Graduating Green Thumbs

Bible Hill--Seven students graduated from Nova Scotia Agricultural College’s (NSAC) unique Master Gardener Training Program on Friday, July 13, 2007 at 4:30 pm in Alumni Hall.

Continuing and Distance Education at NSAC, along with members of faculty and staff from Environmental Sciences and Plant and Animal Sciences, developed the Master Gardener Training Program in October of 2004 to fulfill the “training” component of becoming a Master Gardener. The program is offered through Distance Education and consists of four courses available online. The program is the only Master Gardener Training Program in Canada that is offered online.

“This program really helps hobby gardeners ‘tune up’ their gardening skills by working with professional horticulturists at NSAC,” says Bill Thom, one of the graduated students on July 13.

The courses are designed for adult learners and are completed through independent study. Each course is six months long and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week during this time.

“The program is so accessible since it is done over the internet,” says Bill. “Most of the students enrolled in this program work full-time so being able to complete the courses online through Continuing and Distance Education is very convenient. We can work on our courses in the morning or on a Sunday afternoon.” To become a Master Gardener, students are required to have training in horticulture and to volunteer within their community. To maintain their status as a Master Gardener, students must track their volunteer hours. The requirement is approximately 20 volunteer hours annually. Some examples of volunteer work that Master Gardeners have completed are: answering questions from the public at information booths at farmers markets, building gardens that are part of community identity such as monuments, hospitals, nursing homes and town boundaries, and presenting at garden clubs, workshops and community events. Currently, there are 1,400 Master Gardeners in Canada.

The online courses for the Master Gardener Training Program have many features. There is a technical help desk which assists students with any technical issues that may arise and there are discussion rooms where students can interact with professional horticulturists from NSAC as well as other students from around Atlantic Canada enrolled in the course. There is also a “Master Gardener Café” which allows students to chat and share tips, tricks and ideas with their fellow students.

Want to complete your high school education?

The Nova Scotia School for Adult Learning (NSSAL) can help. Through NSSAL, adults can access two credential options.

Nova Scotia High School Graduation Diploma for Adults

Credits toward the diploma are offered through Nova Scotia Community College, Université Sainte-Anne and seven regional school boards.

General Educational Development (GED)

Earn a high school equivalency certificate by completing a series of tests administered by the Department of Education. Upcoming test dates are:

Truro
December 7 & 8, 2007
February 29 & March 1, 2008

Deadline for applications is two weeks before the testing date. An application fee of $39.84 is required.

For more information call 1-877-GO-NSSAL or visit www.gonssal.ca