# Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services

> A program that focuses on the general production and processing of domesticated plants, shrubs, flowers, foliage, trees, groundcovers, and related plant materials; the management of technical and business operations connected with horticultural services; and the basic scientific principles needed to understand plants and their management and care.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/applied-horticulture-and-horticultural-business-services
- CIP code: 01.06 (Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields)
- Colleges offering it: 229 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 229 | $40,693 | $55,600 | not reported |
| Associate's | 197 | $42,521 | $45,637 | $11,701 |
| Bachelor's | 36 | $49,925 | $54,313 | $18,750 |
| Master's | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Brigham Young University-Provo](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-provo-byu-utah-302) | Provo, UT | $71,066 | not reported |
| [Colorado State University-Fort Collins](https://www.collegesref.com/college/colorado-state-university-fort-collins-644) | Fort Collins, CO | $66,984 | not reported |
| [University of Nebraska-Lincoln](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-nebraska-lincoln-main-campus-2975) | Lincoln, NE | $59,376 | not reported |
| [Texas A & M University-College Station](https://www.collegesref.com/college/texas-a-m-university-college-station-2694) | College Station, TX | $54,128 | $19,250 |
| [Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/abraham-baldwin-agricultural-college-3) | Tifton, GA | $52,757 | $18,750 |
| [University of Rhode Island](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-rhode-island-uri-3025) | Kingston, RI | $48,403 | $16,668 |
| [Southern Illinois University-Carbondale](https://www.collegesref.com/college/southern-illinois-university-carbondale-2495) | Carbondale, IL | $45,177 | not reported |
| [Brigham Young University-Idaho](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-idaho-304) | Rexburg, ID | $39,752 | $12,115 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/agricultural-sciences-teachers-postsecondary): $98,700 median pay
- [Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farmers-ranchers-and-other-agricultural-managers): $89,900 median pay
- [Farm and Home Management Educators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farm-and-home-management-educators): $60,220 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-farming-fishing-and-forestry-workers): $59,320 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-landscaping-lawn-service-and-groundskeeping-workers): $58,430 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-retail-sales-workers): $48,520 median pay
- [Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pesticide-handlers-sprayers-and-applicators-vegetation): $46,340 median pay
- [Forest and Conservation Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/forest-and-conservation-workers): $43,680 median pay
- [Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-workers): $39,150 median pay

## More in Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields

- [Agricultural Business and Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agricultural-business-and-management): 232 colleges
- [Agricultural Production Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agricultural-production-operations): 187 colleges
- [Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/veterinary-animal-health-technologies-technicians): 183 colleges
- [Agriculture, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agriculture-general): 111 colleges
- [Animal Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/animal-sciences): 99 colleges
- [Plant Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/plant-sciences): 85 colleges
- [Food Science and Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/food-science-and-technology): 76 colleges
- [Agricultural Mechanization](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agricultural-mechanization): 57 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/