Therapeutic Horticulture Option
This option is available within the Horticulture major at the following location:
- Ecampus
As a Therapeutic Horticulture student, you will acquire the skills and knowledge needed to design healing and adapted gardens and to provide therapy programs that improve the quality of people’s lives. Our curriculum stresses effectively treating clients with the restorative powers of gardens, landscapes, and greenspaces. These clients include senior citizens struggling with physical or cognitive issues, individuals with developmental disabilities, and at-risk youth.
As a Horticultural Therapist, you'll help treat patients with significant health or emotional problems through the healing influence of nature. Impacts of therapeutic gardening have been studied and documented with various populations. Memory can be improved through learning a gardening process, coordination can be strengthened by planting, and connections can be made between the earth and those with emotional and mental disabilities. Horticultural therapy is practiced throughout the world in a wide diversity of settings and cultures, including mental health settings, physical rehabilitation, veterans’ services, vocation services, corrections, long-term care and hospice, special education programs, and youth and community services.
Graduates of the Therapeutic Horticultural option may become Registered Horticultural Therapists, Community Garden Coordinators, and Rehabilitation Program Coordinators.
Option Code: 632
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Find, interpret and integrate data and theory from horticultural systems and sciences, and related disciplines.
- Assess horticultural systems, diagnose horticultural problems and recommend solutions, and create novel systems based on data and theory from horticultural sciences and related disciplines.
- Comprehend and demonstrate how horticultural sciences integrate with contemporary social, economic, political and environmental issues.
- Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication.
- Confirm coursework requirements for Professional Registration by the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA).
- All course work must have a passing grade of C– or above or a pass for a pass/fail course.
- An AHTA approved and supervised 480-hour internship is also required for Professional Registration by the AHTA.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Plant Materials | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 2-4 | |
| LANDSCAPE PLANT MATERIALS I: DECIDUOUS HARDWOODS AND CONIFERS | ||
| LANDSCAPE PLANT MATERIALS II: SPRING FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS | ||
| TEMPERATE TREE FRUIT, BERRIES, GRAPES, AND NUTS | ||
| HERBACEOUS ORNAMENTAL PLANT MATERIALS | ||
| SYSTEMATICS AND ADAPTATION OF VEGETABLE CROPS | ||
| Ecology | ||
| HORT 318 | ^APPLIED ECOLOGY OF MANAGED ECOSYSTEMS | 3 |
| Technology | ||
| HORT 380 | SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN | 3 |
| PLANT PROPAGATION LABORATORY (optional) | ||
| Horticultural Communication | ||
| HORT 318 | ^APPLIED ECOLOGY OF MANAGED ECOSYSTEMS | 3 |
| HORT 407 | SEMINAR | 1 |
| HORTICULTURE BOOK CLUB (optional) | ||
| Capstone | ||
| HORT 480 | CASE STUDIES IN CROPPING SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT | 4 |
| Horticultural Science and Technology | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 6-8 | |
| HONEY BEE BIOLOGY AND BEEKEEPING | ||
| ORGANIC FARMING AND GARDENING | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO URBAN AGRICULTURE | ||
| PERMACULTURE DESIGN AND THEORY: CERTIFICATE COURSE | ||
| PERMACULTURE WATER MANAGEMENT | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF TURFGRASS MAINTENANCE | ||
| SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES: MAINTENANCE, CONSERVATION, RESTORE | ||
| URBAN FORESTRY | ||
| FLORICULTURE AND GREENHOUSE SYSTEMS | ||
| IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE | ||
| PLANT NURSERY SYSTEMS | ||
| ARBORICULTURE | ||
| CASE STUDIES IN URBAN AGRICULTURE | ||
| ADVANCED PERMACULTURE DESIGN TOOLS FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE | ||
| Horticultural and Social Sciences | ||
| HORT 270 | INTRODUCTION TO THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE | 3 |
| HORT 271 | THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE TECHNIQUES AND ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES | 2 |
| HORT 272 | THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE SKILLS I | 2 |
| HORT 273 | THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE PROGRAMMING | 2 |
| HORT 274 | THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE SKILLS II | 2 |
| HORT 275 | THERAPEUTIC GARDENS | 3 |
| PSY 201Z | +*INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY I | 4 |
| PSY 202Z | +*INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY II | 4 |
| PSY 350 | HUMAN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT | 4 |
| PSY 381 | ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | 4 |
| Select two additional courses from the following: | 7-8 | |
| INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT | ||
| ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT | ||
| ADULT DEVELOPMENT AND AGING | ||
| BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY | ||
| BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION | ||
| HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| HEALTH, ILLNESS AND SOCIETY | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF AGING | ||
| WELFARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES | ||
| JUVENILE DELINQUENCY | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF DRUG USE AND ABUSE | ||
| Total Credits | 59-64 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
- ^
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)
- +
Core Education course. Applies only to students admitted to an OSU undergraduate degree from Summer 2025 onwards
Option Code: 632