- Level
- 2-Year UG Diploma
- CIP code
- 01.0601
- Duration
- 2 year college diploma (4 semesters)
- Field
- Horticulture and Fisheries
- Institution
- Public College
- Offer speed
- Fast Offer Speed5–7 days
Program overview
The horticulture technician diploma is a four semester Ontario College Diploma covering plant identification, landscape construction, arboriculture, turf management, horticulture business and an optional co-op.
Durham’s PGWP list shows horticulture technician as suspended and not PGWP eligible, even though the programme page lists an international intake.
The horticulture technician diploma is taught at Durham College’s Whitby campus, home of its skilled trades and its Centre for Food, at a public Ontario college founded in 1967. The horticulture technician diploma is marked not PGWP eligible on Durham’s own list, where the programme appears as suspended. Finishing the horticulture technician diploma should therefore not be expected to lead to a post-graduation work permit, so plan to leave Canada or change status when your study permit ends. Ontario also requires a provincial attestation letter before the horticulture technician diploma can support a study permit.
Entry to the horticulture technician diploma needs Grade 12 or equivalent at 50 percent or above. The English requirement is IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5, and first year tuition for the horticulture technician diploma is recorded at CAD 15,489. Durham charges a CAD 100 application fee and issues the attestation letter once first semester fees for the horticulture technician diploma are paid. For 2027 the horticulture technician diploma takes international students only in September 2027, so apply early and keep the deadline in view. Apply Study Visa handles the application for the horticulture technician diploma, the first semester payment, the attestation letter and the Canadian study permit as one process.
What it costs per year · indicative
Living cost is an estimate; tuition is the institute's published international fee. We confirm exact, current figures before you pay anything.
Do you qualify?
These are the published minimums. Whether your profile fits — with your marks, gap and budget — is exactly what a free counsellor check confirms.
Admission requirements
Who can apply (guide for international students):
- Education: Grade 12 or equivalent from a recognised institution, at 50 percent or above.
- English (meet any one): IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no band below 5.5; TOEFL iBT 80 with no section below 20, or 4 overall with no section below 4 on the new scale for tests taken from 21 January 2026; PTE Academic 53 with no section below 49; CAEL 60 with no section below 60; or the Duolingo English Test at 105.
- Application and payment: Durham charges a non-refundable CAD 100 application fee. First semester fees must be paid before Durham releases the provincial attestation letter needed for the study permit.
- Scholarship: Durham’s global entrance scholarship credits CAD 2,000 to your student account when you accept the offer, with a further CAD 1,000 in year two for programmes of two years or more. It is confirmed for intakes up to January 2027, and Durham renews it each cycle, so check the terms for your intake.
- Additional requirement: Grade 12 English and Grade 12 mathematics are expected, and some streams list physics, chemistry or biology as required or recommended.
- Work rights: Durham’s PGWP list marks this programme as suspended and NOT PGWP eligible, so do not count on a post-graduation work permit. No open work permit for a spouse or partner, since IRCC now limits those to master, doctoral and select professional programmes.
- Study permit: Apply Study Visa prepares the attestation letter request, the financial evidence and the Canadian study permit submission with you.
English requirements
Documents you'll need typical · we confirm yours
- Valid passport (6+ months validity)
- Class 10 & 12 marksheets and certificates
- English test scorecard (IELTS / PTE / TOEFL) or MOI certificate
- Statement of Purpose (SOP)
- Financial proof — bank statement / loan sanction + GIC
- Passport-size photographs
- Study-gap affidavit or work-experience letter (if applicable)
Getting documents right is the #1 reason applications succeed or get refused — our team checks every file before submission.
Career opportunities
Typical destinations for graduates:
- Landscape Technician: landscape firms
- Arborist Assistant: tree care firms
- Greenhouse Technician: growers
- Grounds Maintenance Lead: municipalities
- Garden Centre Specialist: retailers
- Landscape Horticulturist: after apprenticeship
Reality check: Without a PGWP, work after graduation is not assured, so weigh the food and farming diploma instead.
About Durham College
- Type
- College
- Ownership
- Public
- Rating
- ★ 4.6
- Established
- 1967
- Reference No.
- O19361081012
