Landscaping and Groundskeeping
Overview
Landscaping and groundskeeping programs prepare people to manage and maintain indoor and outdoor plants and groundcovers for customers. These programs are sometimes called landscape management, landscape horticulture, or landscape contracting and management.Landscaping and groundskeeping programs include topics such as:
- Horticulture
- Plant and soil science
- Irrigation management
- Plant selection based on limitations in water, space, and other resources
- Turf management techniques and equipment
- Principles of business management, including purchasing, sales, and personnel supervision
Schools
Some schools offer landscaping and groundskeeping programs in combination with horticulture, nursery management, or environmental design.
Many community colleges and other two-year schools offer certificate and associate degree programs in landscaping and groundskeeping. A certificate program usually takes a year of full-time study. An associate degree usually takes two years to complete.
A few colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in landscaping and groundskeeping. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.
See schools that offer this program.
Related Educational Programs
- Botany
- Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management
- Horticultural Science
- Horticulture Operations
- Landscape Architecture
- Ornamental Horticulture
- Pest Management
- Plant Pathology
- Plant Physiology
- Plant Science
- Turf and Turfgrass Management
Related Careers
Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study
Other Careers Related to this Program of Study
- Geographic Information Systems Specialists
- Geospatial Information Scientists and Technologists
- Golf Course Superintendents
- Landscape Architects
- Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists
- Science Technicians
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians
- Urban and Regional Planners
Program Admission
Proprietary schools, colleges, and universities all offer this program. If you want to study at a proprietary school, you can prepare for this program of study by completing your high school diploma or getting a GED. If you want to study at a college or university, you can prepare for this program by taking the following courses: four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.
Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:
- Agriculture Work Experience
- Algebra
- Biology
- Business Math
- Chemistry
- Construction
- Environmental Science
- Horticulture
- Introduction to Business
- Physical Education
- Safety and First Aid
Typical Course Work
Program Courses
In this program, you typically take courses such as the following:
- Accounting
- Agriculture Computations
- Arboriculture
- Botany
- Computer Landscape Design
- Entomology
- Evergreens, Vines, and Groundcovers
- Fertilization and Soil Fertility
- Herbaceous Plants
- Horticulture Business Management
- Interpersonal Communication
- Land Surveying
- Landscape Construction
- Landscape Contracting
- Landscape Installation and Management
- Landscape Layout and Design
- Landscape Plants
- Landscape Structure and Materials
- Law of Commercial Transactions
- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Plant Identification
- Plant Pathology
- Principles of Horticulture Plants
- Principles of Management
- Principles of Marketing
- Soils and Soils Management
- Turf Management
- Videoscape Design
- Water Resources and Land Use
- Woody Ornamentals
Some programs incorporate internships or practicums in their curriculums. This gives you the chance to apply your knowledge in a hands-on, real-world landscaping or groundskeeping setting.
You could help a groundskeeper plant saplings or seedlings. You might work with a landscape contracting company and help research possible plants for use based on a client's resources. These are just a couple of possibilities.
Whatever the setting, you benefit from the direct supervision and guidance of an experienced landscaping and groundskeeping professional.
Things to Know
Some states require landscape contractors to have licenses. Most states also require a license or permit for workers who apply pesticides. Requirements tend to vary but generally include passing an exam.
Various associations and societies offer certification to grounds managers and other landscape professionals. You usually need to have formal schooling in landscaping and groundskeeping and some professional experience. You also typically need to pass an exam. Certification is not usually required to practice. However, it does provide potential employers and clients with standardized proof of your mastery of relevant skills.
Schools
King-Snohomish Area
Bastyr University
- Holistic Landscape Design
Edmonds Community College
- Horticulture--Landscape Design Specialization
- Horticulture--Landscape Horticulture
- Horticulture--Sustainable Landscape Management
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
- Environmental Horticulture
- Environmental Horticulture--Sustainable Landscape Technologies
South Seattle College
- Landscape Horticulture
Spokane Area
Spokane Community College
- Agricultural Business--Spray Technician
- Arboriculture/Urban Forestry