesn’t like to promote one program over the other — but both have their advantages.

“This is the difficult part on the educator’s side, I see students who leave both programs and are equally successful,” he says. “The four-year program allows a student to stay here and make connections and get a deeper dive into it before fully entering the industry.”

Duck adds that some companies are looking for a four-year bachelor's degree for anything beyond fieldwork.

“There are companies and institutions who really push for the bachelor’s degree,” he notes.

Dr. Drew Miller, who directs the turfgrass management program at Brentsville District High School in Viriginia, also doesn’t try to push one particular degree on his students.

“We have learned all of the different ways it can go,” he says of career pathways in the green industry. “We’ve had students join the industry right out of high school — college is not their thing and not what they want to do… I don’t advocate for college but if a kid really wants to do this, I show them the pathways. The next pathway is a two-year degree program…it’s an opportunity to go in and focus on a turf-based education and get out into the industry where you want to be…We’ve also had a bunch of kids pursuing four-year degrees.”

At Cuyahoga County Community College, commonly called Tri-C, Professor Jim Fuani and Plant Science & Landscape Technology Program Director Lori Zatroch say providing a two-year associates degree sets them apart in the competitive college landscape.

“The overall state of higher education in general is in a state of change,” Zatroch says. “There are a lot of things that have changed the landscape on the way we think about higher education. When we’re looking at horticulture programs, our program is so different than a lot of the other programs. We’re a two-year program that offers an associate’s degree. We’re in a metropolitan area and former industrial area. But we’re in a great market for horticulture.”

Funai adds that as college enrollment continues to decline nationally — community colleges like Tri-C become more popular choices for education.

“The future of education for it is shifting,” he says. “I think it’s harder to justify a university-level program for certain entry points. There will still be a need for that four-year degree and beyond, but the majority of the workforce in the future is probably coming out of your trade schools and community colleges because we make it accessible to get an education.

“It’s not this ivory tower of academia,” Funai adds.

This makes him extremely optimistic about Tri-C’s horticulture program’s future.

“For us the future is great,” Funai says. “If we were a four-year program — I’d be a little worried.”

Though nevertheless, Zatroch says there’s still a need for higher education within the green industry.

“As the industry is changing and we’re pulling more and more employees from new spaces — I think this formal education will be very important,” Zatroch says.