Course Content and Structure
There are twnty five (25) modules in this course as follows:
Core Modules (12)
Biochemistry, Business Studies, Instructional Skills, Workplace Health & Safety, Horticultural Management, Horticultural Marketing, Soil Management, Plant Protection, Plant Science I, Commercial Vegetable Production, Fruit Production.
Elective Modules (8 to be selected)
Choices include: Cut Flower Production, Organic Plant Culture, Herb Culture, Advanced Hydroponics, Irrigation, Engineering, Permaculture Systems, Organic Plant Culture, Nut Production, Berry Fruit Production or Mushroom Production.
Outlines of these modules can be found throughout this handbook.
Workplace Projects
Two PBL based workshop modules build your practical knowledge and ability to apply what you learn in the real world.
Industry Conference/Seminars
Attendance at relevant industry conferences, seminars, etc totalling 100 hrs
Research Projects
Two Research Projects (2 X 100 hrs), dealing with different aspects of the workplace.
STUDY SEQUENCE
Modules are divided into six stages. In stage 1, you study: Biochemistry, Business Studies, Instructional Skills and Workplace Health & Safety. This stage is completed prior to workshops, research projects or other modules.
Remaining core modules are then completed before electives.
Enrolment Fees do not cover exam fees and workshop fees
Note: Fees cover all tuition and "essential" texts, but not fees for any Industry conferences/seminars).
OTHER OPTIONS
- Design your own Associate Diploma, Diploma or Advanced Diploma
- Our system is very flexible.
- It is possible to choose any 15 modules (for example), to create an Associate Diploma; provided the combination is sensible and approved by one of our academic staff.
- Email the school for assistance with compiling a qualification that is unique, giving you a totally different mix of skills to graduates from other courses!
THE ACS TEAM APPROACH
ACS was founded by John Mason in 1979 as Australian Horticultural Correspondence School.
Right from these very early times, we've always believed that the best education only comes when the student is learning from the experience of a whole range of industry experts (rather than just a single teacher).
Every ACS course is a work in progress, continually evolving, with new information being added and old information being updated by our team of internationally renowned professional horticulturists.
Over the decades more than 100 horticulture experts from across the world have contributed to these courses, bringing their individual knowledge and experiences from as wide afield as England and Spain to Australia and America.
While may colleges and universities focus on providing courses that relate only to the country where they are based, ACS has always strived to make it's courses relevant to all parts of the world; any climate, economic or cultural situation. This has been achieved by involving a large number of professionals in the course development.
When it comes to tutoring, marking papers and mentoring students, the team approach is just as strong as with our writing. ACS students have the ability to obtain advice and support from staff across the world, with horticulture tutors located in the UK, Australia (both the north and south) and New Zealand.
The ACS team approach and global focus to both course content and student support, ensures our graduates have a unique and "real world" skills set. This unique approach is highly regarded by our colleagues in horticulture.
