Horticulture
Associate in Applied Science- Cost
- $12,007*
Grow your career in a green business
Learn the essential science and art of plant-centered enterprises with an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in horticulture. This well-rounded program prepares you for a career that starts with hands-on work and leads to managing a small business or starting your own.
Gain the skills used by local employers, including:
- plant identification
- plant pest and disease management
- green business management
- soil management
- sustainable landscape management
- sustainable agriculture
What can you do with an A.A.S. in Horticulture?
Your Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) gives you specific skills as well as a breadth of vision to launch toward your long-term goals. You’re ready to start your career in a range of plant-centered businesses or organizations. You can go to work in a local landscape company, an environmental consulting firm or a start-up. You may serve the community by working for a city, a park district or a public land management agency.
- landscape maintenance technician or supervisor
- horticulture production technician or supervisor
- land management technician or supervisor
- landscape designer
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If you want to go for your A.A.S. in a series of steps, consider starting with one or two certificates. One certificate may be enough for you to begin working in horticulture. Stack two complementary certificates together for a more well-rounded skill set.
Individual certificates require 18-20 credits. Dual certificates require less than twice that (only 27-30 credits total) because of common courses. All certificate credits count toward your associate degree.
Consider these combinations:
- Design + Landscape Maintenance
- Landscape Maintenance + Arboriculture
- Arboriculture + Natural Areas Management
- Landscape Maintenance + Natural Areas Management
- Horticulture Production + Sustainable Agriculture
Highlights
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Stackable Credentials
Earn and learn as you go with stackable credentials. -
Financial Aid/Scholarships Available
Based on need and/or achievement. Explore ways to pay for college. -
Career Degree
Earn an associate degree in 2 years and gain in-demand technical and job-ready skills. -
Program Length: 2 Years
Full-time students finish in 2 years.
Career Outlook
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Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train, and supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, and financial and marketing activities.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $8,994
- Median
- $40,794
- Senior-Level
- $202,219
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $4.32
- Median
- $19.61
- Senior-Level
- $97.21
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 4.16%
- Certificate
- 8.82%
- Some college
- 18.5%
- Associate Degree
- 23.84%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 44.67%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $24,412
- Median
- $34,260
- Senior-Level
- $57,875
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $11.73
- Median
- $16.47
- Senior-Level
- $27.82
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 67.5%
- Certificate
- 0.32%
- Some college
- 5.32%
- Associate Degree
- 2%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 16.8%
- Master's Degree
- 8.07%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, forestry, aquacultural, and related workers.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $25,035
- Median
- $54,175
- Senior-Level
- $94,086
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $12.03
- Median
- $26.04
- Senior-Level
- $45.23
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 41.24%
- Certificate
- 13.7%
- Some college
- 6.1%
- Associate Degree
- 4.06%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 32.89%
- Master's Degree
- 2.01%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $31,669
- Median
- $47,397
- Senior-Level
- $74,272
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $15.22
- Median
- $22.78
- Senior-Level
- $35.70
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 24.17%
- Certificate
- 13.23%
- Some college
- 10.38%
- Associate Degree
- 13.55%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 32.32%
- Master's Degree
- 6.34%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Design, cut, and arrange live, dried, or artificial flowers and foliage.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $30,068
- Median
- $35,517
- Senior-Level
- $63,754
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $14.46
- Median
- $17.07
- Senior-Level
- $30.65
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 76.68%
- Certificate
- 0.9%
- Some college
- 11.17%
- Associate Degree
- 3.34%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 7.91%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $26,740
- Median
- $36,915
- Senior-Level
- $54,371
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $12.85
- Median
- $17.74
- Senior-Level
- $26.13
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 47.37%
- Certificate
- 31.2%
- Associate Degree
- 3.1%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 18.33%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation, or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns, or crops. Usually requires specific training and state or federal certification.
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Salary Levels
Take a look at the average annual or hourly earnings for this career in Lake and Cook Counties.
- Entry-Level
- $33,530
- Median
- $47,927
- Senior-Level
- $71,508
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
- Entry-Level
- $16.11
- Median
- $23.04
- Senior-Level
- $34.37
Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.
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Top entry-level education
Here’s a quick look at the most common degree levels people have in this career.
- High school diploma or less
- 71.24%
- Certificate
- 15.68%
- Associate Degree
- 0.26%
- Bachelor's Degree
- 12.82%
Lightcast educational attainment levels are the educational attainment percentage breakdown for a career (e.g. the percentage of people in the career who hold a bachelor degree vs. an associate degree).
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Need help?
Your College & Career Navigator (CCN) is your "go-to person" ready to help you get started at CLC.
Your CCN guides you through the admission process, helps you choose your academic program, enroll in classes and connect you with resources.
Recommended Pathway
This pathway serves as a guide for students to complete the degree or certificate assuming full-time enrollment (registered in 12 or more credit hours per semester) with Semester 1 typically representing a Fall term. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their College and Career Navigator (CCN) to identify coursework that will meet degree requirements based on individual academic goals. For a more inclusive list of course options, see the college catalog.
Horticulture at CLC
Get the bigger picture
An A.A.S. is just one possible way to study horticulture. Get the bigger picture—degrees, credentials and extra options.
Frequently asked questions
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You learn scientific concepts and gain hands-on experience in most courses. These include lab sessions (e.g., Plant Propagation, Landscape Design, etc.). For some courses, you conduct scientific studies to investigate different horticultural techniques.
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At CLC, you get hands-on experience with production, propagation and hydroponics in two greenhouses of considerable size. Most colleges in the region do not have a facility of this size. In addition, you hone your craft in a woody plant collection that spans over five acres.
You may be part of upcoming projects, honing your craft in:
- on-campus ecological restoration
- arboretum redesign
- woody plant propagation
These programs will be conducted in collaboration with renowned organizations.
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Our student profile is varied. Many of our students have worked for a few years after high school. Some work in family businesses related to horticulture. They chose this degree because they plan to take over management of those businesses in the future. Others are changing careers because they want to do something they enjoy.
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Here’s what students say they like the most:
- Flexibility to explore a range of skills
- A broadening of the work you might take up
- An understanding of the relationship between different horticulture courses – they're all connected!
*Cost includes tuition and other fees, including books and materials before financial aid is applied, such as grants, loans or scholarships. There are many opportunities for financial assistance at CLC. Learn more about Cost of Attendance.
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