Horticulture

Many graduates of the Horticulture master's program at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem continue on to doctoral studies at Hebrew University or other prestigious institutions around the world. Others pursue careers in the biological high-tech industries, agricultural production companies, or Ministry of Health extension services, to name a few.

The curriculum covers a wide range of fields, including plant protection, soil and water, genetic engineering, biotechnology, and food science.

Key Facts

Israel is not only a major exporter of agricultural produce but also of agricultural expertise. Students in the MSc in Horticulture degree program from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem benefit from this extensive knowledge and learn how to apply it. The program provides a solid understanding of the fundamental processes of fruit trees, ornamental plants, flowers and forest trees from the perspective of physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and ecology.

Hebrew University’s Department of Horticulture conducts a wide range of cutting-edge research in fields such as genetic engineering of fruit trees and ornamental plants, culture-based plant propagation, protein engineering and genomics, and molecular control of processes such as aging and wilting, flower and fruit development, flower pigmentation, hormone signals, and more. Students are taught the most advanced tools for conducting biological and agricultural research and applications.

While researching their theses, students draw on the theoretical tools they acquired in order to explore problems rooted in the practical needs of agriculture and forestry both in Israel and on a global scale. They apply the knowledge and skills they learn in class in researching real-life issues that impact agriculture, and they explore practical solutions for advancing the science of horticulture.

Courses include:

• Signal transduction in plants
• Stress effects on agricultural crops
• Post-harvest physiology
• Forest Ecology
• Fruit set and development
• Specialized metabolites in crops