How long does the Advanced Certificate in Agriculture take?

Most students finish in 15–20 weeks studying part-time. The three core modules add up to about 300 study hours, and you work at your own pace. You have 12 months' access, and if life gets in the way you can apply for an extension of up to 12 months (an extension fee may apply).

Is this agriculture course accredited, and will it get me a farm job?

It's a non-accredited short course, not a nationally accredited VET qualification such as a Certificate III. Its practical knowledge of livestock health, farm business and marketing is useful for farm, supervisor and rural sales roles. If a role or licence legally requires a specific accredited qualification, check with the employer or licensing body. Our course consultants will be upfront about what the course can and can't do for you.

How can I tell if my livestock are sick?

Look for a change from normal. Early signs include going off feed or water, standing apart from the mob, a dull coat or eyes, changes in dung, breathing or walking, and a drop in production. The Animal Health module teaches you to read these signs, but always involve a vet for diagnosis and treatment. Report unusual signs or unexplained deaths straight away to your vet or the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.

What's the difference between this course and the Advanced Certificate in Agribusiness?

They share Farm Management and Agricultural Marketing. This course adds Animal Health, so it suits livestock and mixed farms. The Advanced Certificate in Agribusiness adds Agronomy I instead, so it suits cropping enterprises. If stock are central to your plans, this is the better fit.

Can I study agriculture online in Australia?

Yes. You can study agriculture online through accredited options, such as online university degrees and VET qualifications like a Certificate III in Agriculture, or through non-accredited short courses like this one. Ours suits people who want practical livestock, farm business and marketing knowledge at their own pace, without set class times. If you need a formal qualification for a specific job, a course consultant can talk you through which route fits.

Agriculture & Crop Science Courses

Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Online)

Keep stock healthy, run the books and sell what you produce.

Learn to spot and respond to illness in livestock, plan and finance a farm business, and market what the farm produces, all online, at your own pace, with a tutor a phone call away.

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

Farmer walking into a ripening wheat crop to check it

What is the Advanced Certificate in Agriculture?

The Advanced Certificate in Agriculture is a self-paced online course for people who run, or want to run, a livestock or mixed farm enterprise. Across three modules (Animal Health, Farm Management and Agricultural Marketing) you'll learn to recognise and respond to illness in stock, plan and finance the farm as a business, and sell your produce for a better return.

Course overview

Healthy stock, sound books, better sales

What separates a farm that gets by from one that gets ahead? Usually three things: productive animals, a planned business, and produce that's marketed rather than just sent off the property. This course covers all three, so you can make decisions across the whole enterprise.

Read the signs early – Learn how livestock diseases are caused, diagnosed and treated, and how fever and immunity show up in a sick animal.
Plan the farm as a business – Set SMART goals, build a whole-farm plan, and work through budgets, cash flow, lenders, leases and contracts.
Manage people, safety and risk – Recruit and supervise staff, schedule work around the weather, and meet your WHS duty of care.
Sell for a better return – Choose target markets, handle produce so it arrives in good condition, research buyers and plan promotions.

Ready to run the whole operation, not just one part of it? Your agriculture course starts the day you enrol.

Who this course is for

Farm hands and stock workers ready to step up to a supervisor, overseer or manager role on a livestock or mixed property.
Family-farm successors preparing to take over the stock, the books and the buyer relationships.
Small-acreage and hobby farmers running a few head of cattle or sheep who want to keep them healthy and sell direct.
Career changers moving into farm work, rural merchandise or agribusiness who want a broad, practical base.

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: Animal Health (approx. 100 hours)

Healthy animals drive a livestock enterprise. Learn how disease works in farm animals, so you pick up problems sooner and talk confidently with your vet.

Introduction to Animal Health – health versus disease, and the scope of animal health.
Signs & Symptoms of Diseases – how to recognise ill health in livestock.
Disease Classification – how diseases are grouped, from infectious to metabolic.
Causes and Diagnosis of Disease – disease agents and how a diagnosis is reached.
Treatment of Disease – treatment options and the principles behind them.
Inflammation – what the inflammatory process is and why it matters.
Fever and Immunity – how fever develops and how the immune system responds.
Tissue Repair – how damaged tissue heals.
Wounds – wound types and how they're cared for.
Cell Changes – the cellular changes that occur in disease.

Module 2: Farm Management (approx. 100 hours)

This module turns farm knowledge into a business plan: the money, people, safety and land decisions that keep the enterprise viable.

Farm Planning – SMART goals, action plans, and planning and zoning rules.
Business Planning – whole-farm and property management plans, and planning stock and resources.
Financial Management – records, lenders, leases and contracts, budgets and forecasts.
Human Resource Management (HR) – recruiting, inducting and supervising farm staff.
Operational Management – supply chains, scheduling, weather and risk.
Farm Business Structure – business types, family farms, succession, ABN and GST.
OH&S – duty of care, PPE, chemicals, machinery and safety audits.
Land Management – buildings, animal shelters, native vegetation and tree regeneration.
Water Management – water sources, storage, irrigation, salinity and drought.
Soil Erosion – erosion types, acidification, and contour and strip cropping.
Farming Practices – grazing, lot-feeding and cropping systems, energy and waste.
Future Success – diversification and measuring how the business is tracking.

Module 3: Agricultural Marketing (approx. 100 hours)

Producing well is only half the job. This module shows you how to find the right buyers for your stock and produce, and build a marketing plan you can actually run.

Agricultural Marketing Concepts – what marketing means for farm products.
Farm Marketing Objectives and Strategies – setting marketing goals and choosing strategies to reach them.
Target Marketing – segmenting markets and picking the buyers worth chasing.
Handling Produce – getting produce to market in good condition.
Customer Relations – building and keeping relationships with buyers.
Market Research – gathering market information and using it to make decisions.
Promotions – advertising and promotional tools that suit a farm business.
Managing Marketing – planning, running and reviewing your marketing effort.

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, so study fits around lambing or the day job.
Quizzes and written assignments – each unit has a short online quiz. Written assignments are marked by your tutor, with personalised feedback on every one.
Applied farm tasks – Farm Management assignments take you from planning and business structure to setting out how you'd establish a working farm.
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

Shape the course around your property or your next role. Any certificate can be tailored with add-on modules from our catalogue, so you can pick up extra skills that match your property, business or career plans.

Agronomy I

Learn how field crops grow and how to manage them, from seed and sowing to cereal and broadleaf crops, harvest and a hands-on crop management project. Adds the cropping side of a mixed farm, so you can plan the paddocks as well as the stock.

Beef Cattle Farming

The full beef enterprise: breeds, breeding and calving, low-stress handling, nutrition, health and disease, production systems and feedlots, through to transport, records and supply chains. Pairs naturally with Animal Health if cattle are your main enterprise, adding breeding, nutrition and herd management.

Soil Management

Get to know your soil: classification, properties and plant nutrition, soil testing, degradation problems like erosion and salinity, and practical soil management on farms, finishing with your own soil investigation. Adds the soil testing and fertility skills behind better pasture and crops.

Ask a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Career pathways and earning potential

Australian agricultural production is forecast at $99.4 billion in 2026–27 (ABARES), and stock, business and marketing skills are useful right across it. Roles graduates often explore include:

Farmhand or livestock worker – feeding, handling and checking the health of cattle, sheep or other stock on a farm or station. Median $71,210 (advertised salaries), SEEK.
Farm supervisor or farm manager – running daily operations, staff and budgets on a livestock or mixed property, usually after time on the job. Farm manager median $105,000; typical $95k–$115k (advertised salaries), SEEK.
Rural merchandise sales – advising producers on animal health products, feed and farm supplies in a rural store or agribusiness. Sales representatives (all industries) median $1,692/week full-time, Jobs and Skills Australia.

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.

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)
Access: 12 months
Support: tutor support 6 days a week
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 Agriculture brochure

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

Frequently asked questions

No. You don't need your own property, stock or a farm job to enrol. Where an assignment asks about animals or a farm business, you can use any property you have access to, such as a farm you work on or a family or neighbour's farm. Most assessment is written.