The Associate Diploma in Horticulture program combines classroom education in ornamental, food and medicinal horticulture, with business education and hands-on practical skills training for careers in greenhouse management, nursery and garden centre management, as well as the production of crops. Students can choose to specialize in a particular area of horticulture, or opt to take a variety of courses for a well-rounded horticultural education. As part of their studies, students will have the option to complete Ontario pesticide licensing certification.

Requirements

Requirements

Credit Summary

This Diploma program will require the completion of 12.00 credits:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses		8.50
Restricted Electives		2.00
Electives		1.50
Total Credits		12

 Recommended Program Sequence

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Semester 1 - Fall
DAGR*1090	Communications & Software Applications I	0.50
DAGR*1200	Applied Plant Science	0.50
DAGR*1600	Applied Mathematics	0.50
DHRT*1050	Plant Identification I	0.50
DHRT*2230	Soil and Water Use in Agroecosystems	0.50
DHRT*2250	Horticultural Equipment Operation and Safety	0.50
Semester 2 - Winter
DAGR*2090	Communications & Software Applications II	0.50
DHRT*2000	Greenhouse Production and Vertical Farming	0.50
DHRT*2160	HVAC and Water System Automation	0.50
DHRT*2200	Plant Propagation	0.50
DHRT*3170	Pest Identification - Entomology, Pathology and Weeds	0.50
0.50 credits restricted electives		0.50
Semester 3 - Fall
DAGR*1070	Introduction to Business Management	0.50
DHRT*3050	Plant Identification II	0.50
DHRT*3150	Nursery Management	0.50
0.50 credits restricted electives		0.50
1.00 credits electives		1.00
Semester 4 - Winter
DAGR*2020	Financial Management	0.50
DHRT*4050	Pesticide Certification and Safety	0.50
DHRT*4200	Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control	0.50
1.00 credits restricted electives		1.00
0.50 credits electives		0.50

Restricted Electives

Students are required to take 1.50 credits from the following:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Greenhouse and Controlled Environment Agriculture
DHRT*3180	Greenhouse Structures and Engineering	0.50
DHRT*3300	Greenhouse Ornamental Production	0.50
DHRT*4190	Greenhouse Vegetable & Small Fruit Production	0.50
DHRT*4290	Advanced Greenhouse Management	0.50
Landscape Maintenance
DHRT*1000	Turf and Garden Maintenance	0.50
DHRT*2090	Introduction to Landscape Construction	0.50
DHRT*2100	Landscape Design	0.50
DHRT*4300	Arboriculture	0.50

Electives

Student must take an additional 1.50 elective credits from the following recommended electives, restricted electives outlined above, or other courses. 

Some elective and restricted elective courses require prerequisites. Students should check the course descriptions for prerequisite requirements and consult with their program advisor when planning their program.

Recommended Electives

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
DAGR*2180	Belize Study Tour *	0.50
DAGR*2220	Viticulture and Oenology	0.50
DAGR*3080	Marketing	0.50
DAGR*3130	Sales and Sales Management	0.50
DAGR*3250	Fruit Production	0.50
DAGR*3260	Vegetable Production	0.50
DAGR*4220	Organic Production	0.50
DAGR*4600	Human Resource Management	0.50
DAGR*4610	Business Project	0.50
DENM*2100	Ecology	0.50
DHRT*3270	European Landscaped Garden Tour *	0.50
DHRT*3910	Special Study Project *	0.50
DHRT*4320	Cannabis & Hemp Production	0.50

*Students may take a maximum of 1.00 credits from the experiential learning electives.

Co-op Requirements 

The horticulture industry is an exciting sector with many employment opportunities for people who enjoy working outside, are interested in plants and care about the environment. The Associate Diploma in Horticulture Co-op program offers students the chance to experience working in the industry while accomplishing their studies. The program ensures students develop relevant skills through practical labs and hands-on experiences. Graduates are prepared for a variety of careers in greenhouses, landscaping, nurseries, and agribusiness. This program gives you the chance to broaden your knowledge by taking specialized courses including arboriculture, cannabis production, greenhouse management, viticulture and horticultural pest management. Students will learn to function in a professional environment, work in teams, solve problems, and be knowledgeable about a wide variety of plants and their growing requirements.

Co-op Requirements 

The co-op option integrates academic learning with a period of paid workplace learning in a field relevant to the student’s academic and personal/professional goals. The co-op work term is scheduled after the second academic semester, providing a foundation on which to build the work experience. The work term is developed in collaboration with the employer and is approved by the institution as a suitable learning environment. Students participate in a competitive employment process to secure an approved co-op work term that is relevant to the student’s area of study. COOP*1120 Introduction to Co-operative Education, a mandatory, non-credit course, is a prerequisite for the co-op work term and prepares the student for the employment process. The student’s performance in the workplace is supervised and evaluated by the student’s employer. The student’s progress during the work term is also monitored by the Experiential Learning Hub (EL Hub), which may include a site visit during the co-op work term and a review of the student’s official learning goals. A work report is required for the co-op work term and is graded by an assigned Co-op Faculty Advisor. All evaluation grades will appear on the student’s official transcript.

Students must follow the academic work schedule as outlined below (also found on the Co-operative Education website: https://www.recruitguelph.ca/cecs/). 

Academic and Co-op Work Term Schedule

Co-op Information

Year	Fall	Winter	Summer
1	Academic Semester 1 COOP*1120	Academic Semester 2	COOP*1020 Work Term 1
2	Academic Semester 3	Academic Semester 4

Please refer to the Co-operative Education program policy with respect to work term performance grading, work term report grading and program completion requirements.

For additional program information students should consult with their Co-op Co-ordinator and Co-op Faculty Advisor, listed on the Co-operative Education web site.

Credit Summary

This Diploma program will require the completion of 12.50 credits:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses		8.50
Restricted Electives		1.50
Electives		2.00
Co-op Work Terms		0.50
Total Credits		12.5

Recommended Program Sequence

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Semester 1 - Fall
COOP*1120	Introduction to Co-operative Education	0.00
DAGR*1090	Communications & Software Applications I	0.50
DAGR*1200	Applied Plant Science	0.50
DAGR*1600	Applied Mathematics	0.50
DHRT*1050	Plant Identification I	0.50
DHRT*2230	Soil and Water Use in Agroecosystems	0.50
DHRT*2250	Horticultural Equipment Operation and Safety	0.50
Semester 2 - Winter
DAGR*2090	Communications & Software Applications II	0.50
DHRT*2000	Greenhouse Production and Vertical Farming	0.50
DHRT*2160	HVAC and Water System Automation	0.50
DHRT*2200	Plant Propagation	0.50
DHRT*3170	Pest Identification - Entomology, Pathology and Weeds	0.50
0.50 credits restricted electives		0.50
Summer
COOP*1020	Co-op Work Term I	0.50
Semester 3 - Fall
DAGR*1070	Introduction to Business Management	0.50
DHRT*3050	Plant Identification II	0.50
DHRT*3150	Nursery Management	0.50
0.50 credits restricted electives		0.50
1.00 credits electives		1.00
Semester 4 - Winter
DAGR*2020	Financial Management	0.50
DHRT*4050	Pesticide Certification and Safety	0.50
DHRT*4200	Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control	0.50
1.00 restricted electives		1.00
0.50 credits electives		0.50

Restricted Electives

Students are required to take 1.50 credits from the following:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Greenhouse and Controlled Environment Agriculture
DHRT*3180	Greenhouse Structures and Engineering	0.50
DHRT*3300	Greenhouse Ornamental Production	0.50
DHRT*4190	Greenhouse Vegetable & Small Fruit Production	0.50
DHRT*4290	Advanced Greenhouse Management	0.50
Landscape Maintenance
DHRT*1000	Turf and Garden Maintenance	0.50
DHRT*2090	Introduction to Landscape Construction	0.50
DHRT*2100	Landscape Design	0.50
DHRT*4300	Arboriculture	0.50

Electives

Students must take an additional 1.00 elective credits from the following recommended electives, restricted electives outlined above or other courses.

Some elective and restricted elective courses require prerequisites. Students should check the course descriptions for prerequisite requirements and consult with their program advisor when planning their program

Recommended Electives

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
DAGR*2180	Belize Study Tour *	0.50
DAGR*2220	Viticulture and Oenology	0.50
DAGR*3080	Marketing	0.50
DAGR*3130	Sales and Sales Management	0.50
DAGR*3250	Fruit Production	0.50
DAGR*3260	Vegetable Production	0.50
DAGR*4220	Organic Production	0.50
DAGR*4600	Human Resource Management	0.50
DAGR*4610	Business Project	0.50
DENM*2100	Ecology	0.50
DHRT*3270	European Landscaped Garden Tour *	0.50
DHRT*3910	Special Study Project *	0.50
DHRT*4320	Cannabis & Hemp Production	0.50

*Students may take a maximum of 1.00 credits from the experiential learning electives.