Landscape Horticulture Dalhousie University

Overview

Dalhousie University 's Diploma in Landscape Horticulture programme, gives you hands-on experience for an exciting and fulfilling career in landscape horticulture. The programme 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 programme will prepare you for the future.  

Programme options

As a student in the Landscape Horticulture programme, 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.

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.

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).

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.

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

Leave your mark—become a landscape horticulturalist.  

Possible careers include:

• Certified arborist

• Golf course superintendent

• Landscape contractor

• Municipal horticulture  

• Garden designer

• Grounds supervisor

• Plant nursery production and sales

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.   

Accreditation

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.