Vancouver Island University offers a 12-month Horticultural Technician Certificate at the G.R. Paine Horticultural Training Centre, which is equipped with laboratories, classrooms, greenhouses and various nurseries and landscapes. Students complete a portion of the program at the Milner Garden and Woodland in Qualicum Beach. They receive a combination of in-class learning and hands-on experience while learning about plant production, landscape design and maintenance, and a multitude of other horticulture practices. Students may spend two months in the summer working in the industry to enhance their newly learned skills. Prospective students must possess a secondary school diploma with a minimum grade C average and participate in an interview at the university.
Vancouver Island University
900 Fifth Street
Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5
250-753-3245
www.viu.ca
The Diploma of Technology in Environmental Horticulture at Nova Scotia Agricultural College is a two-year program that prepares students for a career in the industry. Students learn in a variety of settings including greenhouses, a turfgrass research center and various campus gardens. The program educates students in entomology, horticultural engineering, plant pathology and arboriculture, while also allowing students to choose electives that best reflect their own interests. Professionals in the field give lectures throughout the program, providing valuable information and networking prospects. The minimum requirements for admission include a secondary school diploma with five courses taken at the university preparatory level.
Nova Scotia Agricultural College
PO Box 550
Truro NS B2N 5E3
902-893-6622
www.nsac.ca
The University of Guelph offers a variety of horticulture education options at its Kemptville Campus, including diploma and apprenticeship programs. All of the programs combine academic enrichment with proactive experience. The diploma program is two years in length and offers practical experience in campus gardens and greenhouses. The Co-Op Apprenticeship Diploma combines four semesters of university attendance with two summer work terms in the horticulture field. Finally, the Horticultural Technician Apprenticeship Program is for individuals already employed in the field interested in improving their skills. The academic segment of this program is 20 weeks in length, divided into two components of 8 and 12 weeks. These in-class sessions take place during the off-season to maximize apprentice training hours. Applicants to each of these programs must have a secondary school diploma.
830 Prescott St.
Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0
613-258-8336
www.uoguelph.ca