The horticultural industry is incredibly diverse! We offer a range of courses which will give you a career working with plants, flowers, the design of gardens and the construction of landscapes.
From a core focus on the care of plants, our courses allow you to develop new interests and specialisms. Sustainability and environmental stewardship are common threads - whether you are managing beautiful gardens, landscapes, producing plants for gardens and public spaces or assuring fruit and vegetable supplies for the future to meet the demands of the growing global population.
What Courses are available?
For more information on the horticulture courses available at Writtle University College, visit our postgraduate, undergraduate, college and apprenticeship course pages.
Higher Education - Undergraduate Courses
BSc (Hons) Sustainable Food Production (Fresh Produce)
BSc (Hons) Horticulture
Foundation Year (Horticulture)
Diploma of Higher Education Sustainable Food Production (Fresh Produce)
Diploma of Higher Education Horticulture
Certificate of Higher Education in Urban Horticulture
Certificate of Higher Education Sustainable Food Production (Fresh Produce)
Certificate of Higher Education in Horticulture
Further Education - College Courses
Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Horticulture
Level 3 Advanced Technical Diploma in Horticulture
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture - King's College Cambridge
RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth and Development
Students come to Writtle University College, to bring their passion to life and gain practical real-world learning - setting them up for a future career in their chosen field.
Chris King
BSc (Hons) Horticulture
"The course provided me with a fantastic grounding in all areas of horticulture and opened my eyes to the breadth of jobs available within the industry. My degree also taught me to be constantly critical and analytical of systems and procedures, recognising that the current way is not always the best way. Research and learning from others not just within your own industry is hugely important.
Practical sessions made the subjects come alive and helped bring in relevance where sometimes it was hard to make sense of the science and theory. Research for individual assignments was particularly interesting as it allowed you to explore the subject fully, critically analysing information whilst learning from it all."
Katie Sarll
BSc (Hons) Horticulture
"The completion of my course has given me a good starting point to strengthen my knowledge, awareness and professionalism within the horticulture industry, equipping me with the academic skills to successfully progress in horticulture."
Kamanda Godfrey
MSc Horticulture (Crop Production)
"Writtle University College (WUC) is a place that transformed my life because of the knowledge and exposure I gained while studying for a masters in Horticulture (Crop Production). You learn while practicing what you have learnt. This enabled me to practice Horticulture with professionals and highly experienced lecturers in the industry who understand life outside the classroom.
WUC, is very a hospitable University. If you love Horticulture/Agriculture and other land-based courses, the best UK University to gain knowledge and hands on experience is Writtle University College."
An innovative horticulture trial is underway at Writtle University College.
A state of the art vertical growing system could represent the next big step in food production. The system, installed by iGrowing Limited working in conjunction with leading UK plant propagation company, Plant Raisers Limited, is an EIRA supported project. It aims to investigate the benefits of DC-based LED lighting within a controlled growing environment.
The system may offer a viable, sustainable alternative to the AC-based systems currently used for LED lit crop production. Current AC LED growing systems remain energy intensive. DC could remove the need to withdraw excess heat and offering further potential to integrate energy storage technology, wind-turbines and to operate off-grid.
Find Out MoreWrittle University College lecturers are highly respected experts who engage with the industry to provide you with the latest knowledge and insight into horticultural practices.
Lecturers' garden featured in Look East's Virtual Chelsea Flower Show
Footage of horticulture lecturers Mick and Christine Lavelle's garden highlighted their professional expertise and the wide range of unusual and rare species grown in their garden.
Mick Lavelle said: "We're pleased that Look East included a short video of our garden within its Virtual Chelsea coverage. Writtle University College has a longstanding connection with RHS Flower Shows.
Our students gained hands-on industry experience at previous events and WUC alumni have received medals for their outstanding garden designs. Although we're unable to gather together at the Chelsea Show Grounds this year, the virtual coverage has been inspiring."
We have an established reputation in the horticulture industry for producing highly employable graduates who have the necessary attributes to succeed in a growing and dynamic industry.
OUR COURSES ARE WIDELY RESPECTED ACROSS THE INDUSTRY
Students studying horticulture at Writtle University College have had the opportunity to forge links with organisations throughout the industry. During the 2019-2020 academic year, over 20 field trips were arranged for university students studying horticulture or agriculture. These visits introduced a wide range of businesses and offered students the opportunity to gain 'real world' knowledge while increasing their professional networks.
Past educational visits and talks include RHS Hyde Hall and Wisley Gardens, Kew Gardens, Wilkins at Tiptree, Lysander Park Farm in Sawbridgeworth, Marriages Mill in Chelmsford and Fen Farm in Norfolk.
It is an exciting time to be entering this wide ranging profession and there is a demand for trained horticulturists; research by Lantra the sector skills council indicates that over the next few years there will be 3000 vacancies at graduate level in the horticultural industries.
UNIVERSITY COURSE
OPEN DAYS, WEBINARS
AND VIRTUAL OPEN DAY HUB
Find out everything you need to know about our university courses, by visiting us at one of our 'University Course Open Days' or joining us online at one of our 'Subject Webinars'. You can also visit the Virtual Open Day Hub for a range of fantastic information to view online and download.
Find out moreCOLLEGE COURSE
OPEN DAYS, WEBINARS
AND VIRTUAL OPEN DAY HUB
Find out everything you need to know about our college courses, by visiting us at one of our 'College Course Open Days' or joining us online at our 'College Courses Webinar'. You can also visit the Virtual Open Day Hub for a range of fantastic information to view online and download.
Find out more