Minor in Public Garden Management
Adviser: Holly Nelson (hgrace@sebs.rutgers.edu)
Program Webpage: https://plantbiology.rutgers.edu/undergrad/public-garden-management-minor.html
The public garden management minor provides students in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences with several options geared to employment opportunities in public horticulture such as public gardens administration, design, and installation, or aspects of planting materials management. Students take two fundamental courses and then choose one of three different tracks to reflect their interest: Garden Design; Planting Materials Management; Institutional People Skills and Management.
Foundation Courses (Required, 6 Credits)
11:550:240 Public Garden Management (3)
11:776:211 Introduction to Horticulture (3)
Tracks (Choose One of the Following)
I. Garden Design (12 credits)
This track includes aspects of public garden design such as development of outdoor displays and creation of attractive seasonal displays. Projects range from garden scale to the occasional landscape scale design.
Learning Goals
Explore how to creatively design space and spatial relationships [creative thinking]
Understand, analyze, and incorporate natural features and systems to create design solutions [critical thinking]
Required (7 Credits)
11:550:220 Public Garden Display-Case Studies (1)*
11:550:221 Design of Public Display Gardens (3)**
11:550:235 Herbaceous Plants in the Landscape (3)
Choose a Minimum of 5 Credits from the Following:***
11:550:250 History of Landscape Architecture (3)
11:550:338 Introduction to Digital Design and Presentation (1.5)
11:573:445 Ecological Design and Stewardship (4)
11:573:415 Open Spaces Planning and Management (3)
*New course: taught second half of fall semester in conjunction with 11:550:235 Herbaceous Plants in the Landscape.
**Course redesigned and retitled from (previous) 11:550:221 Introduction to Site Design to refocus material to creating and building a garden in a public context.
***Note: The substitution of a 300- or 400-level class related to your interests is permitted with permission of the undergraduate program director.
II. Planting Materials Management (Choose 12 Credits from the Following)
This track includes selection, care, and pest management of plant material appropriate for use in public gardens.
Learning Goals
Describe basic knowledge of horticultural principles, landscape/garden plant management, or pest management [technical proficiency]
Choose 12 Credits from the Following:
11:776:202 People-Plant Relationships (3)
11:766:210 Principles of Botany (3)
11:776:242 Plant Science (3)
11:776:310 Plant Propagation (3)
11:776:304 Turfgrass Management (3)
11:776:391 Weeds, Diseases, and Insects of Plants (3)
11:550:238 Landscape Management and Maintenance (3)
11:550:233 Landscape Plants I (3)
11:550:234 Landscape Plants II (3)
11:020:321 Principles and Practices of Small Organic Farming (3)
III. Institutional People Skills and Management
This track includes fundraising, volunteer management, budgets and accounting, community building, and leadership for students in the public gardens sphere.
Learning Goals
Demonstrate effective leadership communication and conflict management skills [communication, context]
Evaluate group process and team dynamics [context]
Required (3 Credits)
11:607:485 Understanding Group Dynamics and Team Processes (3)
Choose 9 Credits from the Following:
11:193:200 Community Gardening for Health and Wellness (3)
11:373:205 Small Business Essentials (3) or 33:010:272 Introduction to Financial Accounting (3) (credit will not be given for both)
11:550:436 Landscape Enterprise (3)
11:607:402 Building Community Partnerships (3)
11:607:203 Foundations of Volunteer Management (3)