Department of Horticulture

Hello, I am Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aysen KOÇ. I am the head of the Department of Horticulture at Yozgat Bozok University, Faculty of Agriculture.
The horticulture department consists of 13 staff including 6 associate professors, 2 doctoral lecturers, 2 doctoral research assistants and 3 lecturers.
We carry out studies on the cultivation and breeding of fruit, vegetable, vineyard and ornamental plants. We first started our bachelor's and master's degree education in 2013-2014 academic year. Currently, we have both master's and doctorate programmes in the Institute of Postgraduate Education as the main branch of horticulture.
In the first 2 years, we teach general agricultural engineering subjects to our students. Then, in the third and fourth year, our department-based courses are more predominant. These are both theoretical and practical courses given in order to enable our students to specialise in the subjects related to the department.
As Horticulture, we have very wide range of physical infrastructure facilities. If we count them, there are 1 greenhouse, 1 greenhouse and vaccination, soaking and thermotherapy, 1 grafted grapevine sapling production unit, mushroom house, vase life room where studies on post-harvest physiology of ornamental plants are carried out. We have 114 decares of land in Gedikhasanlı Bilal Şahin Agricultural Application and Research Centre and approximately 20 decares of land in Yerköy Agricultural Application and Research Centre.
Our students have to complete their 30-workday compulsory work internship in the summer term of the 3rd year. Once they complete this internship, they are eligible for graduation. In addition, regarding graduation projects, our students must carry out a project in the 4th year. In order to get support for these projects, we provide TUBITAK 22.09A University Students Research Projects Support Programme. In this context, 8 projects were supported last year.
If they meet the conditions coordinated by the external relations unit of our university, our students have the opportunity to study abroad with ERASMUS Plus, Farabi or Mevlana exchange programmes.
Our department publishes its studies by publishing national, international congresses, books, journals or book chapters. In this context, in 2022, they published 14 international congresses, 5 national congresses, 24 international articles, 5 national articles and 17 book chapters, making a total of 65 publications.
After graduation, our students have the opportunity to work in the institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, banks, municipalities, state water works, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, horticulture and breeding companies, seedling and sapling production companies, pharmaceutical and fertiliser sector and all activities related to greenhouse cultivation or to establish their own businesses in these fields. In addition, if they are successful in the pesticide dealership exam conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, they can become a pesticide dealer as well.
Students generally have difficulties in mathematics-based courses. In the statistics and research experiment methods course that I have given on my own behalf, I try to explain the lessons in a more understandable way as much as I can, by repeating the subjects they cannot understand, solving plenty of examples, giving homework and following up that homework.

Candidates who will prefer our department will have knowledge about agricultural engineering, fruit, vegetable, vineyard and ornamental plant breeding and cultivation. These students of mine will be able to pursue the desires of people who dream of doing it as a hobby when they retire, as a profession for a lifetime. I recommend to my friends who love nature and agriculture to choose our department.
With 7 CHI (Credit and Hostels Institution) dormitories and more than 20 private dormitories, our students do not have accommodation problems. In Yozgat, our students can live in an affordable and comfortable way away from the chaos of the big city. Also, our university library has a very large capacity. With both printed publications and online publications, our students can study their lessons in library facilities. Finally, students can take part in the student communities of our university or they can set up groups with their friends about the subjects they care about. If you want to benefit from the opportunities of our university, you can choose our department. I wish success to our students who will enter the university exam. We are waiting for you to Yozgat Bozok University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture.