Grow Your Horticulture Career – Online Bachelor Degree Biology

Horticulture: A Great Online Bachelor Degree Biology Program Concentration

You know you want to earn an online bachelor degree biology related but you don't know exactly what you want to do. Well, consider horticulture.

When you pull up to a new friend's house, do you notice how well the landscaping looks or perhaps if the plants need to be watered?

Was mowing the lawn one of your favorite ways to make money as a kid?

Is your idea of the perfect vacation trekking over a flora covered mountainside?

Then horticulture might be the degree of choice for you.

Growing Your Knowledge
As a horticulture student you will learn essential aspects of plants and the environments in which they grow. In addition to general biology classes, your curriculum might include courses on the following topics:

·         Plant Pathology

·         Pest Deterrents

·         Soil Analysis

·         Horticultural Best Practices

·         Plant Biology

·         Plant Nutrition

Horticulture isn't just something your grandmother tinkers with in her yard. It is a mega million dollar industry. But it is not just about money. Horticulturalists feed the world and make it pretty. They give us important nutrients like proteins and vitamins, and they help us celebrate with wine and juices.

Smelling the Fresh Air
Online bachelor degree biology studies won't just put you in a laboratory. You will get your hands dirty, see the sun shine, and watch the rain fall in careers such as the following:

• Farmer

·         Orchard Manager

·         Vineyard Horticulturalist

·         Golf Course Greens Manager

·         Landscape Company Manager or Owner

·         Parks Department Horticulturalist

·         Arboretum Manager

·         Botanical Garden Horticulturalist

Internships are widely available in the field and can bring the classroom to life for you. While some internships are paid, be prepared to make little to no money yet reap the rewards through practical experience and network building.

Finding the Right Reward
As a horticulture major your earning potential runs the gamut. At the simple end of the spectrum, horticulture majors that prefer a retail environment could work at a garden center and make slightly above minimum wage. The United States Department of Labor reports that the National Association of Colleges and Employers determined that the earning potential of a graduate with a bachelors degree in plant sciences or agricultural sciences is about $34,000 per year (results from 2009).

Additionally, according to the Department of Labor, agricultural scientists with a bachelor degree can find good opportunities working as researchers or managers, while those with an advanced degree will be able to find fewer positions mainly in research and teaching.

At a higher end of the spectrum, the Department of Labor reports that in 2008, landscape architects had an average salary of $58,960 with the highest ten percent earning over $97,000.

If you are a business-minded person, you can determine your own wage by establishing your own landscaping company or agriculture consulting company at a size that you are comfortable with. If getting an online degree to work in this field is the route you would like to pursue, be sure that your online bachelor degree biology coursework branches out to include business classes as well.