Course Descriptions

Highlighted Courses

Horticultural Sciences and Practices

This introductory course taught me a variety of different concepts that I could take through my horticultural career acting as a strong foundation to build upon.  I learned about the structure, growth, and development of horticultural crops from both a practical as well as scientific approach. I learned how the environment can play a big role in the cultivation of horticultural crops and as the grower I am able to manipulate the environment to better fit my needs.  This can be accomplished in the greenhouse or the field and techniques of both were discussed in this class. I also learned about the nutrients a plant needs to thrive and possible chemicals that can be used to regulate growth. I learned introductory integrated pest management strategies as well as pruning techniques.

Sociohorticulture

Sociohorticulture  was the class that influenced my life the most.  This class taught me about people and plant interactions and how plants influence the lives of humans. This class taught me the value of having plants around at all times and why green infrastructure is used so frequently. I was able to learn about plant blindness, one's inability to notice the plants in their environment, and how it has affected so many. This class also taught me how plants can have health and social benefits and improve the quality of life for those around the plants.

Processing Coffee and High-Value Horticultural Crops

This course took me on a journey through a variety of high-value crops that I may see in the industry.  It showed me how each one is harvested and what processes it goes through to end up on my table. It was interesting to see the similarities and the differences between all of the crops we discussed. In this class, we also learned about coffee and had the opportunity to visit a local roaster and learn about the chemical processes that occur during the roasting process.

Field Studies in Horticulture: Guatemala

This study abroad program opened my eyes to a side of coffee that I never knew existed.  I was able to see a variety of different large-scale processors, as well as, small-scale processors in action.  I was also given the opportunity to go harvest coffee and see it travel through all the processing steps. This program showed me the true meaning behind farm to table.  I saw each step of the process and was able to be a part of each one hand on. I saw how the industry breaks down the price of a product and how much money the farmers actually make. I learned how far the industry has come and just how far it still has to go.

Plant Propagation

Plant propagation was one of my favorite classes I was required to take during my educational career at Texas A&M University.  I was able to take away many valuable resources that I could use when trying to propagate plants on my own. I learned how to properly take cuttings, graft, bud and use layering techniques in order to produce the desired plant.  I also had the opportunity to take a field trip to a micro-propagation lab where I learned about different media used and the four main steps of micro-propagation. I was able to complete my own tissue culture in the laboratory for this class seeing firsthand how you can take very little plant material and multiply it using tissue culture.

General Entomology

This introductory course taught me the basics of insect evolution and biology. I was also able to learn basic insect taxonomy as well as observe a variety of insect orders.  His class taught me the life cycles of common plant pests and how I could control them by understanding how they live.

Watershed & Water Quality Management

This course explored watersheds and water quality and the role that humans have on our water.  Water plays such a big role in my life and knowing that I planned to enter a field that relied heavily on the water I knew this class would be a good tool to add to my courses. I learned the impacts land use has on the surface and groundwater chemistry and the legislation behind water quality and maintenance.  We learned about a variety of incidents that impacted our waters in a negative way like acid mine drainage, sanitation facilities, concentrated feedlots, and oil spills. We also learned how to take steps in restoring the water by the addition of riparian strips and proper maintenance of fields and runoff into nearby sources.