
About the Program
Grow your career and feed the future. Here, we emphasize high-impact teaching practices to develop an inclusive and highly skilled workforce in sustainable fruit and vegetable, agronomic and tree crop industries; urban agriculture, controlled environment agriculture; and plant science across the green industries from water resources and irrigation design, arboriculture, and sports turf management to botanical gardens and natural resources conservation.
The Polytechnic Approach
In the plant science program, you’ll step into a world where your learning takes root in fields, greenhouses and labs. You won’t just study plants and soils—you’ll tackle real-world challenges from sustainable farming to innovative irrigation solutions. As you work hands-on with cutting-edge techniques and technologies, you'll build the skills and knowledge to shape the future of agriculture. Whether you’re in the classroom, on an internship or collaborating on community projects, you’ll be part of the next wave of change across green industries.
Career Outcomes
Courses
Our program emphasizes environmental sustainability and the efficient use of natural resources, integrating economic principles essential for maintaining successful plant science businesses. The curriculum includes all coursework needed to fulfill the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Agricultural Pest Control Adviser (PCA) education requirements for professional licensure. You will be well-prepared for diverse careers across horticulture, agronomic and specialty crop industries; urban agriculture; plant pest and disease management; landscape and sports turf management; soil, plant, and water resources conservation, as well as roles in government, research, consulting, and further academic pursuits.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Orange County Farm Bureau Scholarship
The Orange County Farm Bureau Scholarship was funded by the Orange County Farm Bureau, a non-profit non-governmental organization that promotes Orange County agriculture, to provide scholarships to newly admitted or continuing Huntley College of Agriculture students majoring in Agribusiness and Food Industry Management, Agricultural Science, Animal Health Science, Animal Science, Food Science and Technology, Nutrition and/or Plant Science.


Featured Faculty
“[As] Department Chair ... a position I held for the next 10 years ... I very gratefully received a large amount of support from many, many industry partners — it turned out that most of them were alumni of the program!”Dr. Valerie Mellano Professor Emerita, Department of Plant Science, Huntley College of Agriculture

Alumni Success
"Without the Plant Science Department, I would have never gone into agriculture. It was their willingness to listen to students, provide support and resources for projects, and allow myself and others to explore our passions that made the program special.”Aaron Thormodsen, ‘21