Sports and Urban Turfgrass Management - North Dakota State University - Main Campus

Sports and Urban Turfgrass Management from North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a Campus Bachelor Landscaping degree that prepares you for a Agriculture career. Turfgrass management is quickly becoming a profession requiring highly skilled personnel that can respond to individual clientele needs in a home landscape situation or, more commonly, in managing a turfgrass surface in a sports facility. Expertise in turfgrass management is an essential part of operations with college and university athletics, city parks systems and golf courses, and professional teams. Managers are responsible for maintenance and grooming of football, soccer, softball and baseball fields as well as parks and golf courses. A manager must be competent in turfgrass and soil science, proper irrigation practices, pest control, budgeting of resources, personnel management and diplomacy. The demands are rigorous, but the rewards usually match such demands. Currently, there is an unsatisfied national demand for graduates with these skills and interests. The Program The Department of Plant Sciences offers a four-year curriculum in sports and urban turfgrass management. The degree requires that students participate in at least one internship experience. These internships are an enriching process to the academic education and skills the student develops at North Dakota State University and greatly enhance their job opportunities after graduation. Career Opportunities Golf Course Superintendent -- Nationally, between 200 and 300 golf courses are constructed each year in the United States and its territories. This pace is expected to continue throughout this decade and well into the next. Starting as an assistant, it is possible for a graduate to become a full-fledged golf course superintendent in three to five years. Starting salaries range from $28,000 to $35,000 with the national average of head superintendents reaching more than $80,000. When the course is a private country club, usually a generous benefit package is included along with a house on the course property. Sports Turf Management -- There are approximately 16,000 high school, 2,200 college/university and 800 professional sports facilities providing numerous job opportunities for turf managers. According to the Sports Turf Manager\\\'s Association (STMA), their membership exceeds 2,000. The average salary of sports turf managers is about $44,000. Sports fields include baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, lawn bowling, cricket, etc. Lawn Care Operator -- Lawn care operators comprise the largest single group of potential career opportunities for the graduate with more than 6,000 companies in the United States servicing millions of American lawns at the residential, commercial and institutional levels. The most current estimate of expenditures in this area of turfgrass management is pegged above $17 billion. Often these companies are known as turn-key operations where the company is involved in property design, installation, landscape construction and landscape maintenance. Several companies at this capacity operate nationally, while others operate on a regional basis. Finally, for the entrepreneur, opportunities abound to establish one\\\'s own business. Facility Managers -- The curriculum is inclusive enough for the graduate to move into facility management if the desire or opportunity arises. Golf course superintendents could move into managing a resort where golf courses, swimming pools and tennis courts are inclusive along with a dining facility. View more details on North Dakota State University - Main Campus . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Landscaping courses.