How long does the Advanced Certificate in Horticulture take?

It's self-paced. The three core modules add up to about 300 study hours, and most students finish in 15–20 weeks studying part-time. You have 12 months' access, and you can apply for an extension of up to 12 months if you need more time (an extension fee may apply).

What is integrated pest management (IPM)?

Integrated pest management is a way of controlling pests, diseases and weeds that combines several methods instead of relying on routine spraying. You monitor regularly, identify the problem correctly, use cultural, biological and physical controls first, and use chemicals only when they're needed and in the least harmful way. Horticulture 3 works through each part, from pest categories to environmental impacts and building a plant health program.

Is this course useful for production horticulture, or just gardens?

Both. Horticulture 3 is built around the plant health work that happens every day in horticultural and agricultural production: weed control, crop protection and integrated pest management. It compares conventional, organic and integrated systems, with a focus on healthy crops, low environmental impact and a business that stays profitable. The same skills apply in home gardens, parks and nurseries.

What will I receive when I finish?

A Certificate of Completion, a Certificate of Attainment and a transcript listing every unit you've completed. They're issued electronically, and you can request a hard copy for a fee.

Horticulture & Landscaping Courses

Advanced Certificate in Horticulture (Online)

Q: Will this course qualify me to spray chemicals or get a horticulture job?

Not on its own. The course teaches how chemical controls work and how to choose and use them responsibly, but it isn't a chemical user licence or permit. Chemical rules vary by state: in Victoria, for example, an Agricultural Chemical Users Permit is needed for certain restricted chemicals. Our certificates are non-accredited short courses, not nationally accredited VET qualifications (such as a Certificate III). If a role legally requires a specific qualification, check with the employer or licensing body.

Diagnose plant problems and fix them before they spread.

Go beyond the basics. Learn to identify plants precisely, work out what's damaging them and choose the right natural, chemical or integrated control, online and at your own pace with a tutor checking your work.

100% online
3 core modules
approx. 300 study hours
12 months' access
Tutor support 6 days a week
Certificate + transcript

Download the brochure Speak to a course consultant

Grower kneeling to pot plants in a greenhouse

What is the Advanced Certificate in Horticulture?

The Advanced Certificate in Horticulture is a self-paced online course for people who need to keep plants healthy, not just grow them. Across three modules (Horticulture 1, 2 and 3) you'll build plant identification and growing skills, then learn to diagnose pests, diseases and damage and manage them with integrated pest management. It suits nursery, production and garden maintenance workers.

Course overview

When plants go wrong, know why and what to do

Yellowing leaves, chewed shoots, a crop that's stalled: is it a pest, a disease, a nutrient problem or the weather? In nurseries, market gardens and maintenance crews, the person who can answer that quickly is the one trusted with more. This course gives you the plant knowledge to make the call and the control options to act on it.

Identify plants with precision – Use taxonomy and botanical names to name plants accurately and understand how plant groups relate.
Diagnose the damage – Tell apart the different kinds and causes of plant damage, and recognise the main pest categories and plant diseases.
Choose the right control – Compare natural, biological, cultural and chemical controls, and weigh up their environmental impacts.
Run a plant health program – Build integrated, preventative plant health programs and assess the OHS risks in plant health work.

Ready to stop guessing and start diagnosing? Your advanced horticulture course starts the day you enrol.

Who this course is for

Nursery and garden centre staff who want to catch and treat problems in stock before it reaches the customer.
Gardeners and grounds maintenance workers tired of guessing which treatment, if any, a sick plant needs.
Market gardeners and small producers who want to protect crops with better monitoring and fewer routine sprays.
Experienced home gardeners who've outgrown the basics and want to understand plant health properly.

What you'll study

You'll start with a short Student Induction module that sets you up on the learning platform and introduces your tutor. Then you'll work through three core modules.

Module 1: Horticulture 1 – Introduction to Horticulture (approx. 100 hours)

The groundwork for diagnosis. You can't solve a plant problem until you know the plant, its needs and its environment, and this module covers all three.

Technical Classifications and Identification of Plants – classify plants, use common and botanical names, and read leaf and flower structure.
Plant Types - Selection Criteria – match plants to local climate, frost, rainfall and wind, and understand the value of native vegetation.
Creating a Plant Landscape – the design, construction and planting steps behind a planted landscape.
Water Management – how the environment shapes water needs, and how irrigation and sprinkler systems work.
Soils – soil structure and classification, soil testing, nutrients and natural soil supplements.
Pests and Diseases – common plant problems, nutrient deficiencies, water-related issues and safe chemical handling.
Growing, Managing and Maintaining Plants and Gardens – propagation from seed, plant and lawn maintenance, and general garden care.
Plant Uses and Plant Conservation – plants for food, windbreaks, stock shelter, habitat and commercial use.
Impact on the Natural Plant Environment – climate extremes, urbanisation, rural land management, soil degradation and waterways.

Module 2: Horticulture 2 – Plant Data (approx. 100 hours)

Accurate identification is the first step in any diagnosis. This module sharpens it with botanical names, plant groups, growing environments and the rules of commercial horticulture.

Introduction to Taxonomy – the taxonomic ranks and how plants are classified.
Scientific / Botanical Names – botanical naming conventions and plant families.
Plant Types: Non-Edible – ornamental and other non-food plant groups.
Plant Types: Edible – food-producing plant groups.
Plant Disease and Pest Management – recognising and managing common pest and disease problems.
Plant Care and Maintenance – the everyday care practices that keep plants healthy.
Commercial Horticulture Regulations and Processes – the rules and processes behind commercial horticulture.
Natural and Artificial Environments – growing in natural settings compared with controlled ones such as greenhouses.
Plant Propagation and Care – propagation methods and aftercare.
Applications of Horticulture – how horticulture is applied, including relationships between plants and fauna.

Module 3: Horticulture 3 – Health & Welfare of Plants (approx. 100 hours)

The heart of the Advanced Certificate. You'll learn to diagnose plant health problems and manage them with preventative and reactive controls, comparing conventional, organic and integrated approaches.

Health and Welfare of Plants – what plant health means, from disease to plant physiology.
Plant Damage Variances – telling apart the different kinds and causes of plant damage.
Pest Categories – the main groups of plant pests.
Pest Management – monitoring and controlling pests.
Diseases – identifying and managing plant diseases.
Natural Control Methods – organic, biological and cultural controls.
Chemical Control Methods – choosing and using chemical controls responsibly.
Environmental Impacts – the off-site and environmental effects of control methods.
Ensuring Plant Health – integrated, preventative plant health programs.
OHS Risks - Assessments and Management – workplace risk assessment and safety in plant health work.

How you'll learn and be assessed

Online, in your own time – study materials, quizzes and assignments are on the learning platform 24/7, on any device.
Quizzes and written assignments – a short online quiz after each unit, plus tutor-marked assignments with personalised feedback in every module.
Diagnosis in practice – Horticulture 3 assignments cover plant health and damage, pests, diseases, and natural and chemical controls, finishing with a case study. The pests and diseases tasks include short checkpoint tasks.
Competency-based – if an assignment isn't quite there yet, your tutor tells you what to improve and you resubmit. There are no exams to sit in a centre.

Tailor your course with add-on modules

Make the course fit your workplace or your next role. Any certificate can be tailored with add-on modules from our catalogue, so you can pick up extra skills alongside your plant health studies.

Horticulture Resource Management

The business side of horticulture: researching and starting or buying a horticulture business, decision-making, managing people and physical resources, and professional obligations. Useful if you supervise a team or choose inputs for a site. Want it from the start? The Horticulture Certificate in Plant Science includes it, alongside the three modules in this course.

Landscaping I

Design-led landscaping: design procedure, garden history, drafting, basic construction, surfaces and features, and designing home gardens and public parks. Pairs plant health know-how with design if you maintain or build gardens for clients.

Soil Management

Get to know your soil: classification, properties and plant nutrition, soil testing, degradation problems like erosion and salinity, and practical soil management, finishing with your own soil investigation. Many plant health problems start below ground, and this module gives you the testing skills to rule soil in or out.

Organic Farming

Organic production that works with natural systems: soil fertility, non-chemical weed, pest and disease control, organic livestock, pasture and crops. Takes the natural control methods in Horticulture 3 further, across whole organic growing systems.

Ask a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Career pathways and earning potential

Plant health skills are needed wherever plants are grown for sale or maintained for clients. Roles graduates often explore include:

Nursery worker or propagator – producing healthy stock, monitoring for pests and disease, and keeping the nursery clean and productive. Average advertised salary $72,040 (Jora).
Production horticulture worker – growing fruit, vegetables or ornamentals and carrying out crop protection tasks. Median advertised salary $76,000 (SEEK).
Gardener or grounds maintenance worker – maintaining private, commercial or council grounds, including pest, weed and disease control. Median advertised salary $70,000 (SEEK).

Figures are advertised salaries (SEEK, Jora) or median full-time earnings (Jobs and Skills Australia), accessed October 2026. Pay varies with experience, location and employer. Figures are a guide only.

Chemical use is regulated separately by each state: in Victoria, for example, an Agricultural Chemical Users Permit is needed for certain restricted chemicals. Rules vary by state.

Course details

Study mode: 100% online, self-paced
Core modules: 3 (plus Student Induction)
Study time: approx. 300 hours at your own pace (most students finish in 15–20 weeks part-time)
Access: 12 months
Support: tutor support 6 days a week, by phone, email or video call
You'll receive: Certificate of Completion, Certificate of Attainment and transcript
Payment: upfront or interest-free payment plan

Download the brochure Speak to a course consultant

Download your Advanced Certificate in Horticulture brochure

See the full unit list, how assessment works and payment options in one place.

Hear from our students

“Loving my Horticulture course so far! … Finding it to be a very in depth and clearly outlined course that challenges me. My tutor, Sam Ottaway has been fabulous, he's responsive and keeps me motivated with positive feedback.”

Laura P. · Horticulture

Frequently asked questions

No. The Advanced Certificate already includes Horticulture 1 and Horticulture 2, so it starts from the foundations before moving into plant health. You don't need experience or your own garden. Where an assignment asks you to examine plants or damage, you can use any site you have access to, such as your workplace, a friend's garden or a local park.