Horticulture NC
What is special about this course?
Whether you simply want to improve your skills in the garden or are considering a career horticulture, this highly practical course will equip you with all the essentials you need to succeed.
Starting with the basics, this course will give you a broad introduction to horticulture and landscaping. You will build confidence in your gardening abilities. You’ll learn from the very best, with some of our lecturers renowned for their achievements, such as winning medals at Gardening Scotland and The RHS Chelsea Flower Show!
As part of the course you’ll undertake practical work at various locations depending on where you live. We work closely with Mount Stuart gardens on the Isle of Bute and Hermitage Park in Helensburgh. You will need to to make your own arrangements for travel and accommodation (if required) when attending practical blocks.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course however we recommend that you have a passion for working in the great outdoors and don’t mind getting your hands dirty!
Autumn
Subject 1 – Soils and Horticultural Machinery
Units: Soils and Growing Media in Horticulture and Horticultural Machinery: Operation and Maintenance
Subject 2 – Botany and Plant Protection
Units: Basic Botany, Plant Nutrition and Plant Husbandry: Common Disorders
Winter:
Subject 1 – Garden Design and Heritage Gardening
Units: Garden Design and Heritage Gardening
Subject 2 – Workplace Skills
Units: Skills for Customer Care: An Introduction and Work Placement
Spring
Subject 1 – Propagation and Production of Ornamental Crops
Units: Vegetative Propagation, Bedding Plant Production, Protected Crop Production: Crop Plants
Subject 2 – Propagation and Production of Vegetable Crops
Units: Home and Allotment Gardening, Plant Production from Seed
Summer
Subject 1 – Planting Design and Plant Identification
Units: Plantsmanship, Soft Landscaping: An Introduction and Plant Identification
Subject 2 – Garden Maintenance and Enterprise for Business Start-Up
Units: Planting and Maintenance and Enterprise Activity
Equipment
Your bursary (for full time students) will cover the costs of personal protective clothing and secateurs which will be supplied at the start of the course.
Other equipment will be provided as required though the year.
How will I study my course?
- Full Time
- Part Time
Your course will generally be a mix of scheduled connected learning time, and flexible learning time. You need to commit to both, but you can choose when to complete flexible learning to fit around work, caring and personal commitments.
This practical course will be taught in four seasonal blocks. There will be a mix of in-person tuition for practical elements and scheduled time in an online classroom.
Your classes will be scheduled for 3 days per week. Your timetable will fluctuate during the course to take advantage of daylight hours for practical sessions.
You will be assisted in finding a short work placement for the practical aspect of this course. This could be with a local nursery, garden centre, landscaper, designer, botanic garden, conservation, charity or any other area of the industry that you are interested in.
Part time students can choose to study any subject area from any seasonal block/s.
How long will my course last?
9 Months
Or
Part Time: 2 academic years
Where can I study my course?
- Helensburgh Learning Centre
- Oban Learning Centre
- Rothesay Learning Centre
Start date
Late August
Fees
Most full-time students will automatically have their course fees paid for this course.
If you have recently moved to, or do not normally live in Scotland, you may need to pay £5,970 in course fees, these can be paid in instalments. Families of Armed Services personnel are subject to different fees regulations and may also have to pay course fees. If you think this may apply to you, please contact us and we can advise you.
This course is not available to students who require a Tier 4 Home Office visa to study in Scotland (international or EU).
Part-time FE students who are on low incomes or in receipt of certain benefits may also have their course fees paid for them. Please refer to page 2 of our Fees and Funding Guide to see if you are eligible.
Each single SQA unit costs £88. You may be able to apply for an Individual Training Account (ITA) to cover up to £200 of part time fees.
Funding
Bursary for Living Costs
If you are 18 years of age or over on the start date of your course, and will be studying full-time you may be eligible for bursary funding, depending on your household income. Our bursary fund is finite and is allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis so it’s important to make your application for bursary as soon as the application process opens in July. You will need to have accepted our offer before you apply.
If you are under 18 you may be eligible for EMA. EMA is paid at a rate of £30 per week dependent on your total household income.
Please see page 2 of our Fees and Funding Guide for full details of Bursary and EMA.
You may also be eligible for assistance with travel and childcare, and we have discretionary funds for those students in need. You can find all the information you need in our funding pages.
What can I do on completion of my course?
When you’ve successfully completed this course, you can move on to study at a higher level with courses such as:
- HNC Horticulture
- HND Horticulture
Employment options in this sector could include:
- Gardener
- Landscaper
- Production Horticulture Assistant Garden Centre Assistant
- Conservation and Environmental Work
- Design
- Food production
- Education
- Horticultural Therapy/Care
Is there more information available online?
You can use the above QR code to connect directly to the course details.
What our students, graduates and staff say
It is such a pleasure to deliver the NC in Horticulture to students who have a shared passion for plants, gardens and the outdoors. Our tutors in each centre share this passion and bring a wealth of industry experience and knowledge to our teaching team.
Amber Crowley, Curriculum Lead
Apply for Horticulture NC
We are no longer accepting applications for 2021/22
We are delighted that you are thinking about studying at Argyll College UHI. Argyll College operates a fair and open admissions system committed to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination. We consider all applications on merit and on the basis of ability to achieve, without discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion and/or belief, sex, sexual orientation or socio-economic background. We welcome applications from all prospective students and aim to provide appropriate and efficient services to students with disabilities.