University of Maryland College Park Bachelor Degree Program in Turf and Golf Course Management
University & College Info June 29, 2013You can love golf as a sport, or you can love golf so much that you actually build a career around it—and along the way, start making big bucks! There is an entire program from the University of Maryland at College Park dedicated to golf course management. This program lets you learn the essentials of landscaping with a view towards golfing and turf. You will be preparing courses for the world’s elite players, and perfection along with proper understanding of plant sciences is important.
Concentrations and Studies at UMD
The turf and golf course management program is about basic science as well as applied technical classes that concern golf courses. The bachelor’s degree program has four undergraduate majors including three that lead to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree (plant science, agricultural science, or agricultural education), and one that can lead to a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree.
The turf and golf course management program from UMCP gives students the necessities to practice professional turf and grass planning. It does primarily involve management, but does touch on various aspects of this industry. The four-year program discusses not only the basics of landscaping, but also the latest technologies that concern the treatment and installation of turf grass products.
Turf grass management is a promising career field and one that leads to jobs as a golf course superintendent or a stadium or park manager. Additional opportunities exist in the government sector, lawn care, or sod production. In fact, by simply finishing this program, you will be doing well in your career, considering that the opportunities out there are much greater than the amount of graduating students.
Facilities and Programs at UMCP
The turf and golf course program is ideally located at UMCP, just a short distance from Washington D.C., which provides ideal turf in the way of parks, stadiums and other sites. Internship programs will let you work directly with major companies and facilities in building practical experience.
The facilities at the UMCP that house the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, is called the Plant Science Building, and includes another part known as the H.J. Patterson Hall. These are high-tech classrooms that contain the latest computer hardware and software for use, and lab facilities for studying. Within the Paint Branch Facility, there are 40 acres and 12,000 square feet devoted to research and experimentation.
Students who work hard will be rewarded thanks to Honors Programs and scholarships. Awards are given to undergraduates specifically in the field of landscape architecture, through such accolades as the Landscape Architecture Award of Excellence and the ASLA Honor and Merit Award Nominees. The Matt Weaver Scholarship is given to help students financially, as is the Bartlett Tree Foundation Scholarship. Lastly, adventurous students can have the opportunity to travel abroad as far away as New Zealand and Costa Rica!
Why not put your love of land, turf and golf to practical application and learn the field of turf grass? The UMCP facility is waiting for you and has all the tools you need to begin!
