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Horticulture

SRUC Scotland's Rural College

UCAS Code: 014D | Higher National Certificate - HNC

Entry requirements


A level

D,E

To include a Science subject

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Applicants should be able to offer National 5 (A-C) or equivalent pass in English (for literacy) and Maths (for numeracy)

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H4,H4

To include a Science subject

Scottish Higher

C,C

To include a Science subject

UCAS Tariff

40-42

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

1year

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Horticulture

This HNC in Horticulture has been designed by subject specialists to provide you with comprehensive introduction to the horticulture sector. Throughout the course, you will develop the skills, knowledge, professional behaviours and values that are required to enter the horticulture sector or progress to further academic study.

This course is delivered by skilled horticulturalists, garden designers and plant scientists to enhance the learning experience. The course structure is centred around authenticity, allowing you to gain real-world experiences that enhance your learner journey. You will study a broad range of specialisms to give you a better understanding of the exciting range of career opportunities that exist within the horticulture sector.

The units that you will study are project-based and aim to develop your planning, initiative and practical skill. The course integrates self-management, social intelligence and innovation meta skills at its core which complement the vocational and technical elements of the course, developing your personal skills which you can employ and adapt in future for further study or in your career.

Modules

This HNC in Horticulture has 6 mandatory units.

Production Horticulture – this unit develops knowledge and skills in the production of ornamental, cut flower and edible crops. You will gain knowledge of production planning, and the practical skills required to propagate and produce a variety of crop plants.

Maintaining gardens and greenspaces – this unit provides you with the knowledge and skills for the maintenance of gardens and greenspaces, and introduces you to seasonal tasks, equipment, protection and maintenance of plants, planted areas, and hard landscape features.

Design and creation of gardens and greenspaces – this project-based unit provides you with the knowledge and skills to design and implement a garden. It introduces you to design principles, planting design, and planting skills.

Social and community horticulture – this unit focusses on the social and community aspects of horticulture. It introduces you to current practice and future developments in sustainable horticulture and net zero carbon emissions, and will raise your awareness of the benefits of therapeutic horticulture.

Ecology and environment for horticulture – this unit will provide you with a broad introduction to the ecological and environmental issues that you need to bear in mind for the design, creation, and maintenance of commercial gardens or greenspaces. You will learn how to conduct ecological surveys, write policy recommendations and discuss important environmental issues facing the horticulture sector.

Plant biology – this unit provides you with an introduction to plant taxonomy, an understanding of the main structures that develop in the plant life cycle, and plant physiological processes. Learning through application, you will conduct plant trials to introduce you to the world of plant science.

Assessment methods

This HNC in Horticulture is assessed primarily through portfolio and project-based assessments. All assessments within the course are designed to be authentic; incorporating realistic objectives that are reflective of industry activities. The authenticity of the assessments will foster innovation and creativity skills.

Personalised learner journeys are championed by providing opportunities for students to select from a range of topics for an assessment, or by providing different methods of completing assessments such as by incorporating different media types into a portfolio of evidence.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£7,000
per year
England
£7,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£7,000
per year
Republic of Ireland
£7,000
per year
Scotland
£1,285
per year
Wales
£7,000
per year

The Uni


Course locations:

Edinburgh

Oatridge

Elmwood

Glasgow

Department:

Horticulture, Landscaping and Garden Design

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

68%
Horticulture

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Agriculture

Teaching and learning

73%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
63%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

77%
Library resources
68%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
48%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
41%
Male students
59%
Female students
40%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Agriculture

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,052
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
70%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Elementary agricultural occupations
19%
Agricultural and related trades
11%
Managers and proprietors in agriculture related services

About 70% of the UK's land area is given over to agriculture, so this is a subject representing an important part of the country's economy. Typical starting jobs for graduates in agriculture include agricultural science, farming and farm management, but graduates also go into other areas, such as the horticulture trade, auctioneering and conservation. Agriculture graduates are also in increasing demand for one of the hardest-to-fill jobs in the country - surveying. Jobs for agriculture graduates are often in rural areas - in 2016, areas like Essex, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire and Kent were all important for agriculture graduates.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Agriculture

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£24k

£24k

£26k

£26k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here