Major in Horticulture, Horticultural Food Crops Concentration

The Horticultural Food Crops concentration focuses on systems related to production of fruits and vegetables. Specific courses include fruit and vegetable production, irrigation practices, soil fertility, propagation, breeding, and related plant pest management courses. Those interested in organic food crop production can major in Horticulture in the Horticultural Food Crops concentration and pursue the Minor in Organic Agriculture. A number of opportunities exist in horticultural food crops-related professions including field and greenhouse production, all phases of the retail and wholesale business, fresh produce (e.g. fruits and vegetables) industry advocacy, farm management, and produce research.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, students will be able to:

1. Apply and demonstrate technical competence that includes understanding food crop growth and development as influenced by the manipulations of horticulture technologies such as crop selection & planning, fertility management, integrated pest management, etc.
2. Demonstrate management and leadership skills that will allow them to become an entry-level supervisor in a specific business or research program.
3. Describe key problem-solving skills such as identifying the significance of a horticultural problem, researching realistic solutions using current literature, and organizing the materials to develop appropriate recommendations and actions.
4. Identify current and emerging opportunities and challenges in the food crops industry (e.g. labor shortages, globalization of the food system, etc.).
5. Analyze primary and secondary literature sources and communicate the significance of their findings to diverse audiences in the horticulture food crop industry.

Effective Spring 2026

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Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 credits must be upper division (300- to 400-level).