Diploma in Professional Horticulture
Niagara Parks Diploma in Professional Horticulture
The three-year Professional Horticulture diploma program offers a unique alternative to post-secondary education and a credential that is highly regarded within the horticultural industry.
The academic courses in this program build on the knowledge you’ll gain through hands-on experiences as an apprentice maintaining the plant collections, gardens and landscape features of Niagara Parks’ renowned Botanical Gardens.
Credential: Niagara Parks Diploma · Duration: 3 Years
Excellence
in Horticulture
Students in the Niagara Parks Diploma in Professional Horticulture program study courses in business management, landscape design, computer-assisted design, plant identification, commercial greenhouse production, plant pathology and much more.
Course Calendar
Apprenticeship Training
Our on-campus practical horticulture education on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens forms the foundation of the Professional Horticulture diploma program. As part of your apprenticeship training, you’ll work alongside your peers to provide maintenance to the gardens and accumulate paid hours of apprenticeship. Learn more about apprenticeship training.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Professional Horticultural diploma program are able to:
- Apply the principles of plant and soil sciences to successfully plan, implement and maintain various types of horticultural environments.
- Identify over 2000 plants in over 100 genera, assess and prescribe their uses.
- Apply the principles of design, aesthetics, function and/or sustainability in a variety of horticultural settings, including public garden plantings and displays.
- Apply the principles and practical skills of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to indoor and outdoor plants in a variety of horticultural settings.
- Successfully use business and management practices appropriate within the horticulture industry.
- Develop and apply strategies for ongoing personal and professional development to enhance work performance and career opportunities.
- Much more!
Career Opportunities
Graduates explore careers in exciting fields like landscape design and maintenance, greenhouse and nursery production, garden centre management, arborist, golf course installation and maintenance, horticulture consultant, pest management specialist, and more.
First Year
BUS410 Business Foundations
HRT110 Soil and Hydrology in Horticulture
LDS510 Computer Assisted Design
LDS513 Landscape Surveying
PID310 Late Herbaceous Plant Identification
PSC210 Botany and Principles of Taxonomy
HRT111 Biology of Insects
HRT112 Commercial Greenhouse Production
HRT113 Fruit and Vegetable Culture
HRT114 Theory of Arboriculture Practice
LDS511 Fundamentals of Landscape and Planting Design
PSC212 Introduction Plant Pathology
APH613 Tree Climbing and Operations
PID311 Early Herbaceous Plants
PID312 Weeds and Ornamental Grass Identification
SPR710 Field Trips
APH610 NPD Apprenticeship Level 1
APH611 Equipment Operations
APH614 Workplace Health and Safety
Second Year
BUS420 Business in the Canadian Economy
HRT120 Urban Arboriculture
LDS520 Advanced Landscape Design
PSC220 Plant Propagation
PSC221 Principles of Turfgrass Management
BUS421 Oral Communications
BUS422 Small Business Management
PSC222 Plant Health Care
PSC223 Tropical Plants
SPR721 Leadership Development
PID321 Coniferous Tree/Shrub Identification
LDS521 Landscape Construction
APH620 NPD Apprenticeship Level 2
PID322 Deciduous Shrubs Identification
Third Year
HRT130 Practical Workshop Development
HRT131 Trends and Issues in Modern Horticulture
BUS430 Public Space Management
LDS530 Landscape Master Planning
PID330 Winter Wood Identification
PSC230 – Research Methods in Horticulture
APH 631 Internship
SPR730 Field Trips
APH630 NPD Apprenticeship Level 3
SPR731 Mentorship
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