Environmental Horticulture & Urban Forestry, Bachelor of Science College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
As of Fall 2022, the Environmental Horticulture & Urban Forestry major is no longer accepting new students. It has been absorbed into the Plant Sciences major as an area of specialization.
The Major Program
Students majoring in Environmental Horticulture & Urban Forestry learn how plants improve the environment and the quality of our lives. The major focuses on the biological and physical concepts and horticultural principles of plant production, management of plants and plant ecosystems in landscape settings and sociological aspects of plant/people interactions in the urban environment. Plants are used to revegetate and restore disturbed landscapes, control erosion and reduce energy and water consumption. The ornamental use of plants to improve the aesthetic quality of urban and rural landscapes, recreational areas, interiorscapes and commercial sites is an important aspect of this major. Students may select one or more of the following three areas of specialization: Floriculture/Nursery, Plant Biodiversity/Restoration, or Urban Landscape Management.
Internships & Career Opportunities
Students are encouraged to develop internships on or off campus to augment their activities in the classroom and laboratory. Internships are available with the department's greenhouse facility, the UC Davis Arboretum, landscape designers, local nurseries, government agencies, regional non-profits, and restoration firms. Career opportunities in this field include growing and/or managing plants in a variety of settings, including nurseries & arboreta, consulting as an arborist, or as an urban, landscape, or restoration horticulturist; business ownership; park management and landscape contracting; working in the public or private sector, or for non-profit organizations.
Major Advisor
Advising Center for the major is located in 1220 Plant & Environmental Sciences; plsadvising@ucdavis.edu.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Environmental Horticulture & Urban Forestry Bachelor of Science is 114.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Recommended as part of the College English Composition Requirement or the Words & Images Core Literacy Component: | ||
| Introduction to Public Speaking | ||
or CMN 001V | Introduction to Public Speaking | |
| Environmental Horticulture | ||
| ENH 001 | (Discontinued) | 3 |
| ENH 006 | Introduction to Environmental Plants | 4 |
| Landscape Architecture | ||
| LED 030 | History of Environmental Design | 4 |
| or LDA 030 DISCONTINUED | ||
| Biological Science | ||
| BIS 002A | Introduction to Biology: Essentials of Life on Earth | 5 |
| BIS 002B | Introduction to Biology: Principles of Ecology & Evolution | 5 |
| Plant Science | ||
| PLS 002 | Botany & Physiology of Cultivated Plants | 4 |
| PLS 021 | Application of Computers in Technology | 3 |
| or PLS 021V | Application of Computers in Technology | |
| Chemistry | ||
| CHE 002A | General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHE 002B | General Chemistry | 5 |
| Environmental Science & Policy | ||
| ESP 001 | Environmental Analysis | 3-4 |
| or ESP 010 | Current Issues in the Environment | |
| Physics | ||
| PHY 001A | Principles of Physics | 3 |
| PHY 001B | Principles of Physics | 3 |
| Choose one: | 3-4 | |
| Short Calculus (Discontinued) | ||
or STA 013 | Elementary Statistics | |
or STA 013Y | Elementary Statistics | |
| Choose one: | 3-4 | |
| Writing in the Disciplines: Biology | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Environmental Writing | ||
| Writing in the Professions: Science | ||
Other upper division composition course. May overlap with college composition requirement; may be satisfied by passing the English Composition Exam. | ||
| Lower Division Restricted Electives | ||
| Choose one lower division resource science course and one lower division social science/humanities course in consultation with advisor; minimum 6 units. | 6 | |
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 59-62 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| ENH 102 | (Discontinued) | 3-4 |
| or PLS 100A | Metabolic Processes of Cultivated Plants | |
| Choose one: | 4-5 | |
| Taxonomy & Ecology of Environmental Plant Families | ||
PLS/PLB 102 | (Discontinued) | |
PLS/EVE 108 | (Discontinued) | |
| PLB/EVE 117 | Plant Ecology | 4 |
| or PLS 150 | Sustainability & Agroecosystem Management | |
| Plant Science | ||
| PLS 171 | Principles & Practices of Plant Propagation | 4 |
| Soil Science | ||
| SSC 100 | Principles of Soil Science | 5 |
| Choose two | 7-9 | |
| Arthropod Pest Management | ||
| Plant Nematology | ||
| Introduction to Plant Pathology | ||
| Concepts in Pest Management | ||
| Introduction to Weed Science | ||
| Internship or research; must be approved by major advisor. | 3 | |
| Upper Division Restricted Electives | ||
| In consultation with an advisor, choose three upper division courses in the areas of resource sciences and social sciences/humanities; at least one course must come from each of these two areas; minimum 9 units. | 9 | |
| Sample List of Upper Division Restricted Electives PDF | ||
| Depth Subject Matter Subtotal | 39-43 | |
| Areas of Specialization | ||
| Choose one: | 16-24 | |
No course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement. | ||
| Areas of Specialization Subtotal | 16-24 | |
| Total Units | 114-129 | |
Floriculture/Nursery Option
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENH 120 | Management of Container Media | 3 |
| ENH 125 | Greenhouse & Nursery Crop Production | 5 |
| ABT/SAF 165 | Irrigation Practices for an Urban Environment | 3 |
| ENT 135 | Introduction to Biological Control | 4 |
| Choose one: | 3-4 | |
| Environmental Interactions of Cultivated Plants | ||
| Mineral Nutrition of Plants | ||
| Sustainable Nutrient Management | ||
| Total Units | 18-19 | |
Plant Biodiversity/Restoration Option
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENH 160 | Restoration Ecology | 4 |
| ENH 160L | Restoration Ecology Laboratory | 1 |
| Choose one: | 3-5 | |
| Genetics & Plant Conservation: The Biodiversity Crisis (Discontinued) | ||
| Introduction to Evolution | ||
| Plant Morphology & Evolution | ||
| (a) Choose one: | 3-4 | |
| Role of Fire in Natural Ecosystems | ||
| Plant Conservation Biology | ||
| Wetland Ecology Laboratory | ||
| Grassland Ecology | ||
| Sustainability & Agroecosystem Management | ||
| Wildlife Space Use & Habitat Conservation | ||
| (b) Choose one: | 3-5 | |
| Wetland Ecology | ||
PLB/EVE 108 | (Discontinued) | |
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Population Biology of Invasive Plants & Weeds | ||
PLS 102 | (Discontinued) | |
| Trees & Forests | ||
| California Plant Communities and California Plant Communities Field Study | ||
| Ecosystem & Landscape Ecology | ||
| Introduction to Weed Science | ||
| Plant Geography | ||
| Coastal Ecosystems | ||
| Choose one additional class from section a or b. | 3-5 | |
| Total Units | 17-24 | |
Urban Landscape Management Option
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENH 100 | Urban Forests are Nature-Based Solutions | 4 |
| ENH 133 | Woody Plants in the Landscape: Growth, Ecology & Management | 4 |
| ABT/SAF 165 | Irrigation Practices for an Urban Environment | 3 |
| PLS 162 | Urban Ecology | 3 |
| SAS 018 | GIS & Society | 3-4 |
| or LDA 150 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | |
| or ABT 150 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | |
| Total Units | 17-18 | |