How long does the Advanced Certificate in Agronomy 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 if life gets in the way.

Will this course make me a qualified agronomist?

Not on its own. In Australia, agronomists usually hold a university degree in agricultural science, and some advisory work needs further accreditation. This certificate is a non-accredited short course. It gives you a solid practical grounding in crops, soils and farm business, which is useful for farm, field officer and rural sales roles, and as a stepping stone to further study.

What's the difference between agronomy and horticulture?

Agronomy focuses on field crops grown at scale, such as cereals, pulses, oilseeds and pasture. Horticulture covers more intensively grown plants: fruit, vegetables, nursery stock, turf and ornamental gardens. If your interest is in gardens, nurseries or market gardens, see our horticulture courses.

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.

Can I add other modules to this course?

Yes. Popular add-ons for agronomy students include Pasture Management, Beef Cattle Farming, Animal Health and Sustainable Agriculture. Speak to a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Agriculture & Crop Science Courses

Advanced Certificate in Agronomy (Online)

Grow better crops by understanding soil, seed and the season.

Learn how field crops grow, how to read and manage your soil, and how to run a cropping operation as a business, all online and at your own pace with a tutor in your corner.

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 checking a wheat crop with a tablet

What is the Advanced Certificate in Agronomy?

The Advanced Certificate in Agronomy is a self-paced online course that teaches the science and business of growing field crops. Across three modules (Agronomy I, Soil Management and Farm Management) you'll learn crop husbandry from seed to harvest, soil testing and fertility, and farm business planning. It suits farm workers, growers and people moving into crop advisory or agribusiness roles.

Course overview

Understand the crop from the ground up

Ever looked at a patchy paddock and wondered whether it was the seed, the soil or the season? Agronomy is the discipline that answers that question. This course gives you a structured way to diagnose what's driving crop performance and plan what to do next. It covers the crop itself, the soil underneath it, and the farm business that pays for it all.

Crop husbandry, start to finish – Follow cereal and broadleaf crops from seed selection and sowing through to harvest and post-harvest handling.
Read your soil like an agronomist – Learn soil classification, sampling and testing, and how nutrient supply and degradation problems such as erosion, salinity and acidity affect yield.
Plan a cropping program – Bring crop, soil and nutrient knowledge together into a practical crop management project and a soil investigation report.
Run it as a business – Build farm and business plans, budgets and cash flow forecasts, and understand WHS, staffing and land and water management.

Ready to turn what you see in the paddock into decisions you can defend? Your agronomy course starts the day you enrol.

Who this course is for

Farm hands and station workers who want to understand the "why" behind spraying, sowing and fertiliser decisions.
Growers and family-farm successors planning their own crop rotations and nutrient programs.
Career changers heading toward crop monitoring, field officer, rural merchandise or agribusiness sales roles.
Horticulture and landscape professionals who want to move into broadacre and field-crop work.

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: Agronomy I (approx. 100 hours)

The heart of the course. You'll learn how field crops grow and what you can change to grow them better.

Introduction to Agronomic Practices – the scope of agronomy and Australia's main farming systems.
Culture: What Influences Crop Growth – the environmental and management factors that drive yield.
Crop Husbandry Practices – cultivation, sowing, crop nutrition and crop protection in practice.
Seed and Seed Management – choosing, testing, storing and handling quality seed.
Arable Cereal Crops – how wheat, barley, oats and other grain crops are grown and managed.
Arable Broadleaf Crops – pulses, oilseeds and other non-cereal field crops.
Harvesting – timing, methods and handling grain after harvest.
Crop Management: Special Project – an applied project that pulls the module together.

Module 2: Soil Management (approx. 100 hours)

Every agronomy decision starts in the soil. This module gives you the testing and management skills to back those decisions.

Introduction: Soils and Soil Classification – what soil is and how Australian soils are classified.
Properties of Soils and Plant Nutrition – the physical and chemical properties that supply nutrients to crops.
Soil Testing Methods – sampling, testing and interpreting the results.
Land Degradation and Other Soil Problems – erosion, salinity, acidity, compaction and how to spot them.
Soil Management on Farms – practical ways to maintain and improve soil condition.
Crops: Soil and Nutrient Requirements (Part A) – the soil and nutrient needs of major crop groups.
Crops: Soil and Nutrient Requirements (Part B) – continued coverage of further crop groups.
PBL Soil Project: Soil Investigation and Report – a hands-on investigation of a real soil, written up as a report.

Module 3: Farm Management (approx. 100 hours)

Good agronomy has to pay its way. This module shows you how cropping decisions fit into the whole-farm business.

Farm Planning – SMART goals, action plans and the planning and zoning rules that apply to farms.
Business Planning – whole-farm and property management plans, and planning stock and resources.
Financial Management – records, lenders, leases and contracts, budgeting and forecasting.
Human Resource Management (HR) – recruiting, inducting and supervising farm staff.
Operational Management – supply chains, scheduling, weather and risk.
Farm Business Structure – family farms, succession, ABN and GST registration.
OH&S – duty of care, chemicals, machinery, PPE and safety audits.
Land Management – buildings, shelter, natural 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 – cropping, grazing and mixed systems, energy and waste.
Future Success – diversification and measuring how the business is tracking.

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 – each unit has a short online quiz. Written assignments are marked by your tutor with personalised feedback.
Two applied projects – a crop management project (Agronomy I) and a soil investigation and report (Soil Management) let you apply what you've learned to a real paddock.
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 farm or your next role. You can add extra modules from our catalogue to build skills alongside your agronomy studies.

Pasture Management

Grow more feed from the same paddocks: pasture plants and species selection, soil and water, pests and weeds, machinery, establishing new pasture and managing grazing. Ideal if your rotation includes pasture phases or you run livestock alongside crops.

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. A natural fit for mixed farming operations that graze stubble or run a beef herd.

Animal Health

Recognise and respond to illness in livestock: signs and symptoms, and how diseases are classified, caused, diagnosed and treated. Rounds out your skills if you're heading for a mixed crop-and-livestock property.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farm so the land and the business both last: soils, water, land care, financial sustainability and sustainable plant and animal enterprises. Builds on your soil studies with whole-farm sustainability and land care.

Ask a course consultant about adding modules when you enrol.

Career pathways and earning potential

Agronomy knowledge is useful across cropping farms, rural merchandise businesses and advisory services. Roles graduates often explore include:

Farm or crop production worker – sowing, spraying, monitoring and harvesting on cropping properties. Median advertised salary $71,210 (SEEK).
Agricultural field officer / crop monitor – checking crops for pests, disease and nutrient problems and reporting to agronomists and growers. Agricultural technicians: median $1,808/week full-time (Jobs and Skills Australia).
Rural merchandise or agribusiness sales – advising growers on seed, fertiliser and crop-protection products. Sales representatives (all industries): median $1,692/week full-time (Jobs and Skills Australia).

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

Becoming an agronomist usually requires a diploma or degree in agriculture or agricultural science (advertised agronomist roles have a median of $79,080, SEEK); this course is a practical grounding and a strong first step.

Course details

Study mode: 100% online, self-paced
Core modules: 3 (plus Student Induction)
Study time: approx. 300 hours (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 Agronomy brochure

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

Frequently asked questions

No. Many students are, but you don't need your own land or a farm job to enrol. Where an assignment asks you to examine a crop or soil, you can use any site you have access to: a friend's farm, a community garden or your own backyard.