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 specializations 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 are 10+2 with sciences including Physics and Biology. For a 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 Masters 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 +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.