Ontario College Diploma in Horticulture Technician

Fanshawe College

Are you interested in a career that will take you outside and connect you with the earth we live in and protect? Fanshawe’s two-year Horticulture Technician diploma program will give you the practical skills and knowledge for a career nurturing the natural world around us. Get hands-on practical and technical experience in this exceptional program through national events and associations, our exclusive student-run greenhouse, two working co-op semesters and the world-class Fanshawe College Botanical Gardens.

Your Learning Experience: Learn how to build and maintain landscapes, gardens and indoor spaces, and study arboriculture, landscape design, plant identification, plant production and business management. This program offers a unique emphasis on the practical aspects of horticulture, where you will gain work experiences during two co-op work terms, the on-campus greenhouse designed exclusively for students, as well as in the world-class Fanshawe College Botanical Gardens. This includes the hundred acre ‘living lab’ that is Fanshawe’s London Campus and the A.M. Cuddy Garden near Strathroy, which houses a remarkable collection of rare and endangered plants, and is recognized as a botanical garden by Botanic Gardens Conservation International; The Horticulture Technician program is well-respected and supported in the industry, and students participate in national events such as Skills Canada, achieving medals provincially and nationally in the Landscape Gardening Skills Competition. You’ll also have professional opportunities such as building the entrance garden in Landscape Congress in Toronto, volunteering in building and maintaining gardens at Canada Blooms in Toronto, and networking through a membership to the Student Chapter of Landscape Ontario; The Horticulture Technician diploma program develops students’ academic and practical skill level that allows them to easily match a growing need in the green profession. With over 1,600 horticulture positions available in Ontario annually (according to Landscape Ontario), all graduates can be fully employed in their field; The first year of study is academic-centred, while the emphasis in the second year is on hands-on practical training. Approximately 80% of the scheduled class time in the senior year is spent outside the classroom in courses such as Landscape Field Construction, Greenhouse Plant Production, Arboriculture and Garden and Landscape Maintenance; Students and faculty participate in practical lab sessions while maintaining and redeveloping the grounds of the campus in real-time situations. Students will spend both class and independent practical periods at both the London Campus and The A.M. (Mac) Cuddy Gardens in Strathroy. T

Diploma to Degree: Fanshawe's Honours Bachelor Degrees have pathways from related diplomas or advanced diplomas, allowing you to graduate with a degree sooner. We have also developed pathways from our Bachelor's degrees to related graduate programs.