CertHE Urban Horticulture

The 21st century has seen human urban populations exceed those of rural populations for the first time in history. This trend has driven a rapid expansion of cities, with horticulture becoming an integral part of urban planning initiatives.

As a student at ARU Writtle you’ll prepare to work effectively in urban settings, focusing on the restitution of green infrastructure through restorative environmental and ecological design and practice. You’ll also be introduced to aspects of food security and production in urban areas.

We're a specialist educator of horticulturists in the UK and, as well as learning in the classroom, you’ll benefit from activities such as site visits and case studies that draw on the experience of industry professionals.

There's a demand for trained horticulturalists and it's an exciting time to be entering the profession .

Research by Lantra, the sector Skills Council, indicates that over the next few years there will be 3,000 vacancies at graduate level in the horticultural industries. Issues such as food security, climate change, and the relationship between access to green space and the health agenda means the need for trained landscapers and horticulturists will increase.

Graduation doesn't have to be the end of your time with us. This CertHE is a route into further study, and you might decide to at ARU and study for a degree, such as our BSc (Hons) Horticulture.

A high proportion of horticulture graduates find full-time positions within six months of graduating. Some of the roles that our BSc Horticulture students have gone on to work in include:

• local authority parks officers
• education officers with the Royal Horticultural Society and local authorities
• technical officers in research establishments
• field trial officers
• journalists
• self-employed landscape gardeners.