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Trade-credential ROI read

Landscaping & Groundskeeping is a hands-on, AAS-dominant credential where business skills and certifications drive earnings more than the degree itself.

CIP 01.0605 trains you to manage and maintain ornamental and recreational plants and groundcovers — turf, irrigation, plant care, equipment operation, crew supervision. With 351 annual completions across 66 institutions and a 5-year median of $53,609, the credential is small but real. Bachelor's earners ($57,765) outpace associate earners ($49,772) modestly — the bigger spread sits between hourly crew work and supervisory, golf, sports-turf, and owner-operator paths.

Schools offering
66
Annual completions
351
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$54k

About this major

Landscaping and Groundskeeping (CIP 01.0605) is the trade-credential side of the green industry — the implementation, maintenance, and management work that brings landscape-architect plans and property-owner aspirations to life on the ground. The IPEDS curriculum centers on horticulture and gardening, plant and soil irrigation and nutrition, turf maintenance, plant health and pest management, equipment operation and repair, personnel supervision, and purchasing. It is hands-on work: students spend hours on greenhouse benches, irrigation-design exercises, equipment shop floors, and live job sites learning grading, planting, hardscape installation, and crew leadership.

The credential is small in national volume (351 annual completions across 66 institutions) and AAS-dominant — community colleges and technical colleges award the bulk of degrees, with bachelor's programs concentrated at land-grant universities (Mississippi State, Penn State, Nebraska-Lincoln) and turf/horticulture-focused private institutions (Brigham Young University-Idaho, BYU). The 5-year median earnings of $53,609 sit modestly above the national bachelor's median for trade-adjacent fields, with associates at $49,772 and bachelor's at $57,765 — an $8,000 premium that mostly reflects placement into supervisory, golf-superintendent, and sports-turf roles.

Industry destinations span eight distinct segments: commercial landscape contractors (BrightView Landscape Services, Yellowstone Landscape, Davey Tree, Bartlett Tree Experts, U.S. Lawns franchises), country-club and golf-course operations (ClubCorp/InvitedClubs, Troon Golf, KemperSports, Marriott Golf), athletic-field and sports-turf management at MLB, NFL, MLS, and NCAA venues, theme-park and resort horticulture (Disney Horticulture, Universal Parks, Bellagio and MGM landscape teams), municipal and federal grounds (city parks departments, NPS, USDA campuses), cemetery and memorial-grounds management (Service Corp International, Carriage Services), greenhouse and wholesale-nursery operations (Costa Farms, Bonnie Plants, Monrovia, Ball Horticultural), and retail garden centers (Home Depot Garden, Lowe's Lawn & Garden, Pike Nurseries, Calloway's). Self-employed business ownership rounds out the picture — and is one of the higher-ceiling outcomes in the field for graduates with strong business instincts.

This CIP sits in a four-CIP family worth distinguishing carefully. Landscape Architecture (04.0601) is the licensed design profession — a 5-year NAAB-accredited B.L.A. plus the LARE state licensure exam, leading to design-firm careers at SWA, Sasaki, OLIN, or AECOM. Applied Horticulture (01.0601) is broader plant-production and horticultural-business training. Turf and Turfgrass Management (01.0607) is a specialty CIP focused tightly on golf, sports-turf, and lawn care. Landscaping and Groundskeeping (01.0605) is the implementation, maintenance, and grounds-management lane — the operational side of the green industry.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers $38k +3.6% No formal educational credential
First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers $56k +2.3% High school diploma or equivalent
Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation $45k +3.8% High school diploma or equivalent
Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary $86k +4.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$54k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$50k

Bachelor's

$58k

Who this major is for

This major is the right fit for students who want hands-on outdoor work, like running equipment and managing crews, and have realistic expectations about earnings progression. It rewards horticultural curiosity (plant ID, soil chemistry, pest diagnosis), mechanical aptitude (mower, irrigation, hardscape equipment), supervisory ability, and — for the highest earners — entrepreneurial drive. Geographic flexibility matters: Sun Belt and golf-belt states (Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, Georgia, the Carolinas, Nevada) offer year-round work, while northern markets (Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Ohio) require winter-revenue planning around snow removal, greenhouse operations, or design and sales work.

Four realistic career lanes dominate. The commercial supervisor track moves from crew worker ($38K) to first-line supervisor ($56K) at firms like BrightView, Yellowstone Landscape, Davey Tree, and U.S. Lawns franchises — a stable middle-class trajectory with NALP Landscape Industry Certified credentials. The golf-course superintendent track requires a B.S. in Turfgrass Science or Landscaping plus GCSAA Class A certification and runs $60K–$80K at public courses, $80K–$150K+ at private clubs and resort properties; Penn State, Mississippi State, and Nebraska-Lincoln are the strongest pipelines. The sports-turf and theme-park track leads to NCAA, MLB, NFL, and MLS stadium grounds-management ($80K–$140K) or Disney/Universal/Bellagio horticulture leads ($70K–$120K), gated by SFMA Certified Sports Field Manager credentials and on-site experience. The owner-operator track is the entrepreneurial route: start a residential or small-commercial landscape business, scale to 3–10 crews, and net $80K–$200K+ depending on market and management ability — but requires real business skills (estimating, sales, hiring, fleet management) on top of horticultural knowledge.

It's a poor fit if you want a desk job, design-focused work (consider Landscape Architecture 04.0601 instead), or careers requiring graduate degrees in plant science (consider Horticultural Science 01.1103 or Plant Pathology). It's also harder to make work in dense urban markets without service-area suburbs, in regions with weak golf or theme-park economies, or for students unwilling to start in physically demanding crew roles before advancing into supervision or ownership. Pivot lanes worth knowing: green-infrastructure consulting (stormwater management, bioswales, rain gardens — IIJA-funded municipal work is growing), urban forestry (paired with ISA Certified Arborist credentials at Davey, Bartlett, or SavATree), and eco-landscape design specializing in native plants and pollinators.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Landscaping and Groundskeeping

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID 1 32 33
Merritt College Oakland, CA 23 0 23
Brigham Young University Provo, UT 0 18 18
Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 0 18 18
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 17 17
Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN 14 0 14
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH 14 0 14
Valencia College Orlando, FL 14 0 14
Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA 14 0 14
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 0 13 13
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General

809 completions/yr

Turf and Turfgrass Management

245 completions/yr

Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management

139 completions/yr

Ornamental Horticulture

59 completions/yr

Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Business Services, Other

57 completions/yr

Greenhouse Operations and Management

46 completions/yr

Plant Nursery Operations and Management

21 completions/yr

Floriculture/Floristry Operations and Management

17 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Is a bachelor's in Landscaping and Groundskeeping worth the cost over an AAS?
Bachelor's earners in this CIP make about $57,765 vs $49,772 for associate holders — roughly $8,000 more per year. That gap is real but modest, and it usually reflects supervisory placement (BrightView, Yellowstone Landscape, Davey Tree branch managers), golf-course superintendent tracks, or sports-turf management at NCAA/MLB venues. If your goal is owning a residential landscape company, the AAS plus state pesticide applicator license and small-business coursework reaches the same earnings ceiling without the extra two years of tuition. Programs like Brigham Young University-Idaho (32 bachelor's grads) and Mississippi State (18) make sense if you want golf, sports-turf, or commercial-supervision lanes. Otherwise the AAS path at Merritt, Valencia, Hennepin Tech, Cincinnati State, or Penn College of Technology is the higher-ROI route.
What's the difference between Landscaping and Groundskeeping (01.0605) and Landscape Architecture (04.0601)?
These are different career tracks despite the similar name. Landscape Architecture (04.0601) is a NAAB-accredited 5-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (B.L.A.) leading to the LARE state licensure exam — graduates design parks, master plans, and stormwater systems at firms like SWA, Sasaki, OLIN, or AECOM, with mid-career earnings often $90K–$130K+. Landscaping and Groundskeeping (01.0605) is the implementation and maintenance side: you install and maintain what landscape architects design, run crews, manage turf and irrigation, and operate the business. The work is hands-on, the credential is typically AAS or sometimes B.S. in Horticulture/Turf, and there is no design-license track. Both are legitimate paths — they just live at opposite ends of the design-vs-execute spectrum.
What jobs do graduates actually take, and what do they pay?
BLS tracks four main destinations. SOC 37-3011 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers ($38,090 median, +3.6% growth) is the entry-level installation and maintenance lane — typically the first 1–3 years out. SOC 37-1012 First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping ($56,170, +2.3%) is the foreman/account-manager step at firms like BrightView, Yellowstone, U.S. Lawns, or Davey Tree. SOC 37-3012 Pesticide Handlers/Applicators ($45,200, +3.8%) requires state licensure and adds a chemical-application revenue line. The higher ceiling lives outside these BLS rows: GCSAA Class A golf-course superintendents at top private clubs earn $80K–$150K, MLB/NFL/MLS sports-turf managers regularly clear $90K–$140K, and Disney/Universal/Bellagio horticulture leads sit similarly. Self-employed landscape-business owners with 5+ crews can clear $100K+ in profit, but income is service-area-dependent and seasonal in northern markets.
Which certifications and licenses raise earnings most?
Four cert stacks matter. NALP Landscape Industry Certified (the National Association of Landscape Professionals credential) is the baseline professional cert and signals competence at commercial firms. GCSAA Class A Superintendent (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America) is the gateway to private-club and resort golf — the highest-paying lane in this field. SFMA Certified Sports Field Manager unlocks NCAA, MLB, NFL, and MLS stadium grounds-management roles. State pesticide applicator licenses are non-negotiable for chemical work and add measurable per-job revenue. Adjacent: ISA Certified Arborist if tree-care firms (Davey, Bartlett, SavATree) interest you. The honest read is that cert-stacking matters more than which AAS or B.S. you held — employers in this industry hire for credentials, experience, and a clean driver's license.
Where geographically does this credential pay off best?
Sun Belt and golf-belt states are where the work is densest and most year-round. Florida (Valencia College's program is well-placed for Disney, Universal, theme-park, and resort work), Texas, Arizona, California (Merritt College in Oakland feeds Bay Area commercial and municipal work), Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Nevada all support 12-month installation and maintenance schedules. Golf concentration adds Pinehurst NC, Scottsdale AZ, Naples FL, Palm Springs CA, and the Augusta GA region. Northern markets (Minnesota's Hennepin Tech, Pennsylvania's Penn College and Penn State, Nebraska's UNL) train graduates well but the work is seasonal — winter income depends on snow-removal contracts, indoor greenhouse/nursery operations, or design and sales work. If you plan to stay in Minneapolis or Cleveland, your business model needs to plan around the November–March gap.
How does AI and robotic mowing affect this field?
Routine residential mowing is the most exposed task. Robotic mowers (Husqvarna Automower, Honda Miimo, Worx Landroid) are compressing the per-yard labor budget for high-frequency residential lawn care, and design-software AI features (Iscape, Pro Landscape, DynaSCAPE) are speeding up basic plan production. The durable work sits in installation (planting, grading, hardscape, irrigation systems), supervision and crew management, horticultural diagnosis (plant disease, pest ID, soil), and high-touch design for clients who want native-plant, pollinator, or stormwater-functional landscapes. Green-infrastructure consulting — bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs — is a growing lane funded partly by IIJA municipal stormwater dollars and zoning mandates. Graduates who skill-stack into installation supervision, irrigation-system design, and green-infrastructure work face less compression than those who plan to compete on residential mowing routes.
What are the best schools for this major and why?
Top-completing institutions split between bachelor's-track and AAS-track programs. Bachelor's-track: Brigham Young University-Idaho (32 grads/year — strong horticulture and turf curriculum), Brigham Young University in Provo (18), Mississippi State University (18 — SEC golf and sports-turf research strength), Pennsylvania State University Main Campus (17 — Penn State turf program is among the most respected in the country, feeds golf and sports-turf), and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (13 — strong golf and sports-turf placement). AAS-track: Merritt College in Oakland (23 grads — Bay Area municipal and commercial), Valencia College in Orlando (14 — Disney/Universal/resort pipeline), Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park MN (14), Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (14), and Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport (14 — applied-trades reputation). Choose based on geography and target lane — Penn State for turf research, Mississippi State for SEC-region golf, Valencia for theme-park horticulture, Merritt or Hennepin for commercial AAS pipelines.
Can I run my own landscape business with this degree?
Yes — and a meaningful share of graduates do. Self-employment is one of the higher-ceiling outcomes in this field, and the credential gives you the horticultural, equipment, and supervisory foundation. The business-skills gap is the part most programs cover lightly: estimating and bidding, customer acquisition (SEO, Google Business Profile, neighborhood referral systems), crew hiring and retention, fleet and equipment financing, insurance and bonding, and managing seasonal cash flow. State pesticide applicator licensing is mandatory if you offer chemical services. Industry data from PLANET/NALP suggests landscape firms with 5–10 crews and $1–3M revenue often net 8–15% to the owner — meaningful but capital-intensive to scale. Graduates planning the owner-operator path should pair the AAS or B.S. with small-business coursework, accounting basics, and an apprenticeship at an established commercial firm (BrightView, Yellowstone, U.S. Lawns) to learn operations before going independent.