Horticulture Minor

The Minor Program of Study in Horticulture aims to increase students’ knowledge and skills for managing fruits, vegetables and landscape plants for the purpose of improving the quality of life for individuals and communities. A minor in horticulture can complement many areas of study, from art history to biological engineering to hotel management.

To satisfy the requirements for the Minor in Horticulture, the minor candidate must successfully complete the two courses from the Horticulture Sciences core (7 credits) below and a minimum of eight additional credits at the 2000-level and up, for a minimum requirement of 15 credits in horticulture coursework. Special topic courses, seminar courses, and courses without regular instruction cannot be counted toward the credit requirement without prior written approval of the program advisor.

All courses must be taken for a letter grade, and a grade of "C" or better must be received to count toward the minor. Any undergraduate student, except those majoring in Plant Sciences, may enroll in the minor.

How to Apply

  1. Submit a copy of the application form and contact minor advisor Frank Rossi to discuss your interests in horticulture and decide which courses you will take to satisfy the minor. 
  2. Complete the courses required for the horticulture minor. 
  3. In your second-to-last semester, prior to pre-enrollment, meet with the minor advisor to determine if you have completed all requirements or if you need to take one or more classes your last semester. 
  4. After this meeting, email the Minor Coordinator, lcc2 [at] cornell.edu (subject: Minor%20coursework%20audit) (Leah Cook), with a copy to the minor advisor, listing any courses you need to complete in your final semester.

A final grade audit will be completed a few weeks after graduation, and the minor will be added to your academic record at that time. 

Requirements

Horticulture Sciences Core

The following two courses are required:

  • PLSCI 1101 Plant Science and Systems (3-4 credits, Fall)
  • PLSCI 1115 The Nature of Plants (3 credits, Spring)

To learn more about these courses,  visit the Courses of Study website.

Other courses for the minor will be determined with the minor advisor. 

Landscape Architecture majors may take PLSCI 1101 for 3 credits instead of 4 and have it count towards the minor.

Students with AP Biology Credit and Transfer Students

Students who matriculate with AP credit in biology are expected to take PLSCI 1101 & PLSCI 1115. Transfer students must verify with the program advisor that they have taken the equivalent of PLSCI 1101 & PLSCI 1115. They are still expected to take a minimum of 15 credits to complete the minor program.

Transfer students are encouraged to apply for a minor in horticulture. An initial meeting with the horticulture minor advisor will help determine if a student is able to take the necessary credits or has equivalencies that can be applied to satisfy the program requirements.

Contact:

Frank Rossi, Faculty Advisor 
47C Plant Science Building 
fsr3 [at] cornell.edu
607-255-1629

Leah Cynara Cook
Plant Sciences Major Coordinator
lcc2 [at] cornell.edu
607-255-1257