Announcement of Curricula

DEGREE CURRICULA Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Production Landscape Gardening and Landscape Contracting Nursery and Garden-Center Operation Floristry CREDIT CERTIFICATE CURRICULA Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Production Landscape Construction Landscape Design Landscape Maintenance Nursery and Garden-Center Operation

General Information

Learning Outcomes

Students who satisfactorily complete the curriculum in their chosen course of study in the Environmental Horticulture and Floristry Department are qualified for employment in the environmental horticultural and floristry industries or they may transfer to a four year institution of learning to achieve a more advanced degree.

Admission. Enrollment is open to all interested students.

Work Experience Training. Students in the Program may obtain field training in the horticulture or floral industries by enrolling in the appropriate work-experience course. To receive credit, students must work at least 5 hours weekly in an approved position. The College helps students in the course find internship opportunities or salaried employment. Placement depends upon students' abilities and records, employers' requirements, and economic conditions. Students are supervised by both employers and instructors. Students may offer toward graduation a maximum of eight semester units earned in work experience courses.

Associate in Science Degree and Award of Achievement. The Program in Environmental Horticulture and Floristry is designed so that students may satisfy the requirements for graduation from the College. Students who satisfy these requirements and complete any of the following curricula with an average final grade of C (2.00 grade-point average) or higher receive the Award of Achievement. Students who complete a curriculum suggested by the Department to enable them to meet special needs also receive the Award if they satisfy Department requirements.

Transfer to Other California State Universities. Students who complete any of the following curricula satisfactorily may transfer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; or California State University, Fresno and work toward the degree of Bachelor of Science in environmental horticulture.

Approval of Instruction. The curricula in environmental horticulture are approved by the following organizations: the Association of Landscape Architects; California Arborists Association; California Association of Nurserymen (Central, Peninsula, and Redwood Chapters); California Fertilizer Association; California Seed Trade Association; Golf Course Superintendents Association; California Landscape Contractors Association; Park Employees Union, Local No. 311, AFL-CIO; San Francisco Professional Gardeners Association; Agricultural Chemicals Association; Bedding Plant Association; California Anti-Litter League; California Cut Flower Growers Association; California Horticultural Society; and the State Division of Highways. The curriculum in Floristry is offered in cooperation with the San Francisco Bay Area Florists Association.

Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Production

Students who satisfactorily complete the Curriculum in Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Production, a two-year course of study, are qualified for employment in the cut-flower and greenhouse production industries in the following capacities: cut-flower grower, flower groundsman, flower shipper, plant propagator, plant salesperson, and pot-plant grower.

The course of study includes instruction in commercial cut-flower and greenhouse production, principles of environmental horticulture, plant identification, the use of horticultural machines, and business practices in the environmental horticultural industry.

Students who complete the curriculum with an average final grade of C (2.00 grade-point average) or higher receive the Award of Achievement in Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Production.

Courses Required for the Award of Achievement in Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Production

First Semester

Course                                                          Units
O H 50 Intro to Horticulture .................................... 3
O H 56 Horticulture Machines .................................... 3
O H 76 Fall & Winter Plant Ident ................................ 4
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 58 Commercial Cut-Flower and Greenhouse Prod ................ 3
O H 77 Spring and Summer Plant Ident ............................ 4
R F 81 Flower & Foliage I.D. & Care ............................. 2
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 63 Soils .................................................... 3
O H 65 Reprod of Ornamental Plants .............................. 3
SPCH 11 Basic Public Speaking ................................... 3
R F 82 Indoor Plant I.D. & Care ................................. 2
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 60 Bus Practices in Environmental Horticulture .............. 3
O H 75 Pest Control ............................................. 3
O H 97 Wk Exper ................................................. 3
O H 70A or 71A Landscaping Design or Landscape Construction  3 or 4
Additional graduation requirements
    Total Units ............................................. 42-43

Landscape Gardening and Landscape Contracting

Training in the curriculum in Landscape Gardening and Landscape Contracting, a two-year course of study, is planned so that graduates, depending upon their interests, abilities, and achievement, may qualify for employment in a wide variety of capacities. Positions that graduates may hold in private employment, or for which they may take civil-service examinations, include those of landscape or maintenance gardener, junior landscape architect, nurseryman, weed-seed analyst, flower groundsman, horticultural inspector, crop foreman, highway-landscape leadman, and highway tree-maintenance person. Graduates may also hold positions in private employment as arborists; cut-flower and bedding-plant growers; insecticide, fertilizer, nursery or garden-center salespeople; landscape contractors; and landscape consultants.

The course of study includes instruction in principles of landscape design and landscape construction, principles of ornamental horticulture, plant identification, landscape horticulture, and business practices in the ornamental-horticultural industry.

Students who complete the curriculum with an average final grade of C (2.00 grade-point average) or higher receive the Award of Achievement in Landscape Gardening and Landscape Contracting.

Courses Required for the Award of Achievement in Landscape Gardening and Landscape Contracting

First Semester

Course                                                          Units
O H 50 Intro to Ornamental Horticulture ......................... 3
O H 56 Horticulture Machines .................................... 3
O H 76 Fall and Winter Plant Ident .............................. 4
SPCH 11 Basic Public Speaking ................................... 3
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 53A Landscape Horticulture .................................. 3
O H 63 Soils .................................................... 3
O H 75 Pest Control ............................................. 3
O H 77 Spring and Summer Plant Ident ............................ 4
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 53B Landscape Horticulture .................................. 3
O H 70A Prin of Landscaping Design .............................. 3
O H 71A Prin of Landscaping Construct ........................... 4
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 60 Bus Practices in Environmental Horticulture .............. 3
O H 70B Adv Landscape Design .................................... 3
O H 71B Prin of Landscaping Construct ........................... 4
O H 97 Wk Exper ................................................. 3
Additional graduation requirements
    Total Units ................................................ 49

Nursery and Garden-Center Operation

Students who complete the curriculum in Nursery and Garden-Center Operation satisfactorily are qualified for employment in the wholesale and retail nursery businesses as growers, propagators, salespeople, and seedsmen. Graduates of this two-year course of study may also take civil-service examinations for positions as spray-control operators and supervisors, weed-seed analysts, farm and garden supervisors, horticultural inspectors, and plant propagators.

The course of study includes instruction in nursery operation, principles of ornamental horticulture, plant identification, the use of horticultural machines, and business practices in the ornamental-horticulture industry.

Students who complete the curriculum with an average final grade of C (2.00 grade-point average) or higher receive the Award of Achievement in Nursery and Garden-Center Operation.

Courses Required for the Award of Achievement in Nursery and Garden-Center Operation

First Semester

Course                                                          Units
O H 50 Intro to Ornamental Horticulture ......................... 3
O H 56 Horticulture Machines .................................... 3
O H 76 Fall and Winter Plant Ident .............................. 4
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 63 Soils .................................................... 3
O H 75 Pest Control ............................................. 3
O H 77 Spring and Summer Plant Ident ............................ 4 
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 57A Wholesale Nursery Operations ............................ 3
O H 65 Reprod of Ornamental Plants .............................. 3
SPCH 11 Basic Public Speaking ................................... 3
O H 70A Landscaping Design ...................................... 3
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
O H 57B Retail Nursery Management ............................... 3
O H 60 Bus Practices in Environmental Horticulture .............. 3
O H 97 Work Experience .......................................... 3
O H 71A Landscaping Construct ................................... 4
Additional graduation requirements
    Total Units ................................................ 45

The program of study for the Certificate of Completion in Environmental Horticulture is designed to give students both broad and specialized training for entry employment or to add to their capabilities in one of the following fields: greenhouse operation, landscape maintenance, nursery and garden-center operations, landscape design or landscape construction.

Admission. Enrollment is open to all interested students.

Employment. A number of entry-level positions are open to those who complete training in any of the preceding fields. For example, those who complete the requirements in landscape horticulture may work as self-employed maintenance gardeners or take State and city civil service examinations for the position of maintenance gardener. Those who complete the requirements in greenhouse operation or nursery and garden-center operation are qualified for employment in sales work and in various kinds of horticultural production.

Requirements for the Certificate of Achievement. Students may obtain the Certificate of Achievement in Environmental Horticulture in one or more areas of specialization: Landscape Maintenance, Nursery Operations, Commercial Cut-Flower & Greenhouse Production, Landscape Design and Landscape Construction.  This is accomplished by completing each of the following courses with a final grade of C or higher:

Course                                                          Units
O H 50 Intro to Ornamental Horticulture ......................... 3
O H 56 Horticulture Machines .................................... 3
O H 60 Bus Practices in Environmental Horticulture .............. 3
O H 63 Soils .................................................... 3
O H 75 Pest Control ............................................. 3
O H 76 Fall and Winter Plant Ident .............................. 4
O H 77 Spring and Summer Plant Ident ............................ 4
SPCH 11 Basic Public Speaking ................................... 3

To earn the Certificate of Completion, select one of the areas of specialization: 

Landscape Maintenance
O H 53A and 53B Landscape Horticulture .......................... 6
    Total Units ................................................ 32

Nursery and Garden-Center Operation
O H 57A Wholesale Nursery Operation
    and O H 57B Retail Nursery Operation ........................ 6
    Total Units ................................................ 32

Commercial Cut Flower Greenhouse Production
O H 58 and O H 65 Plant Propagation ............................. 6
    Total Units ................................................ 32

Landscape Design
O H 70A Principles of Landscaping Design
    and O H 70B Advanced Principles of Landscape Design ......... 6
    Total Units ................................................ 32

Landscape Construction
O H 71A and 71B Landscape Construction .......................... 8
    Total Units ................................................ 34

Floristry

Instruction in retail floristry is offered in cooperation with the San Francisco Bay Area Retail Florists' Association.

Enrollment is open to all interested students.

The two-year course of study is designed to give students thorough and well-balanced training in buying flowers, in the art of arranging and selling them to the public, and in operating a retail flower shop. Students who complete the curriculum satisfactorily are qualified for employment as designers and salespersons in the retail-floral industry.

The course of study includes instruction in the following: beginning, intermediate and advanced floral design, flower shop procedures, "hands-on" floral work experience, flower shop management, merchandising, marketing, basic business arithmetic, and record keeping.

Students who complete the curriculum with an average final grade of C (2.00 grade-point average) or higher receive the degree of Associate in Science and the Award of Achievement in Floristry.

Courses Required for the Award of Achievement in Floristry

First Semester

Course                                                          Units
BSMA J* Basic Business Arithmetic ............................... 2
R F 80A Flower Shop Procedures and Basic Design ................. 5
R F 81 Flower and Foliage Identification ........................ 2
R F 85 Introduction to Flower Arranging ......................... 2
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
ACCT 50 (or equivalent) Intro to Account ........................ 4
R F 80B Intermediate Floral Design .............................. 5
R F 82 Interior Plant Identification ............................ 2
Additional graduation requirements

Third Semester

Course                                                          Units
R F 80C Advanced Floral Designs ................................. 3
R F 86 Oriental Style Floral Arranging ........................ 1.5
R F 98 Work Experience .......................................... 3
Additional graduation requirements

Course                                                          Units
MRKT 140 Marketing .............................................. 3
R F 84 Flower-Shop Oper ......................................... 3
R F 98 Work Experience .......................................... 3
Additional graduation requirements
    Total Units .............................................. 38.5