Top Horticulture Universities

Are you someone who wanders off into gardens, drawn by the colourful and vibrant flowers and plants? Horticulture is an ideal career field for you! Horticulture is simply defined as the science of plants. It is primarily the application of knowledge for food purposes and also the technique of development and sustainable production of food and ornamental plants. The work of horticulturists includes plant cultivation with the main purpose of improving plant growth, their yields, their quality, nutritional value. Horticulture aims to strengthen the resistance of plants to insects and against various plant diseases and environmental issues. Horticultural crops are diverse in nature. They include different seasonal species, fruits, vegetables and decorative indoor plants. Horticulture is a stimulating study posing unique challenges every day. This blog has curated a list of top horticulture universities located in different parts of the world and other relevant information associated with it. 

List of Popular Horticulture Universities

A large number of universities across the globe offer horticulture courses that are valued worldwide. For a prospective student, being aware of the top horticulture universities helps in reducing the cumbersome process of looking through a large list. Tabulated below are top-notch horticulture universities around the world.

Horticulture Universities	QS Rankings 2021
ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology	6
Cornell University	18
University of British Columbia	45
University of Wisconsin – Madison	65
Wageningen University & Research	=115
Nanjing Agricultural University	=124
Ghent University	=135
Aarhus University, Denmark	147
Michigan State University	157
University of Reading	205
Norwegian University of Life Sciences	=360
China Agricultural University	701-750
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences	–
The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES)	–

Below is a comprehensive guide to some of the universities mentioned earlier. 

Wageningen University & Research Centre, Holland, The Netherlands

This is one of the primary horticulture universities around the world. It was founded in the year 1918. It is considered to be the hub of agricultural innovation in Holland. The University employs a massive staff of around 6,500 trained in the field and its subsidiary branches. Around 10,000 students are enrolled in this university. It has different departments and boasts state-of-the-art facilities like high-tech laboratories, maintained databases, computational models and area maps. This university was designated as a national reference laboratory for viruses and contagious animal diseases. It provides bachelor’s degrees in animal sciences, environmental sciences, food technology, the international land and water management, soil, water, atmosphere, and tourism. It also offers various Masters and PhD programs that provide extensive knowledge about the specialization of the student.

Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, New York, USA

 It was established in the year 1865, making it one of the oldest horticulture universities in the United States. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the university’s second-largest college with wide-ranging courses and extensive outreach. Its programs focus on three primary concerns. These include natural and human systems, also food, energy and environmental resources, and social, physical and economic well-being. The college provides different programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and research level. Some of the popular courses offered include community and rural development, environment and natural resources, food and nutrition, communication, applied economics, agriculture, international programs and life sciences.

Ghent University, Belgium

Founded in the year 1817, it is one of the top-notch horticulture universities around the world. The Department of Agricultural Economics at this university provides various courses in the field of horticulture, agriculture and food. It conducts extensive research programs in the fields of farm management, agricultural policy, rural environmental economics, agro-food marketing, consumer behaviour, agribusiness marketing and management, rural development economics. Its research programs include MODERNA – Modelling and Optimisation of Decisions in Economics, Resources, Nature, and Agriculture. The university is home to hundreds of students from different parts of the world. 

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES), UC Davis, USA

Established in the year 1922, this institute has a distinguished presence in the international research domain of agriculture and horticulture. It has a diverse community of academicians from students to researchers and highly eminent professors. Thousands of students enroll in the courses offered by the university from all around the world. This college provides 29 majors and 43 minors. It has many optional programs in the fields of agriculture, environment, human needs, and social sciences to help the students amass knowledge as much as possible in the course of study. Students who come to this university can apply for undergraduate and graduate courses already offered by the college in the following major disciplines:

•  Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry
• Animal Biology
• Food Science
• Hydrologic Sciences.

Aarhus University, Denmark

This prominent horticulture university in Europe was established in the year 1928. The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University conducts various research programs in agroecology, which is the discipline that studies the interaction between plants, animals, humans and the environment. This interaction happens within the agroecosystems and primarily occurs for the sustainable production of food, energy and bio-based products. The institute with thousands of researches to its credit has unlimited access to advanced research facilities, that include test stations, laboratories, semi-field facilities, climate chambers, climate stations, fields, plantations, greenhouses, as well as, beehives. Students can apply to a number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by this university in the field of Agrobiology and establish a career in the fields of horticulture and agriculture.

Admission Requirements for Horticulture Universities

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To apply for any of the top horticulture universities, you will definitely need to have a previous background in horticulture or any allied or related fields. Prospective students will be asked to provide credible proof of one’s education. An interview may be conducted, depending on the admission process of the university. Excellent communication and written skills are course requirements in many universities. An essay that will determine your interest and knowledge of the subject is required as part of the application process. It is strongly recommended to go through the university website before applying for the course of one’s choice. International students will have to demonstrate their proficiency in using the English language by undertaking a standardised test like IELTS, TOEFL etc.

 We hope this blog has provided you with all the necessary details in pretext to horticulture universities and the related process. Aspiring to be a part of one of the top-notch universities of the world for the course of your choice? Experts at Leverage Edu will help you realise your dream. They will review your applications and increase your chances of getting selected in the university of your choice.  Book your free 30 minutes of e-counselling with the team now and discover latent possibilities in the field of your choice!