PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Please contact the Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Val Schaefer at schaefer@uvic.ca or (250) 472-4387 to discuss your background and qualifications for this program.
This non-credit certificate has been designed for professionals working in the field of landscape architecture, landscape design and management, forestry, agrology, biology, ecological restoration and environmental practice. The new certificate builds on the successful Restoration of Natural Systems program to provide more advanced training for working professionals.
The program will focus on:
• Incorporation of native species into design
• An ecosystems approach in planning and design of restoration activities
• Restoration prescriptions which are patterned on natural processes
• Urban ecosystems and the urban/rural interface
• Invasive species control and management
• Plant propagation techniques.
The program will initially feature four courses, which will be phased in as the program evolves:
• Design Principles for Natural Processes
• Selection and Propagation of Native Plants for Ecosystem Restoration
• Natural Processes
• Invasive Species and Novel Ecosystems
Students will be required to successfully complete four courses totalling 144 instructional hours.
Courses in the certificate will typically be offered in a distance format appealing to professionals from across North America as a means to meet their annual professional development requirements.
Admission to the Program
The program content is equivalent to advanced undergraduate or graduate level work. We recommend that students applying to the program or taking individual courses have obtained:
• An undergraduate degree in environmental studies, biology, forestry, geography, landscape architecture, or
• An undergraduate degree in any other discipline plus a minimum of two years’ work in the field of environmental studies, landscape architecture, landscape design or restoration, or
• Permission of the academic administrator
Advanced registration in courses will be given to those accepted into the program. Registration will then be opened to individuals interested in taking the courses on an individual basis.
Students admitted into the program do not need to be accepted for credit study at UVic.