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

Apply Now

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