Horticulture departments will require a student to take some amount of introductory horticulture courses. These courses generally discuss things like plant structure, growth and production as well as the general importance of plants and history of the human use of plants. These classes will usually be titled "Introduction to Plant Sciences" or "Principles of Horticulture" or similar titles.
Universities will generally offer at least a couple, if not more, courses that deal with turf management. These courses include topics such as turf growth and propagation, fertilization, mowing, pest management and irrigation. Moreover, turf management courses seek to understand the implications these topics have on lawns, golf courses and athletic fields.
Horticulture departments will typically offer courses discussing the planting, cultivation and handling of fruits and vegetables. Besides these topics, these courses will also offer lectures covering crop genetics and nutrition. Furthermore, many departments also explore the business side of horticulture by looking at these issues in horticulture from a management perspective.
Some of the management courses typical of a horticulture curriculum include golf and sports turf management, greenhouse management and nursery management. Golf and sports turf management courses will likely explore pest control, irrigation, mowing and fertilization and how they relate to management positions. Greenhouse and nursery management courses will usually discuss design, light manipulation and heating and cooling systems, especially as they relate to the retail aspect of horticulture.