Landscape Horticulture (Diploma)
Transform outdoor spaces with knowledge in landscape design, plant care, and sustainable practices.
Why choose this program?
This two-year diploma program gives you hands-on experience for an exciting and fulfilling career in landscape horticulture.
The program offers design, construction, and maintenance skills. Combine this with an enriched theoretical foundation, helping you develop skills sought by the industry. Students interested in the business side of the horticulture industry will have an opportunity to develop the skills needed for success.
If your goal is to pursue a career directly after graduation or continue onto degree studies in landscape architecture, this program will prepare you for the future.
The diploma is a fully approved Certified Horticultural Technician integrated educational program recognized by the International Certification Council (ICC) and the Certification Committee of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA). Graduates can apply for the CNLA’s Landscape Horticulture Certification program.
Admission requirements
Minimum admission requirements
To be considered for admission to this program, you must meet minimum academic criteria:
- Completion of secondary school (Grade 12)
- Achievement of the minimum average for your program of choice.
- Completion of Grade 12 English (or equivalent course).
Admission to many Dalhousie programs is competitive. This means that meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.
Program-specific admission requirements
Minimum overall average: 70%
Academic English 12
Four additional Grade 12 academic subjects
This program may employ a competitive average for admission purposes; meeting minimum posted requirements does not guarantee admission.
Financial information
A university education is a significant financial investment. Every student is unique, and so are their financial circumstances. We offer competitive tuition, a robust scholarship and bursary program, and resources and support to help you explore financial options and develop a plan that works for you.
Program options
As a student in the Landscape Horticulture program, the campus is your classroom. You’ll learn hands-on skills by working in our campus gardens, including the Rock Garden, Alumni Garden, and other specialized garden environments - and by designing and creating your own landscapes.
The following Landscape Horticulture program option is offered by Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture. Connect with an academic advisor after you start your studies to explore options.
Diploma in Landscape Horticulture
What you will learn
A well-defined set of required courses will help you to expand your knowledge in plant identification and use, as well as landscape construction and design applications. This wide range of courses allows you to discover and develop your interests.
You’ll take five courses per term, on a wide range of horticultural topics including arboriculture and surveying. You can also choose elective courses that will allow you to focus on subjects of particular interest to you, including engineering, design, and horticulture.
You will learn hands-on skills by experiential learning in our campus gardens. The onsite facilities include the Botanical Garden, a walking trail, and extensive gardens and greenhouses. Many types of landscape environments exist outside your door to experience the natural world.
Sample courses include:
Wood Construction Techniques
Greenhouse Crop Management
Plant Propagation
You'll also be required to take workplace readiness certificates, including Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), Emergency First Aid, and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
Whether your goal is to pursue a career after graduation or to continue to degree studies, the Landscape Horticulture program will prepare you for the future.
You’ll find solutions to environmental challenges and do creative and meaningful things to landscapes that will improve the quality of other people’s lives.
Modern gardens need minimal maintenance approaches, and you will learn to become a steward of the land to design, develop, build, and maintain landscapes resilient to a changing world.
Careers
This program will prepare you for careers working with landscaping firms, municipalities, institutions, as an entrepreneur and many more. Leave your mark—become a landscape horticulturalist.
Coming from industry or a certified trade, this diploma helps prepare people for a career in Landscape Horticulture and the National Apprenticeship Red Seal Endorsement or further study in Landscape Architecture or Business Management.
