Horticulture and landscape

HORTICULTURE & LANDSCAPE

Basic Landscape Horticulture

The certificate in Basic Landscape Horticulture is intended for those students who are limited to a one-year program. Graduates with this certificate can find employment at the basic or entry level in grounds maintenance, or as a park worker or gardener.

Landscape Architecture

The Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Department is pleased to launch its new Associate of Arts Degree in Landscape Architecture. The program has two main goals: to help students acquire skills necessary to work in a professional design or design/build office, and to provide the minimum educational credit required for the Landscape Architect Registration Exam (LARE).

To practice landscape architecture legally in California, one must pass the LARE. Registration provides professional standing and credentials, widens a designer’s allowable scope of work, and can potentially improve salary levels. To qualify to sit for the exam, one must have a combination of 6 years education and work experience. Our AA degree will fulfill the minimum educational requirement (1 year), without which an individual can never achieve licensure regardless of the amount of work experience. See below for more information about licensing.

Landscape architecture encompasses the exterior design of urban and public spaces, private residences, and regional parks and recreation areas, utilizing expertise in smart-growth development, the use of green materials, climate-appropriate and water-saving plants, and ecologically responsible design solutions. Landscape architects work with architects, city planners, engineers and contractors to develop designs that make the best and most thoughtful use of open spaces on any scale and in almost any location. While our two-year degree program cannot possibly cover all these areas, we provide students with the following foundation in design skills, with emphasis on small scale projects:

Preparing planting plans
Preparing irrigation plans
Preparing preliminary grading and drainage plans
Preparing site analysis diagrams evaluating climate, soils, slope
Measuring small sites and drawing base maps to scale
Completing WELO (Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance) documents
Drawing landscape designs in plan, section, elevation, planometric & perspective views
Drawing and drafting by hand
Drawing and drafting with computer assisted design programs
Inspecting plants on a jobsite, and at nurseries prior to delivery
Evaluating the appropriateness of materials for use in landscape designs
Preparing schematic construction diagrams

Landscape & Parks Maintenance

Students who successfully complete the advanced certificate in Landscape and Parks Maintenance can find employment with city parks or other municipal departments, or with commercial landscape firms. Many students work either independently or with landscape maintenance companies.

Nursery Management

Students with a certificate in Nursery Management can find employment in local retail and wholesale nurseries. Students have also successfully started their own specialty nurseries.