Floral Design - Schools, Degrees, Courses

For those with a creative eye and a passion for all things horticultural, working in the floral design industry can seem a fine way to earn a living. Using the products of Mother Nature as your canvas, floral design is about learning to harness your inner artist and create natural masterpieces for a vast variety of occasions. The skills of a floral designer is sought for the more obvious reasons such as weddings and other social occasions, but also in many other industries such as film and TV, exhibitions, theatre and the hotel and catering industry to name but a few.

What’s it all about?

A degree in floral design will by necessity encompass a great deal of practical work. You’ll be encouraged to explore your creativity, with the chance to experiment with various styles and mediums to develop your own unique style. But far from only covering the design side of the profession, you’ll also learn about the ever-changing agricultural industry as a whole. You’ll discover how constant changes in farming and horticulture affect the floral design industry, and study how issues such as disease, pesticides, organic and GM crops cause the industry to constantly adapt. Nature is an ever-advancing and dynamic business partner, meaning those working in floral design need to understand and follow her ways to remain successful. Because of this the degree will cover a number of different disciplines, including that of environmental studies and biology, as well as business management issues to ensure you gain a well-rounded knowledge of the more practical side of the industry too.

What will I learn?

A floral design degree course will take advantage of both theoretical and practical learning. You’ll be encouraged to develop your artistic abilities and creative skills whilst also gaining valuable knowledge about the backstage area of the industry. This includes both business skills and environmental issues. All degree courses deliver their education in slightly differing ways, but expect to cover the following:

• Floral art and design production, studying how styles have changed and evolved and many of the current trends seen today.
• Design and construction of floral displays.
• Encouragement to experiment in the use of design and color, specifically to explore your own skill set and develop your particular unique style.
• Issues that affect the floral industry as a whole, and how to develop strategies to overcome these.
• Business strategies and career development, including the skills necessary to successfully follow a self-employed career in the industry.
• Technical competence in a range of global development in industry specifics. Industry led research to fully understand the international aspects of the world of floral design.
• Client-designer relationships and self-promotion skills specifically aimed at the floral design industry.

How will I learn?

By the very nature of the degree, expect much of your learning to be delivered in a practical manner. You’ll gain plenty of design experience and get valuable critiques on your work, along with the opportunity to critique that of other students and professionals. Theoretical work will be undertaken in the form of tutorials, seminars and lectures. Expect to get input from industry professionals and to undertake field trips to various industry-specific locations. These might include exhibitions, photographic studios, hotels or events.

After gaining my degree, what options are open to me for employment?

A degree in floral design offers a great deal more career opportunities than you might first think. There are many professional areas that require the talents of a floral designer, including exhibition and event co-coordinators, photographic studios, graphic designer, the catering industry and the leisure industry to name but a few. There is also the attractive option of following a self-employed route, either in the traditional sense of a bricks and mortar business or by working within the various industries on a freelance basis.

Another great thing about a floral design degree is that it encompasses a lot of skills that are transferable to various other industries. No-one knows where path their life is going to follow, and should you wish to diversify in the future, or even change track completely, a degree in floral design will see you well placed to forge a different career entirely. But whatever employment route you intend to follow, a creative degree such as this is practically a necessity if you wish to be taken seriously in this artistic industry. There’s no doubting that a floral designer can lead an exciting and jet-setting lifestyle, and this makes for a highly attractive profession. So you owe it to yourself to ensure that you have the very best start possible by gaining the necessary education to succeed.

Here at CollegesandUniversities.org we know how time consuming it can be to look through all the different floral degree options open to you. That’s why we’ve done all that hard work for you, listing an array of floral design degrees throughout North America. That way you can browse through our degree listings, safe in the knowledge that you’re searching nationwide. This means that you don’t need to waste valuable time and effort trying to create a shortlist of your own. So if you want the very best start to your floral design career possible, then there’s no point in waiting a moment longer. Browse through our list of courses right now, and before you know it you’ll be enrolling on the ideal course. It’s the most effective way to get the head start necessary to stand out amongst your peers, and secure the best job you can in the competitive world of floral design.