Landscape Contracting Major
Art, science, and entrepreneurship meet outside.
Landscape Contracting is a hands-on, science-based education in plants and soils fused with design, technology, business, and practical engineering. Grads take leadership roles in landscape design-and-build companies or start and run successful businesses of their own.
Transform the very ground we walk on.
If you want a rewarding career affecting people’s lives by doing work that is enduring and beautiful, you’ve found it. Penn State Landscape Contracting grads have unmatchable career opportunities. In fact, there are many more jobs than trained professionals ready to fill them.
Our faculty and staff are driven to help ensure you are career ready. They have the academic credentials, but more importantly, they have industry experience under their belts as landscape designers, builders, managers, and entrepreneurs.
Landscape Contracting is the right major if you’re:
- aspiring to see the product of your knowledge and imagination come to life
- a hands-on learner
- happiest with dynamic work environment
- seeking a career with potential for high reward, right away
- entrepreneurial
- someone who loves to make things of beauty that others can appreciate
See the University Bulletin for details on program requirements, suggested academic plan, and more.
One major. Two options. Infinite destinations.
Design/Build Option
This path emphasizes the skill sets involved in creating landscapes first in the design studio and then building them out in the world.
Example Courses
- CAD Applications in Landscape Contracting
- Landscape Construction
- Landscape Planting Design
- Ornamental Plant Materials
- Residential Landscape Planning
Management Option
Focus on taking leadership in business large and small.
Example Courses
- Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
- Introduction to Selling Techniques
- Issues in Landscape Contracting
- Small Business Management
Ag Journeys
“What I’ve learned has far exceeded my expectations.”
– Nicolas Cerminara
The syllabus is just the beginning.
Grads let us know that what they learned outside the curriculum has a huge impact. We have a constant stream of alumni who come back to campus to mentor future landscape contractors—always with an eye open for promising future hires.
Same goes with our internship opportunities. Companies compete to bring Penn Staters onboard for the summer, and many students return to campus with a summer of practical experience and a job offer waiting in the wings. There are research opportunities, foreign travel opportunities, and more to gain experience and academic credit.
Craft your experience.
Related clubs and teams
- Horticulture Club
- Flower Judging Team
- Soil Judging Team
- Turfgrass Club
- Weed Science Team
- Woodsmen Teams
- See all clubs and teams
Recent internships
- Arboriculturist at landscape contracting company
- Marketing and sales at landscape design-and-build firm
- Designer at landscape contracting company
- Landscape maintenance at commercial landscaping business
Popular study abroad
- Gardens, Villas, and Landscapes of Northern Italy
- An Irish Odyssey: A Sojourn through Irish History and Culture
A practical, workforce-ready degree—and a college experience you’ll love.
Penn State Landscape Contracting grads are in the boardroom, out on the job, and all over the world, right now. You can harness the awesome power of a truly unique education at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Our alumni out in the world
- Arboretums
- Garden centers
- Landscape design/build firms
- Municipalities
- Nurseries
- Park systems
- Public gardens
Landscape Contracting Career Options
Here is a glimpse into the variety of careers and other pathways you might pursue with a degree in Landscape Contracting. Our students have access to powerful career resources to help prepare for an amazing career!
Account Manager
Account managers supervise customer accounts including management of maintenance crews and service technicians. Responsibilities may include managing project budgets, and the development and oversight of design, installation, and maintenance services.
Arboriculture
Arborists plant and care for trees. Their expertise encompasses understanding tree growth, treatment for pests and diseases, and proper pruning and guying techniques.
Estimator
Estimators are some of the most detail-oriented professionals in the industry. Estimators create lists of materials needed for jobs and calculate material and labor costs. They work closely with team members including designers, installers and landscape managers, and with material suppliers and subcontractors.
Foreman/Installation or Management Professional
Landscape management professional is the entry level position for people who have a degree in the fields of landscape contracting, arboriculture, and/or horticulture. These professionals manage projects and teams of people.
Interiorscape Professional
Interior plant designers are responsible for selecting, installing, and maintaining indoor plants. Adding plants to interior spaces beautifies and enlivens commercial, institutional, and residential spaces and helps clean the air.
Landscape/Garden Designer
Landscape designers plan new or renovated gardens or landscapes. Designers create and present their plans with hand drawn sketches or with industry-specific computer software.
Nursery and Greenhouse Operations
Each year millions of plants are used in new landscape installations and renovation projects. Nursery and greenhouse operators oversee all aspects of the cultivation, care, and sale of these plants.
Project Managers/Area Manager
As landscape professionals gain experience and develop organizational, interpersonal, and business skill sets, they can advance to senior manager positions for larger accounts and projects. These landscape industry leaders manage multiple projects, worksites, and crews and oversee relationships with of clients.
Purchasing Manager
Purchasing managers negotiate with vendors to ensure each job has the best products available at the best price. They work closely with designers, estimators, contractors, and clients.
Landscape Contracting Students in the News
November 19, 2024
Nittany AI Alliance fuels friends’ efforts to make an impact one yard at a time
Two best friends who met as undergrads at Penn State never knew how powerful their friendship could be until they joined together to form a Nittany AI Challenge team. With the continued support of the GeoEd Foundation and the Nittany AI Alliance they are developing Project Green Thumb, an application to help builders, homeowners, landscapers plant and maintain native, eco-friendly landscapes that support wildlife.
Read More
December 5, 2022
College of Ag Sciences minority alumni return to campus, discuss their journeys
Four graduates of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently returned to campus to discuss success in class to success in life as guest speakers on a minority alumni panel, hosted by the college’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.
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November 16, 2021
Plant science professor remembered for unwavering dedication to student success
Dan Stearns, J. Franklin Styer Professor Emeritus, who served as the inaugural professor and program coordinator of the landscape contracting program in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is being remembered as an extraordinary educator and mentor whose care for and commitment to students — and the landscape contracting industry — was unparalleled.
Read More
March 5, 2020
Teaching excellence recognized in College of Agricultural Sciences
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has recognized nine faculty members for outstanding teaching in 2019.
Read More
Explore more
Resources
- Admissions
- Tuition and Financial Aid
- Scholarships
- Student Life
- Study Abroad
- Internships
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
See the University Bulletin for details on program requirements, suggested academic plan, and more.
Contact
- Director of Student Recruitment and Activities
- Email mnm11@psu.edu
- Office 814-863-3942
