Candice Shoemaker, Head
Jason Griffin, Horticulture Extension Program Leader
Greg Davis, Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Professors: Barden, Bremer, Cable, Fry, Griffin, Keeley, Rajashekar, Shoemaker, and Williams 
Associate Professors: Boyer, Davis, Lavis, Miller, Park, Reid, Rivard, and Stevenson
Assistant Professors: Ahlers, Hoyle, Pliakoni, Ricketts, Sharp, and Skibins 
Instructor: Upham
Research Assistant Professor: Blocksome 
Emeriti Professors: Carey, Clayberg, Janke, Leuthold, Marr, van der Hoeven, Warner, Warren 
Emeriti Associate Professors: Janke, Khatamian, Kimmins, and Lynch

2021 Throckmorton Hall
785-532-6923
Fax: 785-532-6949
E-mail: kelleyb@k-state.edu
www.hnr.k-state.edu

The Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources is a multi-disciplinary department offering undergraduate programs in horticulture, park management and conservation, and wildlife and outdoor enterprise management. Each of these programs offers multiple options to meet the career objectives of a wide variety of individuals. Departmental faculty participate in research, extension, and academic programs in these diverse fields which have a positive impact on the quality of life and enhancing the environment. Individual students may have opportunities working with faculty on research or extension programs.

Horticulture programs

K-State offers a four-year curriculum in horticulture. The Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources also participates in an interdepartmental program in food science and industry.

Horticulture is the science and art of growing plants for environmental improvement, aesthetic value, intensive food production, or social-therapeutic effects. The horticulture program is designed for those seeking to move into the production or service sectors of horticulture or pursue careers in science. Students completing this program also meet requirements for entrance into graduate programs across the United States and can meet the education requirements for certification by the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops, and Soils.

All students are required to take a core of general courses in addition to the agricultural, horticultural, and business courses. Students in the horticulture program will be expected to choose a specialization in production, golf course and sports turf operations, horticulture science, and landscape horticulture.  The horticulture science specialization provides a stronger foundation in basic sciences for graduate studies.  Students interested in pursuing careers in industry research or extension can also follow this specialization.  After the sophomore year, students are required to complete a three- or six-month internship at an approved site.

Career opportunities for students graduating with a degree in horticulture exist in various arenas, including production, landscape and management, floral design, botanic gardens, arboreta, garden center operation, athletic grounds management, and golf course operations.

Opportunities exist with the various support industries in the area of sales of fertilizers, chemicals, plant material, seeds, containers, and various other supplies; product development; breeding and seed production companies; and trade magazines. Horticulture majors obtaining a minor in plant pathology or entomology will also find opportunities in horticultural pest diagnosis and consulting. Students considering a career in extension should consider pursuing a Master of Science degree.

Horticulture minor

The department offers a minor in horticulture  consisting of 16 credit hours of course work.  The minor is available to undergraduate students in any primary major.  To be considered a candidate for the minor, the student must file an application with supervisor of the horticulture minor program.  This should be done prior to completion of the final 9 credit hours required for the minor.

Park Management and Conservation program

K-State offers a four year curriculum in park management and conservation.   All students are required to take a core of courses deemed central to the outdoor recreation profession.

The park management curriculum prepares young people to manage the resource where outdoor recreation takes place including the soil, water, flora, fauna and human visitors.  A broad array of course work including wildlife management, history, entomology and other social and natural sciences equip the individual for this resource management task.

Society faces a future of making potentially infinite demands upon finite natural resources. Appropriate management of America’s natural and recreation resources will require the best efforts of dedicated, trained professional managers. A basic objective of recreation resource managers is to provide essential goods and services while maintaining the highest environmental standards. A primary focus of recreation and park professionals is the supply of quality leisure opportunities that lead to an enhanced “quality of life.”

Career choices for the park management professional include a wide array of governmental and non-governmental options.  The majority of graduates pursue employment as program specialists and unit managers at municipal and recreation agencies; state park, wildlife and natural resource departments, and land management agencies of the federal government such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service.  Others choose to work for outdoor and environmentally based associations and organizations.  A few utilize the entrepreneurial training to operate their own enterprises.

Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management program

The Kansas State University Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management (WOEM) degree program is the first Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree to train professional operational managers for hunting/shooting preserves and resorts, gamebird production companies, fishing resorts and outdoor experience companies. Wildlife and related outdoor enterprises exist in all 50 states, Canada, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

While students take courses in wildlife and fisheries management, this program is not a traditional wildlife and fisheries biology program of study. To create professional managers, this program incorporates a series of business, hospitality management, natural resources, wildlife and fisheries management courses with training in selected outdoor skills.

Outdoor skills courses in the WOEM Program include: firearms and firearms maintenance; rifle and handgun range design construction and operations; bowhunting equipment and skills; sporting clays range development and operations; trap and skeet range development and operations.

The students also take the following operations courses: big game management, upland gamebird management, waterfowl and wetlands management, and principles and practices of freshwater fishing.

Programs

• Horticulture (B.S.) - Golf Course and Sports Turf Operations Option
• Horticulture (B.S.) - Horticulture Production Option
• Horticulture (B.S.) - Horticulture Science Option
• Horticulture (B.S.) - Landscape Horticulture Option
• Park Management and Conservation (B.S.)
• Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management (B.S.)

• Concurrent B.S./M.S. Horticulture and Natural Resources

• Horticulture Minor

Courses

• WOEM 350 - Fauna and Flora of the Great Plains
• WOEM 495 - Undergraduate Research in Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management
• WOEM 555 - Big Game Management
• WOEM 560 - Upland Gamebird Management
• WOEM 561 - Waterfowl and Wetlands Management
• WOEM 562 - Advanced Wildlife Habitat Management
• WOEM 570 - Internship for Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management
• WOEM 590 - Problems in Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management
• WOEM 595 - Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Senior Seminar
• WOEM 596 - Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Study Abroad
• WOEM 620 - Human-Wildlife Conflicts