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Overview

Turfgrass Science is an interdisciplinary major that involves the use of grasses and plants to improve and beautify the environment. It combines business and management theory with the down-to-earth study of grasses, soils, ornamental plants, and all those pesky critters that affect lawns and fairways far and wide. If you decide to major in Turfgrass Science, you'll take courses in - among other things - biology, chemistry, business management, plant pathology, entomology, and soil and water science. During summers, it's a good bet that you'll gain good on-the-job experience and mandatory internships with landscape and lawn care companies, golf courses, and departments of parks and recreation. You'll probably make pretty righteous cash over the summers as well, which is a pretty nice perk.

Upon graduation, you'll be prepared for careers in the landscape industry, producing and maintaining plants and grasses for recreational, aesthetic, and environmental uses. You'll know your way around golf courses, professional and big-time college athletic fields, sod farms, and every other landscape-related industry. You'll be able to find employment with lawn care companies, parks, agri-chemical firms, cemeteries, and environmental consulting firms.

SAMPLE CURRICULUM

  • Chemistry

  • Crop Science

  • Entomology

  • Internship

  • Plant Pathology

  • Plant Physiology

  • Plant Propagation

  • Plant Taxonomy

  • Soil Science

  • Turfgrass Diseases

  • Turfgrass Management

  • Turfgrass Selection

  • Urban and Sports Turf

  • Weed Science


HIGH SCHOOl PREPARATION

You'll need a strong foundation in the basic sciences. If you are planning to major in Turfgrass Science in college, you should take courses in biology, chemistry, algebra, and trigonometry. And don't forget about art. You want to develop an adequate understanding of design elements. Everything that you can learn about climate, soil, water, and plants will be helpful as well.