Horticulture, Minor - COLSA, UNH

Undergraduate

Horticulture

Explore critical applications in food production, landscape management, and environmental conservation, learning advanced techniques for cultivating diverse plant types and ecosystems.
2026
Degree
Minor
Location
Durham, NH
Courses
5
Credit
20 hrs.
Full-time
- -
Part-time
- -
two students working in a pumpkin patch

Natural Resources and the Environment

The Horticulture minor at UNH offers hands-on training in plant science and sustainable practices. You’ll explore key applications in food production, landscape management and environmental conservation while learning advanced techniques for cultivating diverse plants and ecosystems. 

The program emphasizes practical skills through research projects and fieldwork, preparing you to drive sustainable solutions in agriculture, urban planning and environmental stewardship.

Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

Contact Cards

Program Coordinator
Professor
Kendall Hall, Room 416, Durham, NH 03824
(603) 862-4653

What is horticulture?

Horticulture explores the science and art of cultivating plants and the many ways that plants enhance the human experience. The cultivation of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants is key to solving many of the major challenges facing the world, such as producing food to meet the needs of an ever-growing population while conserving land, water and soil resources. An understanding of these challenges and potential solutions can enhance any career.

Why study horticulture at UNH?

The horticulture minor will give you knowledge and experience in modern horticulture techniques and approaches. You’ll be exposed to cutting-edge research in areas such as horticultural cropping systems, plant pathology, integrated pest management and plant breeding. You’ll also be able to gain hands-on experience in the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses, and at the Kingman and Woodman horticultural research farms.

Potential career areas

  • Business management
  • Extension education and outreach
  • Fundamental and applied research in plant biology
  • Greenhouse management
  • Horticultural crop production
  • Landscape design

Curriculum & Requirements

01
Program Description
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Through completion of the horticulture minor, students gain practical, well-rounded knowledge of horticultural production systems. The required Introductory Horticulture course provides the necessary foundation in theoretical and applied knowledge in the plant sciences for the minor. Students then gain more in-depth knowledge by taking additional coursework focused on botany, various specific crop production systems, or integrated pest management strategies.

Our horticulture students study the science and art of cultivating plants and the many ways that plants enhance the human experience. The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants is key to solving many of the major challenges facing the world, such as producing food to meet the needs of an ever-growing population while conserving natural resources and promoting human wellness. An understanding of these challenges and their potential solutions can enhance any career, and a minor in horticulture may complement any major field of study.

02
Requirements for the Program
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Academic policies related to Minors.

Required Courses
AGFS 421Introductory Horticulture4
Electives
Select 16 credits from the following courses:16
AGFS 403
Green Thumb Workshop
AGFS 405
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production
AGFS 410
A Taste of the Tropics
AGFS 601
Fruit Crop Production
AGFS 632
Urban Agriculture
AGFS 651
Plant Pathology
AGFS 679
Food Production Field Experience I
or AGFS 680
Food Production Field Experience II
AGFS 689W
Greenhouse Management and Operation
AGFS 760W
Integrated Pest Management
AGFS 795
Investigations (Horticulture related topics)
BIOL 409
Green Life: Introducing the Botanical Sciences
BIOL 566
Systematic Botany
BIOL 704
Plant-Microbe Interactions
Total Credits20