Horticulture
Entry requirements
A level
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)
To include a Science subject
Scottish Higher
To include a Science subject
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
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:
The Uni
Edinburgh
Oatridge
Elmwood
Glasgow
Horticulture, Landscaping and Garden Design
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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
£26k
£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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Teaching Excellence Framework (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
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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?
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