Program Overview

Horticulture Co-op Program

The Associate Diploma in Horticulture program provides a basic curriculum in ornamental horticulture and an opportunity to take specialized courses in various components of the industry. Practical experience and training complement the more formal material presented in lectures and provide an opportunity to acquire the practical skills required in greenhouse and landscaping firms.

Program Overview

The program prepares students for a variety of career opportunities in landscaping, nursery and greenhouse firms, municipal parks, garden centers, and private businesses. The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) of the University of Guelph is internationally renowned for its research, teaching, and knowledge extension. The Associate Diploma in Horticulture Co-op program offers students the chance to experience working in the industry while accomplishing their studies.

University of Guelph Advantage

The program ensures students develop relevant skills through practical labs and hands-on experiences. Students broaden their knowledge by taking specialized courses including arboriculture, cannabis production, greenhouse management, viticulture, and horticultural pest management. They 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.

Student Strengths

• Critical Thinking: Skills and knowledge to maintain, adjust, and repair equipment used in horticulture. Knowledge of the function, structure, production practices, and management techniques of greenhouses.
• Deep Understanding: Develop relevant skills to national standards through the use of live horses in practical labs and experiential learning opportunities. Ability to identify exterior and interior landscape plants as well as common weeds.
• Application: Applied practical training on campus grounds and in the campus greenhouse.

Horticulture Co-op Work Term Schedule

Horticulture Course Sequencing

Year One

Fall

• Introduction To Co-operative Education
• Communications & Software Applications I
• Applied Plant Science
• Applied Mathematics
• Soil and Water Use in Agroecosystems
• Plant Identification I
• Horticultural Equipment Operation and Safety

Winter

• Communications & Software Applications II
• Plant Propagation
• Greenhouse Production and Vertical Farming
• HVAC and Water System Automation
• Pest Identification - Entomology, Pathology and Weeds
• 1 Restricted Elective

Summer

Work Term One

Year Two

Fall

• Introduction to Business Management
• Plant Identification II
• Nursery Management
• 2 Electives
• 1 Restricted Elective

Winter

• Financial Management
• Pesticide Certification and Safety
• Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control
• 1 Elective
• 2 Restricted Electives

Restricted Electives

• Introduction to Landscape Construction
• Greenhouse Structures and Engineering
• Turf and Garden Maintenance
• Greenhouse Ornamental Production
• Greenhouse Vegetable and Small Fruit Production
• Advanced Greenhouse Management
• Arboriculture
• Landscape Design