Kish STEM students benefit from ‘Smitty’ Assistantship
Three Kishwaukee College students participated in science-based learning opportunities during the 2024-2025 school year thanks to the Robert L. “Smitty” Smith Assistantship.
Read MoreHorticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture focuses on the earth, creating a landscape with trees, plants and hardscape to enhance natural beauty and resources. Kish hort students play in the dirt and help take care of our beautiful campus. Field trips, guest speakers and interviewing with potential employers are all staples in the program. The greenhouse, athletic fields and the 120-acre living laboratory (campus grounds) offer hands-on learning experiences.
In our horticulture program, you may:
- Earn a certificate or an Associate in Applied Science degree
- Choose from several specialties, including floral design, greenhouse, landscape design & nursery, sustainable horticulture and more
- Receive career guidance and develop skills from our industry experts
- Work with the same state of the art equipment used in the industry, such as LED grow lights from VOLT Grow.
Horticulture Events
Degrees and Certificates
- Cannabis & Hemp Cultivation
- Floral Horticulture
- Foundations in Horticulture
- Greenhouse/Garden Center
- Landscape Design/Construction
- Precision Agriculture (This is certificate will not be offered during the 2025-2026 academic year)
- Turf & Grounds Management
Program Details
- Horticulture is a growing and expanding industry with a strong job market.
- Artistically designed lawns, gardens, and grounds do much more than increase property values; they increase our quality of life. Professionals in landscape contracting, groundskeeping, nursery, greenhouse, and lawn services help maintain the outdoor environments we enjoy each day. These specialists also care for indoor gardens and plants in commercial and public areas such as gardens, malls, and hotels.
- Floral designers use the positive psychological and physiological effects of plants and flowers to enhance our décor, create our desired environments, and add to our most memorable moments.
- Students of horticulture enjoy a wide variety of career options. Horticulture specialists have titles such as landscape contractor, park naturalist, nurseryman, city forester, groundskeeper, retail or wholesale florist, landscape designer, turf specialist, golf course superintendent, greenhouse manager, horticultural journalist and garden center manager.
- The National Career Clusters Framework created a tool to help you find a career that suits your interests and skills. Our hort program is part of the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources career cluster.
- In-district high school students can get started while still in high school. This program has a study guide to outline a pathway from certain high schools into our hort program.
- Learn more from the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA)
- Visit the Illinois Green Industry Association (IGIA)
- Follow us on Facebook
- Work alongside passionate faculty to understand the proper care of plant material
- The DeKalb Area Garden Club (DAGC) is a local organization of people from a wide range of backgrounds all with a passion for gardening. In addition to its annual events, the organization invites guest speakers, plans trips, potluck dinners, and garden tours and sponsors scholarships for our hort students.
Students interested in pursuing a degree or certificate in hort are encouraged to
speak with their academic advisor for course and career planning.
News & Events
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Tre Jackson hired as Kish College Head Women’s Basketball Coach
Kishwaukee College hired Tre Jackson as the next head coach for the Women’s Basketball team. Jackson starts the 2024-2025 season as the 13th coach in program history.
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