Certificate Programs
ON A NEW PATH OR THINKING ABOUT A CAREER CHANGE?
Consider upgrading your professional profile and actively pursue a prestigious NYBG Certificate.
NYBG’s Certificate Programs in Botanical Art and Illustration, Botany, Floral Design, Gardening, Horticulture, Landscape Design, Therapeutic Horticulture, and Urban Naturalist, allow you to develop new skills, build your portfolio and network, gain cross-disciplinary experience, and stay up-to-date on the latest industry trends. A NYBG Certificate provides you with a serious credential that tells employers and clients that you’ve made a commitment to your professional development.
NYBG’s Horticulture and Landscape Design Certificate Programs are part of the School for Horticulture and Landscape Design, which is licensed by the New York State Department of Education. For more information about SHLD and the State license, please click here.
NYBG Certificate Programs Requirements
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The Botanical Art & Illustration requirements provide a solid foundation in scientifically accurate drawing based on observation and fine art techniques.
Certificate students must complete 221 total course hours (167 required + 54 elective). Students are also required to submit a portfolio showcasing class assignments and their own unique creations to the Program Coordinator at bilcoordinator@nybg.org.
COURSES
Botanical Drawing I: Methods and Materials
Botanical Drawing II: Developing Your Skills
The Basics of Visual Composition
Botanical Drawing III: Focus on Flowers
Plant Morphology for Botanical Artists
Botanical Watercolor I
Pen and Ink
Colored Pencil
Practical Aspects of Botanical Art
Plus one of the following:
Internet Tools for Creatives, Part I: Social Media
Internet Tools for Creatives, Part II: Website
Elective courses
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During the NYBG Botany Certificate Program, students will come to know plants: how they function, grow, develop, and reproduce; and learn to identify a wide array of plants by stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Certificate students must complete 169 total course hours (111 required + 58 elective).
COURSES
Plant Structure
Plant Physiology
Plant Diversity
Dendrology: Woody Plant Identification
Herbaceous Plant Identification
One of the four Native Flora courses:
Native Flora in Autumn
Native Flora in Winter
Native Flora in Spring
Native Flora in Summer
Elective courses
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The NYBG Floral Design Certificate Program helps you develop your own aesthetic and master the mechanics for everything from simple bouquets to grand-scale arrangements, while giving you a practical, real-world, business foundation.
Certificate students must complete 142 total course hours (116 required + 26 elective), plus an 80-hour internship.
Students are also required to submit a portfolio showcasing photographs of class assignments and their own unique creations.
COURSES
Fundamentals of Form
Fundamentals of Style
Wedding Design I: Personals
Color Theory for Floral Design
Flower ID from A to Z
Interior Plantscapes
Shopping the New York Flower Market
Modern Sympathy Design
Wedding Design II: Ceremony & Reception
Grand-Scale Arrangements
Event Planning for the Floral Designer
Elective courses
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The NYBG Gardening Certificate Program covers sustainable gardening techniques, soil science, plant propagation, and garden care and design.
Certificate students must complete 187 total course hours (164 required + 23 elective).
COURSES
Fundamentals of Gardening
Introduction to Plant Science
Soil Science for Gardeners
Gardening with Native Plants
Insect Identification and Management
Disease Identification and Management
Fundamentals of Garden Design
Vegetable Gardening
Complete Garden Care and Maintenance
Pruning Principles and Practices
Plants for Landscaping
Plant Propagation I: Basic Principles
Elective GAR or HRT courses
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The NYBG Horticulture Program blends classroom theory with field studies in the Garden’s historic landscape, teaching students how to form and care for healthy, sustainable landscapes. Licensed by the New York State Department of Education, the Certificate Program is recognized as high quality and career oriented.
This program offers a high standard of training in four areas of concentration:
TRACK 1: PLANT PRODUCTION
Gain the skills to propagate and produce an array of native and non-native plants for nurseries, garden centers, and landscape-restoration projects.
Certificate students must complete 158 total course hours.
COURSES
Introduction to Plant Science
Soil Science I: Physical Properties
Soil Science II: Chemistry and Nutrition
Horticultural Techniques: Greenhouse Practices
Insect Pests of Landscape Plants
Plant Propagation I: Basic Principles
Plant Propagation II: Applications
Disease Identification & Management
Nursery and Greenhouse Management
TRACK 2: SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT
Understand landscape maintenance and management practices using the concept “right plant—right place” in residential and commercial landscapes.
Certificate students must complete 201 total course hours.
COURSES
Introduction to Plant Science
Soil Science I: Physical Properties
Soil Science II: Chemistry and Nutrition
Horticultural Techniques: Landscape Gardening
Pruning Principles and Practices
Basic Design and Installation of Irrigation Systems
Business Practices for the Landscape Professional
Insect Pests of Landscape Plants
Tree Management
Landscape Management
Disease Identification & Management
Invasive Weed Identification & Management
Mathematics for Horticulturists
TRACK 3: ARBORICULTURE
Know how to grow, prune, care for, and manage trees in parks, residential sites, and urban environments.
Certificate students must complete 194 total course hours.
COURSES
Introduction to Plant Science
Soil Science I: Physical Properties
Soil Science II: Chemistry and Nutrition
Tree Climbing for Arborists
Chainsaws: Use, Safety, and Maintenance
Pruning Principles and Practices
Landscape Plants: Fall Trees and Shrubs
Landscape Plants: Conifers
Landscape Plants: Spring Trees and Shrubs
Insect Pests of Landscape Plants
Tree Management
Urban Tree Care
Winter Tree Identification
Disease Identification & Management
TRACK 4: SUSTAINABLE GARDEN DESIGN
Be able to design small-scale gardens for homes, communities, and private clients.
Certificate students must complete 202 total course hours.
COURSES
Introduction to Plant Science
Soil Science I: Physical Properties
Landscape Plants: Broadleaved Evergreens
Landscape Plants: Spring Trees and Shrubs
Landscape Plants: Spring Perennials
Landscape Plants: Late Season Perennials & Grasses
Landscape Plants: Annuals
Landscape Plants: Bulbs
Annual and Perennial Garden Maintenance
Plants for Landscaping
Plant Communities
Sustainable Garden Care
Sustainable Garden Design
Landscape Design History
Graphics I
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NYBG’s Therapeutic Horticulture Certificate Program emerges from a health and wellness model of human development, combined with research supporting nature as an effective therapeutic medium. Learn to create experiences that utilize plants, gardening, and nature to empower individuals and groups whose lives have been affected by illnesses, injuries, disabilities, and life circumstances in order to achieve improvements in their cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Certificate students must complete 176 course hours, 10 site visit hours, and 100 hours of field experience.
COURSES
Introductory & Service Community Classes
Introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture
Therapeutic Horticulture for Older Adults
Therapeutic Horticulture for Youth with Disabilities
Therapeutic Horticulture for Mental Health
Therapeutic Horticulture for Neurological Conditions
Therapeutic Horticulture for Chronic Health Conditions
Foundations of Horticulture Classes
Fundamentals of Gardening
Introduction to Plant Science
Plant Propagation I: Basic Principles
Therapeutic Horticulture Techniques & Materials
Accessibility in Therapeutic Horticulture Programming
Indoor Plants for Therapeutic Programs
Outdoor Plants for Therapeutic Programs
Therapeutic Horticulture Activity Planning
Therapeutic Horticulture Program Management
Elective Courses
Site Visits
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The NYBG Landscape Design Certificate Program prepares students for creative careers as landscape designers. Licensed by the New York State Department of Education, the Certificate Program is recognized as high quality and career oriented.
Certificate students must complete 349 total required course hours.
COURSES
TIER 1—INTRODUCTORY CLASSES
Landscape Design History
Graphics I
Landscape Measurement
Landscape Plants: Fall Trees and Shrubs
Landscape Plants: Spring Trees and Shrubs
Plants for Landscaping
TIER 2
Landscape Design I: Site Analysis & Schematic Design
Landscape Design II: Design Development
Estimating
Graphics II
Site Materials and Details
TIER 3
Graphics III
Landscape Design III: Planting Design
Landscape Design IV: Design and Construction
Portfolio and Presentation Skills
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The NYBG Urban Naturalist Certificate Program equips you with the observation, identification, and documentation skills you need to become a citizen scientist and an effective environmental steward.
Certificate students must complete 105 total course hours (75 required + 30 elective) and submit a field study project.
COURSES
Basic Plant ID
Two of the four Native Flora courses:
Native Flora in Autumn
Native Flora in Winter
Native Flora in Spring
Native Flora in Summer
Natural History of Birds
Natural History of Insects
Introduction of Urban Ecology
The Ecosystems of New York City
Urban Ecology Field Study Workshop
Elective courses
FIELD STUDY PROJECT
In order to receive a Certificate, you must complete an in-depth study of a natural site of your choosing based on observations made there over many months that includes a survey of the plants and animals found there and a plan for how the site can be improved to provide ecological and social benefits. For more information, see project description here.
In order to receive a Certificate, you must submit a final project is an in-depth study of a natural site of your choosing, which should be done based on observations made over many months. Your study will include the geology and human history of your patch, a survey of the plants and animals found there, and a plan for how the site can be improved to provide ecological and social benefits. Guidelines can be obtained from the Registration Office.
In order to be considered for graduation, you must submit a project proposal for approval to the Program Coordinator.
Certificate Graduation Ceremony
The annual Certificate Award Ceremony is held the first weekend in June. If you expect to complete your Certificate requirements or enroll in all remaining classes by June, you must complete and submit this Application for Graduation.
Call the Registration Office at 718.817.8720 or email graduation@nybg.org with any questions.
