Diploma in Horticulture - Study Horticulture by Distance Education -Lay the foundation for a career in Professional Horticulture.
Why this Course?
We have been teaching Horticulture internationally for over 3 decades, our staff are better qualified and experienced than you find at many other colleges; our diplomas are longer and more in depth, and our student support stronger and not restricted by the uncertainties of change in government policy and funding.
ACS has a unique international reputation and offers you the opportunity to be tutored by horticulturists in both Australia and the UK; giving you a valuable international perspective on horticulture.
This is a fully professional course with a very broad focus. Unlike some other horticulture diplomas, it provides an opportunity to study across a wide variety of sub disciplines within horticulture; and in doing so, that allows you to move from one industry sector to another throughout your career.
If you love horticulture and don't want to lock yourself into a career in just crops, landscaping, parks, turf or nursery .... take this diploma and set yourself apart from most other horticulture diploma graduates by having a broader base of knowledge
Study this Diploma for a full and rewarding, lifelong career in the "green industries".
Choose a a more diverse selection of subjects and prepare to be able to move from one industry sector to another as trends and opportunities change throughout your career.
Modules
Note that each module in the Diploma in Horticulture is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
The Future of Employment in Horticulture is Bright
Plants are essential to the survival of man kind. They provide us with food, clothing, fuel, building materials and many of the other commodities that are essential to our day to day wellbeing.
Plants are also essential to the sustainability of our environment. They stop cities from getting too hot or too cold; they prevent land degradation, they reduce carbon pollution and they contribute to air quality.
It is an absolute certainty that there will always be work for people who know how to grow plants.
In the 1970's, a typical Australian horticulture diploma was more than 2,000 hours in duration. Over the years though, education funding has come under pressure and many diplomas offered in the 21st century are shorter. Quite obviously; you cannot learn as much in 1000 hours as you do in 2,000 hours.
We have chosen to keep our diplomas longer and stronger; and in doing so; we are finding our graduates are in very strong demand. As the 1970 graduates go into retirement, we are facing a severe shortage of well trained horticulturists. With a
growing population and increasing focus on issues such as sustainability and carbon pollution; one must ask....
- Who is going to grow the plants in the future?
- Is our capacity to grow plants well simply going to diminish?
WHY CHOOSE DISTANCE EDUCATION TO STUDY HORTICULTURE?
We used to place one teacher with four students, all with their own equipment, and give them plenty of time to not only learn a task once; but come back and practice it time after time until it was perfect. Horticulture diplomas could involve thousands of hours of instruction, practical and theory. These things often do not happen anymore. Courses are shorter, funding in government courses is tight and numbers enrolling in classroom based horticulture is diminishing.
In contrast; distance education is growing rapidly.
Fact:
Ibis consulting reported in late 2009 that Online Education would be one of the fastest growing sectors in the Australian economy over 2010.
Fact:
ACS Distance Education enrolments in horticulture in Australia increased last year by 21.8% on the previous 12 months Enrolments in ACS through affiliate college, Courses Direct, grew even more.
How Can Distance Education Work in Horticulture?
Think about it. The internet, video streaming, interactive self assessment tests, social networking, email and other technological innovations have made a virtual classroom experience not only possible but able to deliver services at a cost that could never be achieved face to face. In a nut shell, as technology makes distance education better and better; funding pressures have been making face to face education worse and worse.
There’s no doubt that the best learning experience happens when you place a fantastic teacher face to face with a small group of students, and give them all the time in the world to learn.
This may have happened in the 60’s and 70’s (sometimes); but in todays world, it is simply not a viable economic proposition for many colleges. Too many people need to be trained, the world is changing too fast, and government finances simply cannot cope with funding this type of education anymore.
We have been exploring and refining techniques for distance learning; and doing so since 1979.
Our horticulture diploma does work. If you apply yourself, do the work and pass the exams; you will have the ability top identify a wide range of plants; the knowledge to understand how to grow plants in a wide range of situations, and both skills and awareness of different sectors of the industry as a foundation for building a lifelong and flexible career in the horticulture profession.
