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Program Description
The Arboriculture minor has been designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices of the arboriculture profession. Combined with a major in Horticulture or Forestry, this minor will help prepare students for a career in arboriculture. The courses in the minor include arboriculture, disease and insect control, the planting and maintenance of plants in the landscape, and management of trees in urban environments. HORT 201, and many of the introductory positions available to graduates with an arboriculture minor, require physical strength and conditioning. The profession of arboriculture has many opportunities available in the application of arboricultural practices, sales, consulting, management of companies, and management of urban trees.
What is Arboriculture?
An Arboriculture minor prepares you for roles that support the health, safety, and sustainability of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants in built and natural environments. Students gain knowledge that can lead to opportunities with tree care and landscape companies, consulting firms, urban forestry programs, equipment and product suppliers, and organizations that manage public landscapes.
You Might Like This Program If...
An Arboriculture minor is a great option if you:
- want hands-on, science-based experience in tree growth, health, and management
- care about how trees grow, respond to their environment, and contribute to healthy landscapes
- are excited by work that supports safe, resilient, and functional outdoor spaces in communities
- value parks, botanical gardens, and public landscapes, and want to contribute to their care
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 26-28 |
Requirements for the Minor
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| ENT 313 | Introduction to Entomology | 2 |
| ENT 314 | Management of Insect Pests of Ornamentals | 1 |
| FOR 401 | Urban Forest Management | 3 |
| HORT 201 | Applied Arboriculture | 2 |
| HORT 301 | Principles of Arboriculture | 3 |
| HORT 408 | Landscape Plant Establishment and Maintenance | 4 |
| SOILS 101 | Introductory Soil Science  | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| BIOL 110 | Biology: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity | 3-4 |
| or BIOL 127 | Introduction to Plant Biology | |
| FOR 203 | Field Dendrology | 3 |
| or HORT 137 | Ornamental Plant Materials | |
| PPEM 300 | Horticultural Crop Diseases | 2-3 |
| or PPEM 318 | Diseases of Forest and Shade Trees | |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Tarrah Geszvain
Academic Adviser
117 Tyson Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-6087
thg110@psu.edu
Career Paths
Some of the more common positions that are available in the tree care industry for trained arborists include grounds person (performs the pruning or removal of trees and shrubs); climbing arborist (undertakes various types of tree pruning such deadwood removal, crown reduction, specific branch weight reduction, and clearance pruning); and plant health care technician (focuses on keeping plants in the urban environment healthy).
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A MINOR IN ARBORICULTURE
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF PLANT SCIENCE
101 Tyson Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-2571
thg110@psu.edu