Level 3 General Horticulture (online)

Course details

About the course

Take your green fingers online!

Whether you enjoy gardening, want to grow food for the family or are already working in the horticulture industry and need to understand the horticultural science which underpins the growing of horticultural crops, this fully-supported online programme is perfect for you.

It provides a great pathway into further study and careers in the horticulture industry such as orchards, vineyards, plant nurseries and garden centres.

Graduates of this programme will receive the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (General) (Level 3).

Entry requirements

Open entry.
This programme is not available to international students.
If English is not your first language, you must provide:
- New Zealand University Entrance OR
- Overall Academic IELTS score of 5.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
- Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.

You will study

Courses	Credits
Plant Soil and Science Understand and apply knowledge of plant and soil structure and processes in horticulture Describe plant structure and processes and apply these to the growing of plants Describe soil properties and processes and apply these to the growing of plants	15
Plant Identification and Selection Identify, describe, select and name plants in horticulture Identify and describe plants and their characteristics and uses Identify and apply plant naming conventions Select plants for use in specific horticulture contexts	15
Plant Health Identify and control a range of common pests, diseases, disorders and weeds in horticulture Identify and describe common pests, diseases, disorders and weeds in horticulture Describe and apply solutions to plant health problems in horticulture	15
Sustainable Growing Understand and apply the principles and practices of sustainable growing systems Describe the features of natural systems Apply sustainable techniques to the growing of plants	15

Your workload

You should expect to spend a minimum of 35 hours a week on this programme for full-time study and approximately 17.5 hours a week for the part-time option (Part-time enrolment only available for February intake)

Further study options

Our New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture (Level 3) (Nursery Production) or New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Production (Level 4) (Fruit Production) are perfect next study steps.

Student loans with TTAF

The Trades and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) covers tuition fees and compulsory costs such as student levies.

You also need a laptop or device to study this programme online. The fund will not cover this cost. You can either pay for this yourself or apply for a student loan (course-related cost component) through Studylink.

It is important to apply for your student loan/allowance at the same time as you apply for this programme, due to the length of time Studylink take to process. Loan/allowance applications can be cancelled at any time if you decide to withdraw your programme application or if it is unsuccessful.

About the provider

We're proud to be a leader in high quality, career-focused education with some of the best student achievement and satisfaction results in New Zealand.

Employers love our graduates because they are work-ready, confident and solution-focused. We believe our people make a better world and our alumni are global citizens who care about making a difference. We have been given the highest possible quality ratings from Government and, as educators, we offer innovative ways for our learners to study so they can build their capability and realise their potential.