Program Overview

Introduction to Permaculture Design Certificate

Permaculture design is a whole-systems design approach to developing sustainable human settlements, rooted in horticulture and agriculture. It also touches on regional planning, land stewardship, ecology, food production, animal husbandry, technology, and water management.

About Our Permaculture Courses

Our online, instructor-led Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs) teach the design process and lay the foundation for a lifelong study and path in Permaculture. The collaborative, academically rigorous curriculum guides students to complete a design for a regenerative landscape design with intensive instructor feedback and one-on-one interaction.

Course Components

• A custom report template for students to work with during the course and in the future
  • Examples of diverse Permaculture systems in urban and rural settings around the world
  • Multimedia tools to demonstrate dynamics of landform and hydrology
• Interaction with the primary instructor and students in a similar bioregion in our online forum
• All online asynchronous curriculum delivery

Permaculture Design Courses

We offer two different Permaculture Design Courses: the 10-week PDC and the 20-week PDC-PRO.

PDC Course

• Designed for anyone interested in learning more about sustainability through the lens of Permaculture Design
• Includes all the curriculum required for the internationally recognized Permaculture Design certificate
• Cost: $925 (+ $70 registration fee)
• Duration: 10 weeks
• Time Commitment: 10-15 hours/week
• Comprehensive PDC Report Template with 18 assignments, resulting in a high-quality Site Design Portfolio by the end of class
• Personalized written or video feedback from a professional designer each week on design progress

PDC-PRO Course

• Designed for individuals wanting to gain the skills of a professional designer
• Includes all the curriculum required for the internationally recognized certificate
• Cost: $1,425 (+ $70 registration fee)
• Duration: 20 weeks
• Time Commitment: 15+ hours/week
• Comprehensive PDC PRO Report Template with 21 expanded assignments, resulting in a high-quality professional Site Design Portfolio by the end of class
• Personalized written or video feedback from a professional designer each week on design progress
• One live small group consultation over Zoom every other week with a design professional providing mentorship about the specific design project

Certification

Successful completion of either the PDC or PDC-PRO course results in a Permaculture Design Certificate issued by the Permaculture Institute of North America. Our Permaculture courses were developed by OSU instructors Andrew Millison and Marisha Auerbach, and the teaching team includes instructors from around the world who have benefited thousands of students by sharing deep insight and 20+ years of experiences in Permaculture design in diverse regions and climate zones.