The Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture initiative provides students with an opportunity to specialize in the expanding area of organic agriculture. The Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture enables students to approach agriculture from their area of interest, to know they can be recognized for this accomplishment, and to continue to take other courses in agriculture toward a degree. Any student who has successfully completed four of the eligible organic agriculture credit courses and has an overall GPA of at least 2.0 in these courses can apply to receive a Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture. Two of the courses may be substituted with approved organic agriculture courses offered by external institutions (see below). A Letter of Permission is required for these alternative courses.

 

Eligible Courses

AGRI 2000: Introduction to Organic Agriculture
AGRN 2000: Organic Field Crop Management
ANSC 2004: Organic Livestock Production
APSC 2003: Composting and Compost Use
HORT 2001: Principles of Organic Horticulture

Note: Students will not be required to take the courses in any particular order. AGRI 2000, ENVA 2002, and HORT 2001 are currently offered in the Fall semester. AGRN 2000 and ANSC 2004 are currently offered in the Winter semester.

All courses in the Certificate of Specialization in Organic Agriculture program are offered only through web-based distance education. Other institutions offering web-based courses that are approved for the certificate program:

• McGill University (Organic Soil Fertilization)
• Université Laval [French translation of courses AGRI 2000, AGRN 2004, ANSC 2004, and ENVA 2002]*
• University of British Columbia (Key Indicators of Agroecosystem Sustainability)
• University of Guelph (Organic Marketing)
• University of Manitoba (Organic Crop Production on the Prairies)
• University of Saskatchewan (Weed Control in Organic Agriculture)

* A student cannot receive credit for the same course in both French and English.

All requirements for this certificate must be completed within 3 years.