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Studies & Degrees in Gardening

Gardening as a field of study covers the design, planting and upkeep of gardens, parks and other green spaces, together with the production of plants in nurseries. It is part of horticulture. Courses range from short practical programmes to vocational qualifications and university degrees in horticulture or agricultural engineering. The UK National Careers Service sums up the job in one sentence: gardeners grow and look after plants in parks, gardens and other green spaces.

Students learn how plants grow, how to raise them from seeds or cuttings, how to prepare soil, prune, water and control pests, and how to use and maintain machinery safely. Higher-level courses add garden design, reading and setting out plans, planning the work and supervising a team.

Qualifications and levels

No qualification is legally required for entry-level gardening work in most countries, but formal training exists at every level.

  • Vocational training (FP) in Spain: the intermediate qualification Técnico en Jardinería y Floristería (grado medio, 2,000 hours) trains students to install, maintain and restore outdoor and indoor gardens and sports turf, and to work in plant production and floristry. The higher qualification Técnico Superior en Paisajismo y Medio Rural (grado superior, 2,000 hours) adds the design of garden areas, planning and supervision. Both appear on TodoFP, the vocational training portal of the Spanish education ministry, and both are linked to the professional card for handling plant protection products.
  • College courses and apprenticeships in the UK: the National Careers Service lists college courses such as the Level 2 Diploma in Practical Horticultural Skills and the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture, and apprenticeships from Level 2 up to a Level 5 higher apprenticeship. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) awards its own qualifications at three levels. They are designed for part-time study, normally over a year, online, by blended learning or at an approved centre.
  • University degrees: gardening is usually a specialisation inside a broader degree. At the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Grado en Ingeniería Agrícola has a specialisation in Hortofruticultura y jardinería, and the university states that graduates can design, direct and manage gardening and landscaping projects. Warnborough College Ireland offers a distance-learning Bachelor of Science in Horticulture of 240 ECTS credits. It is built in stages (Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Bachelor's degree) and, according to the college, takes three years or more.
  • Short courses: private training centres run courses that do not lead to an official qualification. Campus Training, for example, lists a 350-hour course in gardening and garden design, taught online and face to face, with between 60 and 300 hours of work placement.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for gardening. Seven are in Spain, two in the United Kingdom, one in the United States and one in Ireland. The Spanish schools include public universities, such as the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche and the Universidad de La Laguna on Tenerife, and private training centres such as Campus Training. Outside Spain, Warnborough College teaches at a distance from Ireland and the United Kingdom, and County College of Morris is a public community college in New Jersey.

Courses at Spanish schools are generally taught in Spanish, and those in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States in English. Gardening is a practical subject, so it is worth checking how much of a course takes place outdoors or in a workplace, whether a placement is included, and whether the certificate is an official qualification or the school's own. Distance courses suit the theory, but the practical skills still have to be gained in a garden, nursery or company.

Careers

TodoFP lists the jobs the Spanish intermediate qualification leads to: general gardener, nursery worker, worker in urban parks and in historic and botanical gardens, and groundskeeper for sports fields, as an employee or self-employed. Holders of the higher qualification can work as supervisors who install and maintain parks and gardens, and can design garden areas that do not require a formal project. According to the UK National Careers Service, an experienced gardener can become a head gardener, garden designer or horticultural manager, or set up a business.

In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,299,200 jobs for grounds maintenance workers in 2025 and projects employment to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035. It notes that these workers typically do not need a formal educational credential and are trained on the job, and that most states require a licence for workers who apply pesticides.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a qualification to work as a gardener?

Not usually. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that grounds maintenance workers typically do not need a formal credential and learn on the job. A vocational qualification helps with supervisory and design work, and applying pesticides normally requires a licence or professional card.

How long does a gardening course take?

It depends on the level. The Spanish FP qualifications in gardening and in landscaping each have 2,000 hours, RHS qualifications are normally studied part-time over a year, and a bachelor's degree in horticulture has 240 ECTS credits.

Can gardening be studied online?

Partly. The RHS offers online and blended study options, Warnborough College Ireland teaches its horticulture degree at a distance, and Campus Training combines online and face-to-face teaching with a work placement.

What is the difference between gardening and landscaping courses?

Gardening courses focus on installing and looking after gardens and producing plants. Landscaping courses, such as the Spanish Técnico Superior en Paisajismo y Medio Rural, add the design of garden areas and the planning and supervision of the work.