IGNOU
- Fees: ₹ 3800
Horticulture Course Details - Fees, Subjects, Syllabus, Duration, Eligibility, Career Scope
Degrees offered: M.Sc., Ph.D, B.Sc.(Hons), B.Sc., BS
What is Horticulture
Candidates who are interested in plants, agriculture and technology must opt for horticulture science. For those who are unaware about horticulture science, it is the plant science that incorporates science and aesthetics of plants. The course, horticulture science is the science and art of producing edible vegetables, flowers, fruits, herbs, and ornamental plants, improving and commercializing them.
To make it more clear, Horticulture is a sub-part of agriculture which deals with the development of intensively cultivated food and decorative/ornamental plants. Science and art are used extensively in the development and distribution of crops, mainly vegetables, for consumption by masses. The horticulture crops are diverse; they include vegetables, fruits, decorative plants, etc.
In India, there are primarily two courses available, namely Bachelor in Science in Horticulture and a Diploma in Horticulture. Both the courses are undergraduate courses in Horticulture where B.Sc is of 3-year duration and Diploma is of 2 years. During the courses, students learn and work on cultivation and propagation of different crops scientifically. Read on, to know in more detail about horticulture science course, its scope, how to apply for it and more.
Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Horticulture
Eligibility Criteria for Horticulture Science
For Horticulture Science Undergraduate Course
Students who seek admission in any one of the Undergraduate courses should have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% in aggregate.
Also, students must have had Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in 10+2. Diploma courses can be done either after 10th or 10+2 level. The minimum age limit for this is 17 years.
For Horticulture Science Post-Graduate Course
Students must have completed any of the UG degrees with a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate. Some of the postgraduate courses also have an interview round after a screening process.
Entrance Exam for Horticulture Science
JEE Main- JEE Main is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) twice every year. Around 5 lakh students enrol for this national level entrance exam to get admission in different colleges in India and abroad. Candidates must have qualified 10+2 from any recognized board to be eligible for this exam.
Scope of Horticulture in India and Abroad
The scope of horticulture science is immense in both government and private sectors. Every year, new vacancies roll out for officer posts in different state-level offices. These posts are offered in various agricultural departments, state-wise forestry departments, and at different boards like spice, coir etc.
The private sector has also shown interest in this field as many startups have been found in recent times. These companies mainly focus on teaching the farmer about the easy ways of farming and producing crops efficiently.
The industries include private plantation companies, agriculture machinery, equipment manufacturing firms, agricultural product marketing firms, food production, etc. Horticulture science graduates must keep in mind that the scope in this field is immense both in the manufacturing and servicing sectors.
Pursuing a B.Sc degree in horticulture can highly increase the chances of getting a stable job. Another possible way can be doing an MBA after the course is complete and applying the knowledge and founding a startup. There is a gap in this industry that can be easily filled, and one can become successful. Agri-entrepreneurs are in great demand nowadays.
Course Fees Horticulture
| Minimum Fees | Maximum Fees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Government | Private | Government | |
| UG |
55.50 K
B.Sc. in Horticulture at Shri Jain Diwakar College, Indore
|
4.00 K
B.Sc.(Hons) in Horticulture at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Pauri Garhwal
|
8.24 Lakhs
B.Sc. in Horticulture at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore
|
4.23 Lakhs
B.Sc.(Hons) in Horticulture at Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences, Anantapur
|
| PG |
16.30 K
P.G.D in Horticulture at Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala College, Mumbai
|
1.98 K
P.G.D in Horticulture at Karnataka Folklore University, Shiggavi
|
4.80 Lakhs
M.Sc. in Horticulture at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara
|
4.44 Lakhs
B.E /B.Tech in Horticulture at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
|
| DOCTORAL |
2.37 Lakhs
Ph.D in Horticulture at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara
|
28.26 K
Ph.D in Horticulture at Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur
|
11.64 Lakhs
Ph.D in Horticulture at Career Point University, Kota
|
2.56 Lakhs
Ph.D in Horticulture at Prof Rajendra Singh University, Prayagraj
|
| DIPLOMA |
12.60 K
Diploma in Horticulture at Shri Shivaji Science College, Amravati
|
3.03 K
Diploma in Horticulture at Polytechnic in Horticulture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh
|
1.35 Lakhs
Diploma in Horticulture at Madhav University, Sirohi
|
2.18 Lakhs
Diploma in Horticulture at Dr YSR Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem
|
Course Subjects
There are 5 courses involved in Horticulture. And one of the undergraduate or postgraduate courses covers the syllabus of the other. So, with that in mind, let’s see the syllabus of B.Tech and M.Sc.
B.Tech
1st Year
- Primer on Horticulture
- Physical Education
- Commercial Floriculture
- Fundamentals of Information Technology
- Applied Mathematics
- Crop Physiology
- Commercial tropical fruit culture
- Nursery Technology of Horticultural Crops
- Commercial tropical vegetable culture
- Principles of Analytical Chemistry
- Principles of Genetics and methods of plant breeding in horticultural crops
- Agricultural Microbiology
- Fundamentals of Agricultural Meteorology
- Principles of Agricultural Economics
- English for Effective Communication
2nd Year
- Commercial temperate vegetable culture
- Forest Resource Management
- Renewable Energy
- Commercial Sub Tropical and Temperate Fruit Culture
- Commercial Production of Spices
- Fundamentals of Soil Science
- Fundamentals of Entomology
- Industrial visit I
- Principles of Plant pathology
- Principles of Biotechnology
- Principles of Seed Production
- Seed production technology of horticultural crop
- Livestock and Poultry Production Management
- Fundamentals of Agribusiness Management
- Farm Power and Machinery
- Applied Statistics
- Fundamentals of Soil
- Surveying and Engineering drawing
- Applied Microbiology
- Weed and Water Management in Horticultural crops
3rd Year
- Ornamental Gardening
- Establishment of Horticultural Estates
- Protected and Precision Horticulture
- Interior scaping
- Hi-Tech Crop Production
- Post-Harvest Technology of Fruits, Vegetables and Spices
- Industrial visit II
- Experiential learning
- Commercial Production of Medicinal and Aromatic crops
- Fundamentals of Nanotechnology
- Applied Plant Biotechnology
- Soft skills for career development
- Waste Management in Horticulture Industry
- Agricultural Marketing
- Pest Management in Horticulture Production Systems
- Nematode Management in Horticultural crops
- Production Economics
- Greenhouse construction
- Principles of processing
4th Year
- Horticultural Industrial Work Experience
- Diseases of horticultural crops
- Experiential learning
- Industry and Institutional Educational Tour
- Post-harvest technology
- Project Work
M.Sc.
1st year
- Systematic Horticulture
- Plant Propagation
- Landscaping and Dry fruit
- Ornamental Gardening
- Agriculture Statistics
- Tropical and Subtropical Fruits
- Design of Experiments
- Orchard Management
- Production Technology of cut loose flowers
- Protected Cultivation of Horticulture Crops
Year 2nd
- Spices and Plantation Crops
- Production technology of vegetable crops
- Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops
- Breeding of Horticulture crops
- Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
- Computer application in Agriculture
- Floriculture and Landscaping
- Breeding of Horticultural crops
- Seminar
M.Sc in horticulture science also has some of the elective courses. You can check for them when you apply for college. These two courses (B.Tech and M.Sc in Horticulture science) comprise of all the basic subject layout of other courses in the article.
Careers in Horticulture
There are ample job opportunities present in the horticulture science field. Jobs are available in both government and private sectors. Graduates can go on to become officers in government offices either in technical or non-technical staff.
There is a good demand for designers and contractors in the Horticulture industry. These designers are responsible for developing seeds, fertilizers and other products related to the Horticulture industry. A horticulturist can also choose his career as a Professor in any of the institutes.
The work areas in this field can be fieldwork, sales and marketing, irrigation department, Projects, training etc. Salaries are directly derived based on how much experience one holds.
There is an immense demand for Indian origin graduates abroad in the Horticulture Industry.
Upcoming trends
Horticulture, aka ‘the precision agriculture’ erupted in the early ’90s. This industry targeted Midwestern row crops, such as soybeans, wheat, corn etc. But initially, people only thought this involved big money and manpower.
But the opposite happened; today, Horticulture is practised way more than its inception. This industry is focusing on farmers who have small pieces of land and are unable to grow crops efficiently. The industry focuses on eliminating those problems by coming up with new ideas.
The newest trends show many promising results which means the future of the industry holds good results. Let’s take a look at some of the trends in the field.
Utilizing technology for yield monitoring of fruits and nuts while keeping an on zonal management of crops.
Connectivity through the internet; Internet has shown new ways to grow crops and fruits.
The inception of robots; Using the technology, leaders in the industry use robots to monitor the crops and accordingly cultivate them.
Budding startups; Awareness on the topic of this particular industry has resulted in the foundation of new startups in India. This will help not only the founders of the startup but also the farmers.
Job Profiles and Top Recruiters
Horticulture science: Job Profile and Top Recruiters
Horticulture science has gained some popularity in the past decade in India. This resulted in the opening of new job options in India. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular jobs available in India.
Job Profiles | Description |
Horticulturist | A Horticulturist is responsible for cultivation, propagation, and aim to improve the yield of the crops. The crops are intensively produced plants for human consumption; food and non-food plants. They can work as a therapist, gardener, grower, technical advisors etc. |
Technical Assistant | Technical Assistants are found in every field. They are responsible for the management and keep data. Some specific duties involve supporting other professionals in their work and analyzing the data to produce relevant results. |
Horticulture Specialist | These professionals are specific to the work field. They are experts in their field of work. They attain this after years of study and experience. |
Plantation Manager | Plantation manager keeps an eye over the plantation facility and prepares plans for cultivation and growing of crops. They gain experience over some time. |
Agronomist | Agronomists are known as crop scientists; their duty is to improve food processing and growth by using specific scientific techniques and technology. |
Horticulture science: Recruiters
Apart from these top 5 job profiles, there are also many other job options. Recruiters hire students based on their merit list from colleges. Let’s take a look at the top 5 recruiters for horticulture science graduates or postgraduates in India.
Shorb Landscaping
Casa Verde Growers
IIFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd
Sun Valley Landscaping
Interior Planrscapes
Average Salary
There are many job options available in the horticulture science field, now let’s take a look at the average salary of top 5 job profiles available.
Job Profiles | Average Salary Package |
Horticulturist | Rs. 5.5 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
Technical Assistant | Rs. 3 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
Horticulturist Specialist | Rs. 5 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
Plantation Manager | Rs. 20 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
Agronomist | Rs. 5 Lakhs p.a. (Approx.) |
Required Skillset for Horticulture
Before beginning with the horticulture science course, candidates should possess some of the prerequisites. These skills are required so that one can pursue the course easily and gain maximum knowledge. Some of the skills are listed below:
Excellent management skills
Ability to organize everything systematically
Project management skills
Ability to work in a team
Financial awareness
Business awareness and management skills
These skills may seem very unnoticeable, but they are very much required to develop advanced skills that will be taught in the course. The student must also be very eager to study and learn new things. Horticulture science also requires patience as a trait, candidates must keep a check on that.
Course Curriculum for Horticulture
Horticulture science course is related to cultivation and production of different crops on a small scale. Therefore, the course shows students a way of doing this efficiently in small spaces. The crops are grown with precise instruments and techniques. Hence the students must have proper knowledge about what they are going to do.
The curriculum is divided into many different subjects (we will the subject break up later) which help students to develop holistically. Horticulture science course starts from the basics of horticulture and goes to advanced levels accordingly.
Students learn about topics like the science of soil, genetics, microbiology, water management, type of fruits, entomology etc. For B.Sc students, the course is divided into 6 semesters, and for Diploma it is 4 semesters, so, there will be a difference in the knowledge acquired by students over time.
Popular Horticulture Entrance Exams in India
NEET
Declaration of Result: 14 Jun, 2025
ICAR AIEEA
Exam Date: 03 Jul, 2025
MHT CET
Declaration of Result: 16 Jun, 2025 (Tentative)
Popular Horticulture Colleges in India VIEW ALL
SRM University Chennai
- Fees: ₹ 480000
LPU Jalandhar
- Fees: ₹ 498000
BHU Varanasi
- Fees: ₹ 6662
Galgotias University
- Fees: ₹ 130000
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: What is Pomology?
Answer :
Pomology is a field of science which deals with the growing of fruits and flowers.
Question: What is the purpose of Horticulture?
Answer :
Horticulture is a science which deals with development production and marketing of intensively cultivated food and ornamental plants.
Question: What are the types of Horticulture?
Answer :
There are three types of Horticulture, namely;
- Pomology
- Olericulture
- Ornamental
Question: How many years does it take to become a horticulturist?
Answer :
It takes a minimum of 4 years to become a horticulturist. There are two options: either you do a diploma (2 years) and then B.Sc (3 Years), it takes a total of 5 years. While on the other hand if you do only B.Tech, it would take you 4 years only.
Question: What is the basic difference between botany and horticulture?
Answer :
Botany is known as a broad and elaborate field of science of living plants and organisms; from the smallest bacteria to the largest trees. Horticulture, on the other hand, deals only with edibles and ornamental plants.
Questions related to Horticulture
Showing 421 out of 421 Questions
2 Views
For HORTICULTURE WHICH CLG IS REQUIRED
29th May, 2025
Hello,
I hope you are doing well. As per your mentioned query , the popular horticulture colleges in India are :
- IGNOU
- SRM UNIVERSITY CHENNAI
- LPU JALANDHAR
- BHU VARANASI
- AMU ALIGARH
- GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY
- INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY , LUCKNOW
To know more, refer this:
https://www.careers360.com/courses/horticulture-course
Good wishes !
Answer later 6 Views
My agriculture kcet ranking is 50k and l belongs to general category and having kannada medium certificate and also 371 j certificate is l am able to get government seat in horticulture clg
24th May, 2025
With a KCET rank of 50,000 in agriculture, being in the general category, and holding a Kannada medium certificate and 371J certificate, securing a government seat in a horticulture college is possible, but not guaranteed. The availability of seats and your overall merit will play a crucial role.
KCET Rank and General Category:
A rank of 50,000 in the general category puts you in a competitive position. However, it's important to remember that government seats are limited, and the cutoff for admission can vary each year.
Kannada Medium and 371J:
Having a Kannada medium certificate and a 371J certificate can give you some advantage in the form of seat reservation. These reservations may lead to a lower cutoff for admission in certain colleges.
Horticulture College:
Horticulture is a specialized field within agriculture, and the competition for seats in these colleges might be high.
Seat Availability:
The number of government seats available for horticulture colleges can fluctuate each year. Factors such as the number of students applying, the overall KCET performance, and the number of available seats can influence the cutoff.
Considerations:
Option Preference: Your options when filling the choice entry form are critical. Be sure to prioritize colleges with the best chances of admission given your rank and category.
Merit List: Your final merit list rank will be determined by a combination of your KCET score, your board exam marks, and any reservations or preferences you qualify for.
In conclusion: While a 50,000 rank might be a good starting point, it's crucial to be realistic about the competition and prioritize your options carefully. Consider factors like seat availability, the specific college's cutoff, and your overall merit when making your choices.
31 Views
if my kcet ranking is 65k and Iam belong to general category and have kannada medium certificate as well as 371 j certificate is l am abel to have a free seat in horticulture
16th May, 2025
Dear candidate,
Having 65,000 rank in KCET in General category and Kannada Medium certificate, you can get Kannada Medium reservation if you have done your studies from 1 to 10 th in Kannada and taken Kannada Language Test. This can improve your chances to secure a seat under government quota primarily in less popular branches like Civil or Mechanical in Tier 2 or Tier 3 colleges. Top college admission is also a distant dream for popular branches like CSE or ECE. "Follow the instructions — claim the quota right and then fill in the choices based on your realistic preference. Be sure to have course-related documents available to review and submit.
All the best.
7 Views
when the entrance for the admission process for B.Sc forestry and B.Sc. Horticulture shall start.
7th Apr, 2025
Hello Yaashika,
admission for B.Sc. forestry and B.Sc. horticulture programs in india typically involve entrance exams conducted at national and state levels. for instance the ICAR AIEEA 2025 exam is scheduled between may 8 and june 1, 2025, and the HORTICET 2025 is expected to be held in August 2025. application periods vary, so its essential to check the official websites of the respective exams or universities for the most accurate and updated information.
17 Views
when the entrance for the admission process for B.Sc forestry and B.Sc. Horticulture shall start.
15th Apr, 2025
The admission process for BSc Forestry and BSc Horticulture programs varies depending on the specific universities and colleges offering these courses. There isn't a single, universally fixed date for all institutions. However, I can provide a general timeline and some key points to help you understand when to expect these admissions to begin.
Typically, the admission process for undergraduate programs like BSc Forestry and BSc Horticulture starts after the completion of the 12th-grade board examinations. In India, this usually means that applications open sometime between May and July. The exact timing depends on when the board results are announced and when universities release their admission notifications.
Many state agricultural universities and central agricultural universities conduct their own entrance examinations for these programs. For example, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducts the AIEEA (All India Entrance Examination for Admission) for admission to various undergraduate and postgraduate agricultural programs, including forestry and horticulture. If you're aiming for admission into ICAR-affiliated universities, you'll need to keep an eye on the ICAR website for their official notifications regarding the AIEEA exam dates and application deadlines.
Similarly, state agricultural universities will release their own admission notifications, often through their official websites or through advertisements in local newspapers. It is very important to check the official university websites of the universities you are interested in. These websites will contain all the necessary information regarding application forms, eligibility criteria, and admission schedules.
For private universities or colleges offering BSc Forestry and BSc Horticulture, the admission process may have a slightly different timeline. They might start accepting applications earlier, sometimes as early as March or April, and they may have their own entrance tests or selection processes.
Therefore, to stay informed about the admission process, regularly visit the official websites of the universities or colleges you're interested in. Also, keep an eye on educational portals and newspapers that publish admission-related information. Being proactive and regularly checking these resources will ensure that you don't miss any important deadlines.
