Floriculture : Eligibility & Course Areas
Floriculture is not available as a subject at the undergraduate/degree
level. Those who wish to join the floriculture stream should enroll for
an undergraduate course in Agriculture (i.e a BSc Agriculture degree)
after which they can opt for an MSc in Horticulture at the post graduate
level. An MSc in Horticulture offers specialisations in floriculture,
pomology (cultivation of fruits), and olericulture ( cultivation of vegetables).
Students graduating in these subjects find jobs with companies as supervisors,
farm or estate managers, handling large-scale production of certain varieties
of flowers. A combined knowledge of floriculture with management enables
one to get managerial or marketing positions with organisations involved
in the processing and marketing of flowers and flowering plants.
Those with PhD in floriculture, horticulture and related fields can get
placed with reputed Research & Development cells of companies and
corporate houses.
Course Areas :
Courses in floriculture are available as specialisations at the postgraduate
and doctoral levels. Besides there are Certificate courses and diploma
courses offered by some universities. Most colleges do not conduct a separate
course for floriculture or horticulture at the under-graduate level, but
treat it as part of the academic curriculum of agriculture. The basic
eligibility criteria for a B.Sc. in Agriculture is 10+2 with sciences
including Physics and Biology. For an M.Sc. in Horticulture, one must
have a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture or a related subject. For Ph.D
the basic eligibility criteria is a Master's degree in Horticulture/Agriculture
or allied sciences and the other qualifications required may vary from
one university to another for eg, some universities require that the candidate
must be qualified in Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) conducted by UGC.
Duration : An undergraduate course in agriculture may take anything
from 3-4 years for completion. An MSc course is usually a two year course.
The duration of Diploma and Certificate courses varies according to the
schedule of the Universities and Institutes offering such courses.
Selection : In most of the States, selection to the graduate
course in Agriculture colleges is on the basis of an All India Entrance
Examination in Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Maths of plus 2 level OR
on the basis of the entrance examination conducted by the concerned universities.
For admission to masters degree programme, an All India Entrance Examination
is conducted by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). Besides
ICAR other universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi also conduct
entrance examinations for the vacancies in their respective institutes.
Personal Skills
People interested in floriculture as a career should be patient, analytical
and observant. They must be detail oriented and accurate in their work.
As in any horticultural career field, a love of nature is essential. Creativity
and artistic flair along with physical stamina and manual dexterity will
make candidates apt to work in this field. Good verbal communication skills
are essential for interacting with both suppliers and customers. Computer
skills are helpful for placing supply orders, maintaining inventory records,
and doing book keeping for those intending to turn entrepreneurs and manage
their own businesses.
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