The Landscape Gardening program, a two year curriculum, emphasizes practical field training. Students are assigned periodic intervals of management responsibility whereby each student resides in the living quarters of the horticulture building managing the greenhouses and other assigned projects. The Landscape Gardening curriculum includes study and practical application in plant propagation, greenhouse crops, turf management, plant identification, arboriculture, diseases and pests of plants, landscape planning and maintenance, and repair of small equipment. During the spring semester of the second year, the students participate in on-the-job field experiences under the supervision of the Landscape Gardening instructors. You can see a slideshow taken from a video (available free) here. As an example, students who are interested in landscape installation and maintenance may choose to take their required apprenticeship at a local or nationally known company, this experience coupled with the requirements of the landscape program will enable students to develop those skills necessary to acquire a job in the landscape installation and maintenance field. The course of study at Sandhills has been endorsed by the Professional Grounds Management Society. Each Landscape Gardening student is assigned a Landscape Gardening instructor as an academic advisor. The advisor will assist the student in planning courses and will make periodic evaluation of their progress. An applicant who is a high school graduate or who has a GED certificate will be accepted for college credit studies. Admission requires submission of the official application form and one of the following: an official transcript indicating graduation with a diploma from an accredited secondary school, a High School Equivalency certificate (GED), or an Adult High School diploma. An applicant who has attended an educational institution beyond high school and desires transfer credit should have an official transcript sent to the Admissions Office by the institution which granted credit originally. ADMISSION TO THE COLLEGE DOES NOT GUARANTEE PLACEMENT IN THE LANDSCAPE GARDENING PROGRAM. Every applicant must take the college placement test. This is a series of questions and tests which determine placement into the Landscape Gardening program. Test scores must be updated if older than five years. A limited number of students can be placed in each new class. Students will be placed until the program limit is reached. After this time, qualified students will be placed on a waiting list. A group orientation session is required to review test results and to finalize program placement. This orientation session will be arranged after the testing has been completed. As part of the requirements for graduation in this program a week long field trip is taken during the summer term. This trip enhances the student's knowledge of possibilities for their internship. It shows the wide diversity of the horticulture industry. The bus transportation for this trip is paid by the department, but monies for room and board are required by each student. A lack of adequate funds should not prevent any individual from seeking admission to Sandhills Community College. Financial assistance may be available to needy students through the College in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study programs. Applicants interested in applying for financial assistance at Sandhills should contact the Financial Aid Office. Upon satisfactorily completing the required program of study, the student will be awarded the Associate in Applied Science degree. Special awards will be presented upon completion of each spring semester. The Landscape Gardening department may provide students with employer contacts. The following are among the many employment opportunities which may be available:

Private Estate Grower Turf Maintenance Business Retail Florist Turf Supply Salesman Landscape Nurseryman Wholesale Florist Turf Salesman Landscape Maintenance Business Landscape Inspector Commercial Sod Grower Landscape Planning Foreman Salesman for Plants Nursery Inspector Garden Center Manager Salesman-Hort. Supplies Greenhouse Operator Park Superintendent

Salesman-Hort. Equipment Arboretum Superintendent Grounds Superintendent Salesman-Landscape Service Foreman Landscape Company Cemetery Superintendent Nursery Manager Landscape Designer Superintendent Golf Course Plant Propagation Landscape Consultant Greenskeeper Retail Nurseryman Landscape Contractor Turf Consultant Wholesale Nurseryman Landscape Construction Foreman Greenhouse Foreman