Engage in Cutting-Edge Research
Access state-of-the-art greenhouses and labs, exploring new techniques in plant nutrition, propagation, and crop optimization alongside faculty.
Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management
Learn to manage land as both an ecosystem and an enterprise. Florida Southern's BS in Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management pairs real horticultural science, soil, crops, and conservation, with business training in real estate, economics, and law, backed by hands-on fieldwork at working Florida farms and nurseries.
Quick Facts
Degree Options
- Bachelor of Science
Program Format
- In-person
Time to Complete
- 4 Years
About the Horticulture, Land and Resource Management Degree
Become part of the next generation of environmental leaders.
The horticulture, land, and resource management major is a multidisciplinary field of study focused on the sustainable management of land and natural resources, with particular emphasis on horticultural practices and agricultural systems. You'll gain a deep understanding of the interactions between plants, soils, and the environment while learning to manage land and resources in ways that generate sustainable revenue and long-term impact.
This is one of the few programs anywhere that pairs real horticultural science with real business training. You'll study soil science and crop production alongside real estate valuation, environmental law, and resource economics, graduating ready to manage land as both an ecosystem and an enterprise.
Program Details
First-Year Applicants
All freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:
- A completed application form
- An official high school transcript
- SAT and/or ACT scores (unless applying Test-Optional)
- Academic recommendation
Transfer Applicants
Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy. Submit:
- A completed application form
- Personal statement
- All official college transcripts
- Social standing form
If transferring fewer than 24 credits, also include your official high school transcript and SAT/ACT scores.
Learn More about transfer admissionsInternational Applicants
Review all international admission requirementsThis program blends a full business core with horticultural and land-management science. You'll complete foundational business coursework in accounting, management, statistics and analytics, marketing, finance, and business law, then build specialized expertise in horticultural science, soil science and plant nutrition, fruit crop production, postharvest practices, environmental economics, real estate analysis, and environmental and property law.
The result is a degree that prepares you to manage land and natural resources as a sustainable, revenue-generating enterprise, not just to understand the science behind them.
The BS in Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management totals 124 credit hours, built on three pillars.
Business Core
Foundational courses in financial and managerial accounting, business principles, management, Excel for business, business systems, professional development, legal environment of business, applied statistics and analytics, managerial finance, macroeconomics, and marketing.
Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management Core
Specialized coursework in introductory horticultural science, soil science and plant nutrition, fruit crops and agricultural field management, postharvest practices, environmental economics, real estate analysis and valuation, and environmental, property, and contract law.
General Education and Electives
Additional hours in FSC's WRIGHT Foundations, BS degree requirements, and electives round out the full 124-credit degree.
Get involved beyond the classroom through FSC's chapter of Phi Tau Rho, the professional fraternity focused on the business of agriculture, where you'll build friendships and professional connections that last a career.
Learn in the Field, Not Just the Classroom
FSC's collaborative, hands-on model means your education is never purely theoretical. You'll study soil conservation in person, optimize water-use efficiency at a working citrus grove, and weigh how to preserve native habitat during a farm expansion. From research labs to real farms, you'll build skills and relationships that last a career.
Build Your Network
Industry events, professional organizations, and alumni-hosted field trips connect you with experts and peers who support your career growth.
Plug Into a Supportive Community
Join FSC's chapter of Phi Tau Rho, the professional fraternity focused on the business of agriculture.
Make Valuable Connections
One of FSC's greatest differentiators is a deep alumni network across Florida's agricultural industry. Each semester, you'll step off campus and into real operations, hosted by professionals who once sat in the same seats. Recent host sites include:
- Rucks Nursery
- Fancy Farms
- Ben Hill Griffin Nurseries
- Sharp Tree Farm
Careers & Outcomes
Graduates step into a field where agriculture, environment, and business intersect, with the science to understand land and the business training to manage it. FSC graduates have gone on to roles with employers including Sakata Seed America, UF/IFAS Extension, and Flowerwood Nursery.
Land Use Planner
Shape how communities and regions grow. Land use planners balance development, agriculture, and conservation, deciding how land can serve both people and the environment. FSC's blend of resource science, real estate valuation, and environmental law prepares you to lead these decisions.
Natural Resource Manager
Steward the soil, water, and habitat that everything else depends on. Natural resource managers protect and optimize land for long-term productivity and sustainability. FSC's coursework in soil science, conservation, and resource economics builds the foundation.
Environmental Consultant
Advise farms, developers, and government agencies on sustainable practice and regulatory compliance. FSC's mix of environmental science and property and contract law prepares you to navigate both the ecology and the rules.
Agriculture Logistics Specialist
Keep crops moving from field to market efficiently and profitably. This role pairs agricultural knowledge with business operations, exactly the combination this program is built around.
Grower / Nursery and Crop Production Manager
Run the operations that produce Florida's fruit, ornamental, and horticultural crops. FSC's hands-on production coursework and field experience at working nurseries and farms prepare you to manage a growing enterprise.
Student Voices
Hear from Mocs building their careers with a Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management degree.
"My FSC internship at Flowerwood Nursery, Inc. changed my perspective of the operations within a plant nursery, and after graduation I gained a position with the nursery as an inventory field counter. In addition to current inventory duties, I assist in other areas such as gathering water samples to read pH, EC, and nitrates, and applying beneficial insects across the nursery. I learn something new every day, and I am eternally grateful for the internship, classes, and hands-on experience at Florida Southern College."
Spencer Graybeal
"Before coming to Florida Southern, I would say that my understanding of plants and horticultural techniques was quite limited. However, after four years of being with the program, the skills and knowledge that I obtained from my classes, hands-on learning in labs, and conducting my own research provided a solid foundation for me to effectively enter the workforce upon graduating. Courses such as plant anatomy, genetics, microbiology, and soil science and learning how to identify pests and diseases helped prepare me for my career working with one of the largest plant genetics companies in the world, Sakata Seed America, Inc."
Alex Perdue
"Deciding on Florida Southern College to pursue my major was a career-defining choice. The hands-on learning and quality education not only empowered me to reach my goals during my time there but also set the stage for success in my current job as the 4-H/Urban Horticulture Assistant for UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County. I extend my gratitude to the dedicated professors whose guidance played a crucial role in me achieving my goals."
Mollie Tew
Engaged Learning
Hands-on from day one. FSC Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management students gain real-world experience through field research, faculty-mentored projects, and internships with environmental agencies and land management organizations across Central Florida.
Where You'll Learn
Your classroom extends well beyond four walls. From greenhouses to gardens to working groves, you'll apply plant science to living crops from your first year.
Ruth's Rose Garden
Learn in One of the Southeast's Largest Rose Collections. Practice propagation, pruning, and plant health among more than 350 plants and 250 rose varieties, one of the most genetically diverse collections in the Southeastern U.S.
Campus Citrus
Work With a Living Grove. FSC's campus collection of citrus trees gives you a real grove for hands-on learning in crop production and field management, right outside the classroom.
Research and Teaching Labs
Generate Science, Don't Just Read It. Access greenhouses, chemistry and genetics labs, and comprehensive gardens where you can run original research in plant nutrition, propagation, and crop optimization alongside faculty.
Becker Business Building
Study the Business Side in a Space Built for It. Take courses like Principles of Real Estate Analysis and Valuation inside the state-of-the-art Becker Business Building, designed by renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern, where intimate classrooms are built for close connections with faculty.
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Admissions Events
Get an inside look into the Florida Southern College experience with on-campus tours and events designed to show you what it will be like to live, study, and play at FSC.
Southern Showcase
- Branscomb Auditorium
- Register Now for Southern Showcase
Spend a day and discover what it's like to be a part of our amazing campus community!
Admissions
Meet the Mocs: a Pre-Southern Select Experience
- Christoverson Humanities
Meet FSC Mocs before a fun-filled experience at Southern Select! You can enjoy light refreshments...
Admissions
Southern Select
- Branscomb Auditorium
Much more than a traditional campus visit, Southern Select includes team building activities, a...
Admissions
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Featured News
Read the latest from FSC, from student scholarships and Fulbright awards to Florida conservation and sustainability.
Get in Touch
At FSC, you are the focus. Our team loves connecting with prospective students to answer questions and explore how the Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, Land, and Resource Management can be a fit for your goals.
Shea Keene, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Horticulture Science
- skeene@flsouthern.edu
- Polk Science - 144
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Ready to Grow Your Future?
Whether you see yourself managing a working farm, consulting on environmental policy, or planning how Florida's land gets used, FSC gives you the science and the business sense to lead. Connect with us, plan a visit, or start your application today.