Hands holding a plant.
Integrated Plant Sciences

Fruit and Vegetable Management

Students develop scientific and quantitative reasoning skills to address real-world problems in plant production and management systems.
CAHNRS > Academics > Undergraduate Programs > Fruit and Vegetable Management

Explore the Possibilities

Students gain knowledge of the growth and development of horticultural crops, current crop management practices, soil sciences, and factors that influence yield and quality.

Opportunities exist to gain real-world field experience through professional internships, coursework, Extension

IPS Degree

The Integrated Plant Sciences (IPS) interdisciplinary degree program includes horticulture, crop and soil sciences, entomology, plant pathology and molecular science. You will learn the science and technology used to optimize plant life from molecule to market.

vegetables and fruit in the shape of an apple.

Contact

509-335-9502
horticulture@wsu.edu

Integrated Plant Sciences

Career Opportunities

  • Grower, Owner
  • Fieldman
  • Researcher
  • Horticulture Product Manager
  • Olericulturist
  • Pomologist
  • Production Field Advisors
  • Post-Harvest Quality Control
Student planting a tree in a field.

Quick Facts

$45-60k+ Average starting salary of graduates (Glassdoor.com, 2022)
100% Engage in research or internships
16:1 Student to faculty ratio
100% Job placement after graduation

Major Requirements

Minimum Total Credits: 120 credits

Your program may include different courses. Consult with your advisor about the best combination and order of courses for you. Visit the WSU Catalog for a list of required courses for this major and course descriptions.

General Education Requirements: 40 credits

IPS Degree Core Requirements: 30 credits

  • BIOLOGY 106: Intro to Organismal or BIOLOGY 120: Intro to Botany – 4 credits
  • CHEM 102: Chemistry Related to Life Sciences or CHEM 106: Principles of Chemistry II – 4 credits
  • CROP_SCI/HORT 102: Cultivated Plants – 3 credits
  • CROP_SCI/HORT 202: Crop Growth and Development – 4 credits
  • CROP_SCI 411: [M] Crop Environmental Interactions or HORT 416: Advanced Hort Crop Physiology – 3 credits
  • ENTOM 343: [M] General Entomology – 3 credits
  • ENTOM 351: Ecological & Integrated Pest Management – 3 credits
  • PL_P 300: Diseases of Fruit Crops or PL_P 429: General Plant Pathology – 2–3 credits
  • SOIL_SCI 201: Soil: A Living System – 3 credits

Major Core Requirements: 35 credits

  • BIOLOGY 420: Intro to Plant Physiology – 3 credits
  • HORT 310: Pomology – 3 credits
  • HORT 313: Viticulture – 3 credits
  • HORT 320: Olericulture – 3 credits
  • HORT 351: Plant Propagation – 4 credits
  • HORT 399: Professional Work Experience – 1 credit
  • HORT 418: [M] Postharvest Biology and Technology – 3 credits
  • SOIL_SCI 441: Soil Fertility – 3 credits
  • Advanced Fruit or Vegetable Elective – 3 credits
  • Environmental Horticulture Elective – 3 credits
  • Pest Management Elective – 2–3 credits
  • Sustainability Elective – 2–3 credits

Electives Outside the Major: 13–22 credits

I chose to attend WSU for the Fruit and Vegetable Management major because of my love for plants. Coming from a background with no experience in horticulture or agriculture, it intrigued me that I had the option to learn about management and production of fruits and vegetables.

India Cain, Master’s Student, WSU Department of Horticulture