Turfgrass Science and Management: Now What?

What Is Turfgrass Science and Management?         

Turfgrass Science and Management students have a passion for the outdoors and working on golf courses and other turf surfaces.  A Turfgrass Science and Management degree provides invaluable career and technical training that focuses on the production and maintenance of grassed areas, including golf courses, home lawns, parks, and other athletic fields.  

The Turfgrass Science and Management major is an applied science program that focuses on the production and maintenance of grassed areas, including home lawns, parks, golf courses and other athletic surfaces. This concentration integrates scientific theory with practical experience and covers such topics as grass and seed identification, turfgrass culture and physiology, pest control, and equipment maintenance. Students in this major have the option of selecting a business management or a science focus. Many graduates find employment in the golf course industry, while others choose to specialize in sports turf management. The lawn care industry also employs many of our graduates in jobs as varied as direct lawn maintenance, research, and sales.

What Can I Do With A Degree In Turfgrass Management?

Agricultural Supplier

Athletic Field Manager

Business Owner

Golf Course Superintendent

Commercial Grounds Manager

Extension Negotiations

Irrigation Specialist

Landscape Designer

Landscape Contractor

Park Grounds Manager

Residential Law Care

Sales Representative

Seed Breeder

Sod Growth

Turf Equipment Manufacturer

Turf Equipment Sales

Weed Scientist

Golf Course Superintenden
 

Selection of Internship Sites advertised by Stockbridge School of Agriculture: (https://www.umass.edu/stockbridge/internships) 

  • Abundance Farm
  • Backyard Growers
  • Bardwell Farm
  • Book and Plow Farm
  • Boston Area Gleaners
  • Broadfork Permaculture
  • Clark Organic Farm
  • Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
  • Essex Farm
  • Fort River Farm
  • Foxfire Farm 
  • Fungi Ally
  • Gallatin Valley Botanical 
  • Green Rivers Farms 
  • Laughing Dog Farm
  • Meeting Place Pastures
  • Morning Glory Farm
  • Natural Roots Farm Apprenticeship Program
  • Nourse Farm
  • Nourishing the North Shore (NNS)
  • Orchard Hill Breadworks
  • People’s Medicine Project
  • Sampson Farm LP
  • Share the Harvest Farm
  • Simple Gifts Farm
  • Sirius Eco-Village
  • Small Ones Farm
  • Stout Oak Farm
  • The Farm School
  • The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
  • UMass Amherst Student Farm
  • UMass Hydrofarm
  • Unadilla Farm
  • Yard Birds Farm

Career Planning Resources & Websites

Career Exploration Tools: https://www.umass.edu/careers/career-journey/self-discovery 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: www.bls.gov/ooh

Massachusetts Career Information System: http://masscis.intocareers.org 

(Click Mass Resident to login with “Amherst/01003”  Then click “Occupations” or “Assessments”)

Career Planning Resources for Environmental Science: http://www.careercornerstone.org/

Environmental Science.org: www.environmentalscience.org

Reports on Jobs in the Growing Green Economy: https://www.findingearthworks.com/resources/

Job and Internship Search Resources     

UMass Amherst Specific Job Search Resources

Handshake: https://umass.joinhandshake.com/

UMass Amherst Local Sustainability Jobs/Internships: www.umass.edu/sustainability/resources

UMass Office of Undergraduate Research & Studies: https://www.umass.edu/ours/ 

 

Other Jobs Boards

Appalachian Mountain Club: www.outdoors.org/employment

TurfNet: https://www.turfnet.com/jobs/

Center for Ecological Technology (Northampton): https://www.cetonline.org/jobs/

Conservation Job Board: www.conservationjobboard.com

Earthworks Jobs By Category: http://earthworks-jobs.com/

Environmental Careers Organization: http://www.ecojobs.com/

Environmental Career (post resume & apply through): https://environmentalcareer.com/

Environmental Jobs: http://environmentaljobs.com

Green Dream Jobs: www.sustainablebusiness.com

Green Jobs (store resumes &and apply through site): http://www.greenjobs.net/

Green Job Search: www.greenjobsearch.org

GreenBiz Jobs Board: http://jobs.greenbiz.com

Global Vision International Careers Abroad: www.careersabroad.co.uk/vacancies

LinkedIn Green Job and Career Network: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=77194

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC): http://www.masscec.com/work-clean-energy/jobs

Massachusetts (State) Environmental Agencies: www.mass.gov/eea/agencies

National Environmental Health Assoc Job Board: https://www.neha.org/careers?utm_source=web&utm_medium=home_icon

Texas A&M Wildlife & Fisheries Jobs Board (some intl): https://wfscjobs.tamu.edu/job-board/

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Jobs: https://www.epa.gov/careers 

USA Jobs (for ALL Federal Govt Jobs): www.usajobs.gov

 

General Science Jobs

General Science Jobs (widely defined): http://jobs.sciencecareers.org 

General Science Jobs (widely defined): http://jobs.newscientist.com/

NatureJobs (widely defined): www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/

Professional Organizations         

Many professional organization’s websites have career information on them. You can often use them to search for networking events, meet a mentor in your field of study, find current research, search for internships or jobs, and gain insight into what direction within the field you may wish to pursue. 

Alumni Turf Group Facebook (ATG): https://www.facebook.com/AlumniTurfGroup/

American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA): http://americanhort.org/ 

American Phytopathological Society (APS): http://www.apsnet.org/Pages/default.aspx

American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA): https://asgca.org/   

Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD): https://www.apld.org/ 

Cape Cod Landscape Association (CCLA): https://www.capecodlandscapes.org/

Connecticut Association of Golf Course Superintendents (CAGCS): http://cagcs.com/ 

Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA): http://www.ecolandscaping.org/ 

Golf Course Superintendents Association of Cape Cod (GCSACC): http://www.gcsacc.org/ 

Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA): https://www.gcsaa.org/ 

Golf Course Superintendents Association of New England (GCSANE): https://gcsane.org/ 

International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS): http://www.plantprotection.org/ 

International Turfgrass Society (ITS): http://turfsociety.com/

ME Golf Course Superintendents Association (MGCSA): http://www.mainegcsa.org/ 

MA Association of Landscape Professionals (MLP): http://mlp-mclp.org/ 

MA Association of Lawn Care Professionals (MALCP): http://malcp.org/ 

MA Golf Association (MGA): http://www.mgalinks.org/ 

MA Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA): http://www.mnla.com/

MA Recreation and Park Association (MRPA): http://massrpa.org/ 

National Golf Foundation (NGF): http://www.ngf.org/

National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA): http://www.ngcoa.org/ 

New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation (NERTF): https://www.nertf.org/ 

NE Sports Turf Managers Association (NESTMA): http://www.nestma.org/

New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA): https://nhlaonline.org/

New Jersey Turfgrass Association (NJTA): http://www.njturfgrass.org/ 

New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA): http://www.nysta.org/

Northeastern Weed Science Society (NEWSS): http://www.newss.org/

Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA): http://www.pga.com/home 

The National Association of Landscape Professionals (formerly the Professional Landcare Network) https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/

RI Golf Course Superintendents Association (RIGCSA): http://www.rigcsa.org/ 

RI Nursery and Landscape Association (RINLA): http://www.rinla.org/

Sports Field Management Association (STMA): http://www.stma.org/

Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA): https://www.toca.org/ 

Turfgrass Producers International (TPI): http://www.turfgrasssod.org/ 

United States Golf Association (USGA): http://www.usga.org/

VT Golf Course Superintendents Association (VTGCSA): http://www.vtgcsa.com/ 

Weed Science Society of America (WSSA): http://wssa.net/ 

What Do Employers Look For? (NACE 2024 Job Outlook for Students)

Top 10 Skills Employers Seek on Candidate Resumes

  1. Problem-solving skills
  2. Ability to work in a team
  3. Communication skills (written)
  4. Strong work ethic
  5. Flexibility/adaptability
  6. Communication (verbal)
  7. Technical Skills
  8. Analytical/Quantitative Skills
  9. Initiative
  10. Detail-oriented

Top 7 Attributes that can positively influence employers the most

  1. Internship with the organization
  2. Internship within the industry
  3. Major
  4. General work experience
  5. Leadership experience
  6. Extracurricular activities
  7. High GPA (3.0 or above)