NEW USU MASTER’S DEGREE PROMOTES WATER WISE LANDSCAPES

Students who want to dedicate their professional careers to water conservation just got a boost from the College of Agriculture at Utah State University.

A new degree program, the Master of Professional Studies in Horticulture: Water Efficient Landscaping Specialization, serves horticultural students seeking graduate level training for professional positions. The program, directed by Roger Kjelgren, is offered through the department of plants, soils, and biometeorology.

“The arid West, as well as many other areas of the country, is rapidly urbanizing,” said Kjelgren. “The resulting population growth has appropriated all easily available water around expanding cities and towns. Water to supply future population growth can come from either developing new sources, transfers from agriculture or reducing existing demand.”

Kjelgren said that developing new sources has little popular or political support and is dauntingly costly. Conserving water by reducing demand offers the most affordable and sensible solution, according to Kjelgren.

Water managers are under increasing pressure to develop water conservation programs, particularly for culinary water use in urban areas, and new conservation requirements are opening career opportunities in water conservation at the city, state and federal level, he said.

“Our mission is not to create water scientists,” said Kjelgren, “but rather horticulturists with an understanding of the complexity of water management and the ability to convey this to the public.”

The one-year program starts in January and finishes the following December, allowing students to fulfill a summer internship, which provides hands-on experience. Interested horticulturalists can contact program director Kjelgren at rkjel@mendel.usu.edu.