Four-Year Turfgrass Management Programs in the United States: I. Structure, Requirements, Needs, and Future Outlook

Abstract

Although many agronomy, horticulture, and related plant biology departments at 4-yr institutions offer specialized programs in turfgrass management, little comparative information is available on these programs. A survey of 32 land-grant institutions was conducted to determine structure, course requirements, needs, and future directions of 4-yr turfgrass management programs in the USA. Overall response was 100%. The greatest concentration of courses normally taken by turf students was in the applied sciences including entomology, plant pathology, soils, and weed science. Respondents indicated that 97% of students took inorganic and 88% organic chemistry. Although the lack of business skills was considered the primary deficiency of graduating students, business-related courses were taken less frequently than courses in math, basic science, and applied science. Lack of funding, teaching faculty, and support staff were considered the greatest limiting factors to success of turfgrass teaching programs. The greatest challenge facing turfgrass education over the next decade was believed to be attracting sufficient numbers of qualified students. Seventy-seven percent of respondents indicated that their efforts in teaching did not receive as much consideration as comparable efforts in research and extension in terms of tenure, promotion, and salary adjustments.