College curriculum

General Education

Educational institutions set minimum General Education requirements for all students, regardless of Major, as well as specific General Education requirements for particular fields of study. GCSAA places an emphasis upon students successfully completing courses in the GCSAA recommended General Education curriculum listed below as part of a student’s General Education studies.

GCSAA further recommends that educational candidates contact chosen schools of interest to verify the institution’s ability to offer the following recommended General Education studies.

GCSAA recommended General Education curriculum

• English Composition
• Speech (and/or) Oral Communications
• College Algebra (and/or) College Algebra and Trigonometry
• Social Science (Intercultural Communications or Multi-cultural awareness)
• Foreign Language (Spanish is highly recommended)
• Introduction to Economics
• Introduction to Small Business Operations (and/or) Business Management
• Introduction to Marketing
• Computer Science (Computer Applications in Agronomy is highly recommended)

For a recommended listing of Major requirements, please see Major Courses.

Major Courses

Plant Sciences

• Botany
• Plant Pathology
• Plant Propagation
• Principles/Introduction to Turfgrass Science
• Plant Physiology
• Irrigation Systems Management

Integrated Plant Management

• Weed Identification
• Entomology/Nematology
• Safe Pesticide Management
• Integrated Pest Management

Agronomy

• Soil Science
• Plant Fertility and Nutrition
• Environmental Quality
• Turfgrass Management
• Physical Properties of Soil (Elective)
• Soil Conservation (Elective)

Horticulture

• Woody Plant Materials
• Herbaceous Plant Materials
• Irrigation and Drainage Systems
• Landscape Management (Elective)
• Landscape Design and Construction (Elective)

Business Management

• Golf Course Operations
• Accounting
• Business Management
• Human Resources/Personel Management
• Financial Management
• Business Writing and Communications
• Written and Oral Communications
• Statistics (Elective)
• Computer Science (Elective)
• Introduction to Marketing (Elective)

Note: This sample course outline is provided merely as a guide to be used when researching turf management programs. GCSAA does not endorse or recommend any one program and does not intend to infer that a program is inadequate if the courses offered differ from what is listed here.

Internship or cooperative work experience
Many programs offer/require credit for working on a golf course. If an internship or cooperative work experience is not part of the program you select, it is recommended that you work on a golf course during your summer breaks or as time allows.