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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 
Horticultural Science

Graduate Certificate

The Horticulture Certificate is a non-degree, is designed to increase personal knowledge and skills for current or future employment in the horticulture industry. Earning the graduate certificate requires completing only 15 credit hours of coursework via the web. The Graduate Certificate requires a minimum of 15 credit hours, equaling 5 courses.

Eligibility

Participants must hold a bachelor’s degree to enroll in this program. Online Horticulture Certificate applicants should have majored in horticulture, crop science, plant science, or agricultural education with a concentration in plant science, or another closely related degree.

Students may begin taking courses for the certificate in Summer, Fall, or Spring. All certificate coursework must be completed within four years of enrollment.

Cost

Visit NC State’s Graduate Online and Distance Education Tuition rates page for detailed information about graduate tuition and fees.

Financial aid eligibility is determined by the Financial Aid Office. We encourage you to contact your financial aid adviser in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Criteria for funding is based on academic merit, demonstrated financial need, and enrollment in multiple Online and Distance Education courses per semester. For additional information, please visit NC State’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid website, or call (919) 515-2421. NC State also offers a monthly payment plan.

Curriculum

Enrollees must complete a minimum of five (5) courses resulting in at least fifteen (15) credit hours. The student and his or her advisor will select the courses that will constitute the student’s certificate requirements. No thesis or dissertation is required. A minimum of nine (9) credit hours should be from Horticultural Science courses. The remaining six (6) credit hours may be selected from the following areas:

  • Agricultural and Resource Economics
  • Agricultural and Extension Education
  • Biological and Agricultural Engineering
  • Crop Science
  • Entomology
  • Food Science
  • Plant Pathology
  • Soil Science

Up to twelve (12) credit hours of courses taken during post-baccalaureate studies (PBS) may be used in the certificate program if approved by the student’s advisor.

Advisor

Certificate students are assigned an academic advisor from the Horticultural Science graduate faculty. The student and advisor reflect on the student’s personal and professional goals to design an individual course of study.

After starting or completing the Online Horticulture Certificate, students may wish to count their earned credits toward a Master of Horticultural Science degree. To transfer credits from the Certificate program to the Master’s degree, the following conditions must be met:

  • The course number must be at the 500 level or higher
  • The course must be letter graded
  • The student must have earned a B or better in the course

Courses

Below is a list of courses that may be taken as part of the certificate program. To learn more about each course, click the course number. Credit hours for each course are provided in parentheses after each course name.

  • HS 521 – Tree Fruits: Physiology and Culture (3)
  • HS 523 – General Viticulture (3)
  • HS 532 – Introduction to Permaculture (3)
  • HS/CS 541 – Plant Breeding Methods (3)
  • HS 550 – Environmental Nursery Production (3)
  • HS/FS 562 – Postharvest Physiology (3)
  • HS 590 – Special Topics: Plant Breeding Overview for non-Majors (1-6)
  • HS 590 – Special Topics: Physiology and Culture of Temperate Zone Tree Fruits (3)
  • HS 703 – Breeding Asexually Propagated Crops (1)
  • HS 706 – Fruit Development and Postharvest Physiology (1)
  • HS 707 – Environmental Stress Physiology (1)
  • HS/CS 729 – Herbicide Behavior In Plants (2)
  • HS 790 – Special Topics: Diagnostic Criteria for Plant Nutrition (3)
  • HS 790 – Special Topics: Integrated Breeding Databases (1)

Policies & Procedures

Horticultural Science has a list of policies and procedures for desk assignments, working hours, vacations, mail, telephone use, photocopying, computing, supplies, requisition orders, purchase orders, travel, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Graduate Certificate Program in Horticultural Science is a distance education non-degree program offered through the Department of Horticultural Science and the Graduate School of NC State University. The program is designed to increase personal knowledge and skills and provide advanced training for employment in the horticulture industry.

If you are a teacher or an extension agent, these graduate classes help you fulfill continuing education requirements. Certification may also open new employment opportunities to people already in the horticulture industry. The certificate courses can complement the expertise of practitioners and other horticulture professionals in specific areas by offering in-depth knowledge on specific types of horticultural crops or horticultural production systems. Taking these courses also demonstrates interest and proficiency in horticulture science to potential employers

Participants must hold a bachelor’s degree to enroll in this program. Applicants should have majored in horticulture or a closely related degree. Candidates must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0. Once enrolled, students must maintain a GPA of 3.0. To learn more about eligibility requirements, visit our program page.

Financial aid eligibility is determined by the Financial Aid Office. We encourage you to contact your financial aid advisor in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. Criteria for funding are based on academic merit, demonstrated financial need, and enrollment in multiple Distance Education courses per semester. For additional information, please visit NC State’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid website, or call (919) 515-2421. NC State also offers a monthly payment plan.

The Graduate Certificate in Horticultural Science requires enrollees complete at least five courses (15 credit hours) within four years of enrollment. A program may include as many as five or as few as three courses in horticultural science. Courses selected must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. To learn more about the Certificate curriculum, visit the course listings.

Enrollment is through the Department of Horticultural Science and Graduate School at NC State University. Applications are submitted directly to the NC State Graduate School, and will be reviewed by the graduate program director and graduate committee. To learn more about the application process, visit our Apply page.

After acceptance into the program, NC State University students may register for courses online using their Unity IDs, Unity password and PIN. For complete registration instructions, visit DELTA.

To transfer credits from the Certificate program to the Master’s degree, the following conditions must be met:

  • The course number must be at the 500 level or higher
  • The course must be letter-graded
  • The student must have earned a B or better in the course

Select the questions below for more information.

Distance Education Coordinator

Remi Ham

Remi Ham
Assistant Teaching Professor and Distance Education Coordinator
Department of Horticultural Science
Kilgore Hall, Campus Box 7609
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7609
Phone: 919-515-5373

Graduate Certificate

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