Prairie Horticulture Certificate

Home Study - Distance Learning

The Prairie Horticulture Certificate (PHC) Program is the first home study program in horticulture designed specifically for the Prairie Provinces and is offered by the Continuing Education Department in the School of Environment at Olds College.

It is jointly offered by a consortium of four Western Canadian Institutions:

Olds College
Assiniboine Community College
University of Manitoba
and University of Saskatchewan

It's easy to start! Call us to register for your first course in one of the three terms: Fall, Winter and Spring, and we will be your home base to answer questions and to handle all of your future registrations.

Complete one course or the entire program. See below for the complete list of courses.

Choose one of the 4 elective streams and once you have completed all of the courses in your selected stream you will be granted a Prairie Horticulture Certificate from Olds College.

Term Dates for 2012/2013:

Term 1: September 24 - November 30, 2012
Exam: December 1, 2012
REGISTRATION DEADLINE - Monday, September 10, 2012

Term 2: January 14 - March 22, 2013
Exam: March 23, 2013
REGISTRATION DEADLINE - Thursday, January 3, 2013

Term 3: March 25 - May 31, 2013
Exam: June 1, 2013
REGISTRATION DEADLINE - Monday, March 11, 2013

Note: For print based courses, be sure to register well before the above stated registration deadlines in order to receive your course package in time to start on the actual term start date. Depending on where you reside, there is no guarantee that you will receive your course package by the term start date if you register on or close to the registration deadline. Extensions will not be granted due to receiving course materials late.

Streams

The Prairie Horticulture Certificate program offers four streams:

Certificate Requirements

To receive a Prairie Horticulture Certificate, students must complete all courses specified for their particular stream and maintain an overall average of 60%.
A total of 8 or 9 courses, depending on which stream you are in, and 360 hours represents the minimum requirement for a certificate.

Choosing Courses

You can complete as many or as few courses as you like and you are free to choose courses that interest you from any stream.
If you are interested in pursuing a certificate we recommend that you start with Applied Botany and/or Soils for Horticulture followed by the required courses and then the elective courses.
You can expect to work 9 – 12 hours per week for a 60 hour course or 6 – 8 hours per week for a 30 hour course.

Course Delivery

All assignments are handled by email, mail or faxed to the delivering institution.
The course instructor is available by telephone or email at pre-scheduled times to answer questions or receive comments about the course.
All classes offered by the University of Manitoba are delivered electronically.
Classes offered by Assiniboine Community College are delivered by mail.
Olds College and the University of Saskatchewan is transitioning to online delivery of PHC courses. For a period of time some courses will be online while others will still be offered as print based courses. Check course descriptions for delivery format.

Registration Information

To register for any of the Prairie Horticulture Certificate courses, call

1-800-661-6537 (Ext. 4677 or Ext. 7956) or
(403) 556-4677 or
(403) 556-7956

or print the Registration form and fax to (403) 556-4705.

View the complete list of PHC courses and the terms they are offered below. Click on each course name for course description, related textbook (if applicable), tuition and all other details. For International Students, contact us directly for pricing.

Applied Botany Term 1, 2 and 3
Arboriculture Term 1, 2 and 3
Basics of Horticultural Business Management Term 1, 2 and 3
Basics of Horticultural Marketing Term 1, 2 and 3
Field Production of Floral Crops Term 1, 2 and 3
Floral Design Term 1
Fruit Production Term 2
Greenhouse Crop Production Term 1, 2 and 3
Greenhouse Structures and Environments Term 1, 2 and 3
Herbaceous Landscape Plants Term 1, 2 and 3
Human Resource Management Term 1, 2 and 3
Indoor Landscaping Term 1
Integrated Plant Management Term 1, 2 and 3
Landscape Construction Term 1, 2 and 3
Landscape Design Term 1, 2 and 3
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Term 2
Nursery Crop Production Term 2
Post Harvest Handling of Food Crops Term 2
Plant Propagation Term 1, 2 and 3
Safe Work / Pesticide Application Term 1, 2 and 3
Soils for Horticulture Term 1, 2 and 3
Turfgrass Production and Maintenance Term 1, 2 and 3
Vegetable Crop Production Term 1
Woody Landscape Plants Term 1, 2 and 3

Course Cancellations

Students have two weeks (14 days) after the start of the term to withdraw from any course. The tuition fee less a $50.00 administration fee will be issued upon return of the course package. All course material fees are non refundable. Refunds are NOT issued after the second week of the term. Non-payment of fees, non-attendance, or failure to submit assignments does not constitute cancellation of registration. The effective date of cancellation is the date on which your Withdrawal Letter is received by Olds College.