About Our Department
Since its inception in 1888, the Department of
Horticultural Science has been improving the lives of Minnesotans. Our outreach
programs have improved the practice of gardening within the state, our breeding
programs have developed hundreds of cold-tolerant fruits, flowers, and
vegetables, and our research programs are doing everything from warding off
invasive plant species to investigating anti-HIV properties in propolis,
the brownish resin that bees use to repair their hives.
As the world changes, so has our department, and our
scope has become more international. Consumers the world over have profited
from the delicious crunch of a Honeycrisp apple — one of some 25 apples we've
developed — and a visit to our department will attest to our diversity.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is flexible. Students take
introductory courses in biology, chemistry, and math, and furnish their degree
by selecting from the many courses offered by Horticultural Science and its
related disciplines. In addition to the common coursework, undergraduates specialize their degree by choosing
from among our programs of study or by developing their own
specialty in consultation with their advisor.
Our department stresses the importance of learning outside the classroom, and many
of our undergraduates participate in Hort Club, Turf Club, or Cornercopia (the
Student Organic Farm). All undergraduates will also complete an internship
during their time here.
Transfer Students
Horticultural Science is a great program to consider if you are changing majors
within the University or if you are transferring from another school. The major
is flexible, and the large number of free electives built into it makes it easy to 1) transfer coursework into our major from other departments or universities
and 2) pick up a minor. Please contact Evonne at kuype001@umn.edu with any questions
regarding a potential transfer.
Find out whether your
status makes you a transfer student.
Visit Us
The best way to get a feel for our department is to
visit us. We would be happy to give you a tour of our space (our labs, our
greenhouses, our garden plots) and introduce you to the wonderful
people who work and go to school here. If you come on a Friday afternoon, we
would even share some of our delicious, air-popped, Friday popcorn. Please
contact Evonne at kuype001@umn.edu if you
would like to schedule a visit.
Apply
To become a part of Horticultural Science, you must
apply through Admissions.
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