Academic Catalog

Environmental Horticulture and Design

Program Description

Environmental Horticulture & Design is a broad field encompassing the functional, aesthetic, and environmentally sound creation and care of our landscapes. Students learn to combine principles of environmental design, construction, and maintenance practices for urban, rural, and natural landscapes. The green industry is one of the largest employers in the United States.

The Environmental Horticulture & Design department offers an Associate in Science degree and two Certificates of Achievement. Students may also take courses in preparation for transfer to four-year institutions where they may continue their studies in horticulture, landscape architecture, and other related disciplines. We also encourage people currently working in the field to attend classes to supplement or update their knowledge and to work toward certification in the field. For the homeowner or the landscape professional, short courses from two to four weeks are available.

Learn more about the program on the Environmental Horticulture and Design website.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Students will demonstrate skills necessary to design residential landscapes.
  • Students will be able to identify plant material.

Career Opportunities

Examples of career opportunities include: arboriculture, environmental management, historic garden and estate management, horticultural consulting and fine gardening, horticultural therapy, interiorscaping, landscape construction, landscape design, and park and golf course management.

Award Type(s)

  • AS = Associate in Science Degree
  • CA = Certificate of Achievement

Units Required

  • Major: 65
  • Certificate(s): 18-65

Additional Information

Note: Partial or full general education waivers may be possible for people possessing an existing degree from an accredited institution or having existing college credits.

Associate Degree Requirements

English Proficiency
Select one of the following:
ENGL 1ACOMPOSITION & READING5
ENGL 1AHHONORS COMPOSITION & READING5
ESLL 26ADVANCED COMPOSITION & READING5
or equivalent
Mathematics Proficiency
College-level math course at or above the level of Intermediate Algebra

A minimum of 90 units is required1 to include:

  • Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
  • Core courses (38 units)
  • Support courses (27 units)
1

Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree or certificates.

Core and Support Courses

Core Courses
HORT 10ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE & THE URBAN LANDSCAPE3
HORT 15ORIENTATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE4
HORT 21PLANT MATERIALS I3
HORT 22PLANT MATERIALS II3
HORT 30HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: SOILS3
HORT 40LANDSCAPE DESIGN: GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION4
HORT 52CHORTICULTURE PRACTICES: PLANT INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE4
HORT 54ALANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: GENERAL PRACTICES5
HORT 54BLANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: TECHNICAL PRACTICES3
HORT 54CLANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: IRRIGATION PRACTICES3
HORT 60BLANDSCAPE DESIGN: THEORY3
Support Courses
Plant Material Specialization
Select at least two units from the following:2
PLANT MATERIALS: CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS
PLANT MATERIALS: GROUND COVERS & VINES
PLANT MATERIALS: BAMBOOS & PALMS
PLANT MATERIALS: PERENNIALS & ANNUALS
CACTI & SUCCULENTS
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
Plant Production Specialization
Select at least eight units from the following:8
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: PLANT PROPAGATION
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE FALL SKILLS
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE WINTER SKILLS
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE SPRING SKILLS
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE SUMMER SKILLS
Horticultural Electives
Select at least 14 units from the following:14
VECTORWORKS FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT
HORTICULTURE PRACTICES: INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
URBAN FORESTRY
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: APPLIED PRACTICES
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: INSECT IDENTIFICATION & DISORDERS
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: WEED IDENTIFICATION & ECOLOGY
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: DISEASE IDENTIFICATION & PATHOLOGY
GREEN INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS PRACTICES
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: IRRIGATION
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PLANTING
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PROCESS
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: INTERMEDIATE COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
SKETCHUP FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
VECTORWORKS 3-D
ELEMENTARY SPANISH CONVERSATION I
Short Course Specialization
Select at least three units from the following:3
GARDEN PONDS & WATER FEATURES
HERBS: IDENTIFICATION, USE & FOLKLORE
HORTICULTURAL & LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: BASIC PRINCIPLES
LANDSCAPE DESIGN FORUM
LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
LANDSCAPE SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
LANDSCAPING WITH EDIBLES
PLANT PROPAGATION: BASIC SKILLS
PLANT NUTRITION & FERTILIZATION
PRUNING: BASIC SKILLS
RESIDENTIAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PERSPECTIVE SKETCHING
SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC GARDENING
WATER CONSERVATION IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN
COMPOSTING THEORY & TECHNIQUES
CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATING
COMMUNITY GARDENING
FINE GARDENING
Industry Certification Courses 1
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: COMMON CORE
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: SOFTSCAPE INSTALLATION
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: HARDSCAPE INSTALLATION
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: IRRIGATION INSTALLATION
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: TURF MANAGEMENT
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: ORNAMENTAL MAINTENANCE
Total Units65
1

No minimum required; these courses may be used as support courses for the degree or certificate with approval of program director.

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Environmental Horticulture and Design

  • Units: 65

The certificate of achievement is awarded upon completion of the core and support courses. General education courses are not required.

Certificate of Achievement in Landscape Technician

  • Units: 18
Core Courses
HORT 80AENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE FALL SKILLS2
HORT 80BENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE WINTER SKILLS2
HORT 80CENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE SPRING SKILLS2
HORT 80DENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE SUMMER SKILLS2
Support Courses
Select 10 units from the following:10
ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE & THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
ORIENTATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE
PLANT MATERIALS I
PLANT MATERIALS II
PLANT MATERIALS: CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS
PLANT MATERIALS: GROUND COVERS & VINES
PLANT MATERIALS: BAMBOOS & PALMS
PLANT MATERIALS: PERENNIALS & ANNUALS
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: SOILS
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: PLANT PROPAGATION
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
VECTORWORKS FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
HORTICULTURE PRACTICES: PLANT INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT
HORTICULTURE PRACTICES: INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
URBAN FORESTRY
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: GENERAL PRACTICES
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: TECHNICAL PRACTICES
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: IRRIGATION PRACTICES
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION: APPLIED PRACTICES
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: INSECT IDENTIFICATION & DISORDERS
HORTICULTURAL PRACTICES: WEED IDENTIFICATION & ECOLOGY
GREEN INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS PRACTICES
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: THEORY
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: IRRIGATION
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PLANTING
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PROCESS
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: INTERMEDIATE COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
SKETCHUP FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
GARDEN PONDS & WATER FEATURES
HERBS: IDENTIFICATION, USE & FOLKLORE
HORTICULTURAL & LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: BASIC PRINCIPLES
LANDSCAPE DESIGN FORUM
LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
LANDSCAPE SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES
LANDSCAPING WITH EDIBLES
PLANT PROPAGATION: BASIC SKILLS
PLANT NUTRITION & FERTILIZATION
PRUNING: BASIC SKILLS
RESIDENTIAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)
LANDSCAPE DESIGN: PERSPECTIVE SKETCHING
SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC GARDENING
WATER CONSERVATION IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN
CACTI & SUCCULENTS
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
COMPOSTING THEORY & TECHNIQUES
CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATING
COMMUNITY GARDENING
FINE GARDENING
ELEMENTARY SPANISH CONVERSATION I
Industry Certification Courses 1
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: COMMON CORE
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: SOFTSCAPE INSTALLATION
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: HARDSCAPE INSTALLATION
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: IRRIGATION INSTALLATION
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: TURF MANAGEMENT
LANDSCAPE CERTIFICATION: ORNAMENTAL MAINTENANCE
Total Units18
1

No minimum required; these courses may be used for the certificate with approval of program director.