Landscape/Plant Production Technology
About this program
You have a passion for plants. Love the great outdoors. And picture yourself actively immersed in a green career. Major in Landscape/Plant Production Technology at Penn College and you’ll learn what it takes thrive in a sustainable field. Choose from a variety of specialized landscape and plant production electives and cultivate a skillset that aligns with your career goals.
Careers
- Landscape crew leader/supervisor
- Horticultural product marketing and merchandising
- Landscape, field, and production manager
- Arborist/tree care specialist
- Plant propagator
- Lead grower
- Greenhouse and nursery production
- Floral shop and garden center manager
- Irrigation technician
- Additional landscape career paths
- Additional plant production career paths
Courses
At Penn College, we believe your educational experience should go beyond specialized skills. Real-world ready means taking a broader approach that builds communication skills, inspires collaboration, and encourages exploration of arts, history, and science.
Specialization requires in-depth knowledge and high-level proficiency. Students learn and apply major-specific concepts, skills, and methods.
- HRT101Introduction to Ornamental Horticulture
- HRT102Horticulture Equipment Operation & Safety
- HRT110Soils & Fertilizers
- HRT141Herbaceous Plants
- HRT142Introduction to Plant Propagation
- HRT144Woody Plants
- HRT145Emerging Trends in Horticulture
- HRT234Horticulture Accessories
- HRT123Controlled Environment Agriculture
- HRT150Internship
- HRTP1 Select One Course: HRT208 or HRT237
- HRT241Insects & Diseases of Ornamental Plants
- HRT251Computer Design Applications/Advanced Plants
- HRTP2 Select One Course: HRT224 or HRT236
- HRT238Horticulture Operations & Strategies
- URFHRTSelect One Course: URF201 or HRT260
- HRT252Sustainable Horticulture
- HRT225Landscape Design
Perspectives are points of view, offering a variety of ways of understanding, interacting, and influencing the world. Students identify, explain, and utilize the approaches used by academics and professionals to study, analyze, or understand problems, and offer solutions.
- BIO111Basic Botany
Next steps...
You're on your way to becoming a tomorrow maker.
Alumni Spotlight
Will DeMarco
He never envisioned himself working a "desk job." Pursuing his passion in the great outdoors was Will’s goal. In this video you’ll meet a Penn College Landscape/Plant Production graduate who is living his dream job as a business owner and landscape designer for Xavier Landscaping.
Facilities
Earth Science Center
Gain real-world experience in our five-acre arboretum and 6,500 square feet of greenhouses.
Facilities
Learning via Virtual Reality
Design a landscape. Then, use virtual reality software to take a 'step' inside your creation. This advanced learning aid is a real-world tool designers use to present concepts to clients.
Tour Schedule
Seeing is believing.
Think Penn College might be a good fit for you? Make plans to visit and discover what hands-on learning is all about.
Feb 21
Undergraduate Open House
Saturday, February 219 AM - 3 PM
Apr 26
Undergraduate Open House
Sunday, April 269 AM - 3 PM
Maker Profiles
Alumni
Justin Rinehimer
Landscape/Plant Production
After considering a career in chemical engineering, he decided to pursue his passion for horticulture and earn a degree from Penn College.
Alumni
Jessica Duke
Landscape/Plant Production
To introduce her services to a broader audience, Jessie was thrilled to open the doors to her first-ever storefront location in up-and-coming Allentown, PA.
Alumni
Will DeMarco
Landscape/Plant Production
This alum is living his childhood dream. Check out his story.
Faculty
Carl Bower, Jr.
Landscape/Plant Production
Carl truly loves what he does and enjoys empowering students to chase their dreams.
Your Class in 60 Seconds
HRT260: The Art of Floral Design
HRT260 is a favorite elective for all. And it’s easy to see why. Once you know the fundamentals, there’s no wrong way to create your masterpiece. Just let your imagination run free. Check out the latest video for a preview of the popular course and start planning your next creation.
Alumni Video
Alums Help Longwood Gardens Bloom
Known as one of the premier public gardens in the world, Longwood Gardens features more than 1,077 acres of natural beauty. Two landscape/horticulture graduates help shape that magnificent scenery by serving as senior gardeners, using art and science -- "tools" gained at Penn College -- to craft fulfilling careers at the renowned attraction.
Internship
Your knowledge in practice
Internships are key for career preparation. Apply your knowledge to the workplace and learn about the industry first-hand.
Industry Partners
Work with experts to become an expert
Penn College's strong partnerships impact every step of your journey – from your first day in the classroom and labs, to career placement (oftentimes before graduation) and beyond.
Career Fair Connections
Penn College graduates are in high demand. Employer participation at the Career Fair is proof. Attracting 400+ organizations, this popular event is hosted twice per year and introduces students to all types of businesses from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Student Life
Lead and put your skills to the test
Horticulture Club
Promoting and advancing the field of horticulture, this club lends practical experience in the field along with industry exposure beyond classroom learning.
Student Organizations at Penn College
Your college experience is about more than the classroom. Join one of 60+ clubs and organizations, or create your own.
Penn College News
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Alumni horticulturalists host students at renowned gardens
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Penn College student earns $5,000 TREE Fund scholarship
Friday, September 12, 2025
Penn College students assist Ethnos360 during one-week trip to Missouri
Study Abroad
Gain global experience
See the world via Williamsport. Take your education abroad and get hands-on experience learning about your industry on a global scale.
More Information
This major is subject to the transfer standards established by the College (see https://www.pct.edu/admissions/transfer/transferring-credits). Exceptions must be approved by the school dean.
Alternative Credit refers to academic credits earned through means other than traditional college course completion, including: credit by exam, articulation, proof of competency gained in high school, work/life experience, and advanced placement.
Visit the Alternative Credit Options page for requirements and procedures and for information on credit through Advanced Placement.
Tools should not be purchased until you have consulted with your faculty advisor or have attended HRT101 the first week of classes.
View the Landscape/Horticulture Technology Required Tools
Uniform/Safety Protection (required for all labs)
- Hard hat
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection (ear plugs)
- Work gloves
- Thick sole leather steel-toe safety boots for work labs
Uniforms and tools are available for purchase through The College Store.
Whether you're a student, parent, or counselor, find out if the green industry is right for you.
Landscape Industry Careers is powered by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), an organization of industry experts who love the outdoors, relish the opportunity to enhance the environment through their daily work, and have a passion for bringing their customers’ outdoor visions to life.
Seed Your Future is the movement to promote horticulture and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants.
Landlovers is a website sponsored by the AmericanHort, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), and the National Association of Landscape Professionals (formerly PLANET).
- Mr. Scott A Burk, Owner, Scott's Landscaping, Inc.
- Ms. Melissa Cramer, '08, Yonder Mountain Conservation Co.
- Mr. Michael Derk, President, Creative Plantscapes Inc.
- Mr. Ian Groy, '01, Arborist Representative, The F. A. Bartlett Experts
- Mr. Adrian S Karver, Area Manager/Branch Safety Coordinator, Ruppert Landscape
- Mr. Todd Mason, '91, SIPCAM AGRO USA, INC.
- Ms. Alyssa Richner, '10, Gardener, M. S. Hershey Foundations/Hershey Gardens
- Mr. Michael S Shreiner, '19, Foreman, Shreiner Tree Care
- Mr. Gerrit Strathmeyer, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Strathmeyer Landscape Development Corp.
- Mr. Jeff Walizer, '93, Design/Sales, Creative Plantscapes, Inc.