Quick Facts - Permaculture Certificate
Program Title
Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design
Unique Offering
Bastyr University is one of four schools in the U.S. that offer a permaculture certificate or qualification. However, it is the only accredited permaculture program and the only one with a focus on the therapeutic value of a medicinal and edible landscape.
General Requirements
- 90 quarter credits (60 semester credits) of college-level course work
Cost of Entire Landscape Design Program - Estimated for 2013-14
Tuition: $18,290
Fees: $1,075
Books: $1,400
Total Direct Costs for Entire Program: $20,765
Living Allowance (if needed): $21,600
Length of Program
Intended time to complete: 5 academic quarters or 14 months
% of graduates who completed on time: 43%
Employment (SOC codes)
The US Department of Labor's Standard Occupational Classification code states that the Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design may prepare students to enter:
- 19-2041.00 - Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
- 19-2041.03 - Industrial Ecologists
- 11-9011.01 - Nursery and Greenhouse Managers
- 17-2081.00 - Environmental Engineers
- 27-1029.00 - Designers, All Other
- 19-1031.01 - Soil and Water Conservationists
For more information visit onetonline.org.
Debt
Median program graduate debt from:
Federal Loans: $12,666
Private educational loans: $0
% of graduate that took federal loans: 38%
% of students successfully repaying federal loans: 100%
Program Summary - Permaculture Design Certificate
The first permaculture program of its kind in the nation, the Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design is a valuable training opportunity for those who want to build upon their knowledge of medicinal and edible plants and apply that expertise to the development of sustainable landscapes.
Getting to the Heart and "How to" of Permaculture
Grounded in the philosophy of working with nature rather than against it, the landscape design program engages students through a hands on curriculum. Permaculture courses such as Soil Ecology, Biodynamic Agriculture, and Medicinal and Edible Plants in the Landscape support the core objectives of graduating students who:
- Understand techniques for the sustainable cultivation of food and medicinal plants
- Can apply sustainable landscape measures creatively, designing for biodiversity, therapeutic utility and aesthetics
- Know the importance and elements of soil science and how to use this knowledge in horticultural methods
While best suited to landscape designers or students/graduates of degree programs in botany, horticulture, herbal science, nutrition or naturopathic medicine, the program is open to anyone with a creative eye and a passion for ecology and sustainability. Students who complete the permaculture program are equipped to develop sustainable landscapes that benefit both the environment and the human community.
Features of the Landscape Design Program
- A convenient 14 month evening and weekend* course schedule.
- One of only four institutions in the U.S. that offers a permaculture certificate or qualification, and the only one with a focus on the therapeutic value of a medicinal and edible landscape.
- The University's wooded 51-acre campus – which includes the Bastyr Medicinal Herb Garden and a new LEED-certified Student Village – provides excellent spaces for hands-on training in landscape design, implementation and maintenance.
- The Bastyr library provides a rich source of medicinal and edible plant information, including cultivation and landscaping resources.
- An experienced faculty comprised of permaculture design instructors, biodynamic agriculture professionals, organic garden and greenhouse managers, arborists, herbalists, carpenters, agroforesters, and ethnobotanists.
* Note: The first summer quarter includes only weekday-daytime classes.
Curriculum - Permaculture Course of Study
Classes for the Certificate in Holistic Landscape Design Program are facilitated through Bastyr University's Department of Botanical Medicine in the School of Naturopathic Medicine.
Permaculture Classes
| Quarter | Course Title Course descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. | Credits | Lec. | L/C |
Summer |
Organic Gardening* | 2 | 2 |
0 |
| Intro to Botany* | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Quarterly Total: | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Quarter | Course Title Course descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. | Credits | Lec. | L/C |
Fall |
Permaculture 1 | 3 | 2 |
2 |
| Medicinal and Edible Plants in the Landscape 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Soil Ecology | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Horticultural Business Practices | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Quarterly Total: | 6 | 4 | 4 | |
| Quarter | Course Title Course descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. | Credits | Lec. | L/C |
Winter |
Permaculture 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Medicinal and Edible Plants in the Landscape 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Organic Greenhouse and Nursery Mgmt | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Horticultural Research and Grant Writing | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Quarterly Total: | 6 | 4 | 4 | |
| Quarter | Course Title Course descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. | Credits | Lec. | L/C |
Spring |
Permaculture 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Medicinal and Edible Plants in the Landscape 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Intro to Biodynamic Agriculture | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mycology | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Quarterly Total: | 7 | 5 | 4 | |
| Quarter | Course Title Course descriptions are available in the Course Catalog. | Credits | Lec. | L/C |
Summer |
Holistic Landscape Design Practicum | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Biointensive IPM & Plant Health | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Organic Seed Production | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Permaculture in a Global Context | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Quarterly Total: | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
Total Requirements |
Credits | Lec. | L/C |
| Total Core Course Credits and Hours | 29 | 21 | 18 |
| Total Elective Credits and Hours | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total Requirements: | 31 | 23 | 18 |
*Be advised these courses may only be offered in a weekday format.
Electives
Current Botanical Medicine Department Electives:
- Cascade Herb Experience
- Island Herb Experience
- Herbal Medicine in Italy
- Clinical Pharmacognosy
- Flower Essences
- Herbs and Ayurvedic Medicine
- Herbal Medicine throughout Oregon
- Plants in Ceremony
- Clinical Formulations and Applications of Botanical Medicine
- Herbal Medicine Making for All
- Plant Identification and Medicinal Field Botany
- Foundations of Aromatic Medicine
- Introduction to Gemmotherapy
- Botanical Studies in Costa Rica
Expected Learning Outcomes
Following are the learning objectives for students in the holistic landscape design program:
- Ability to create a landscape design that enhances the natural landscape and reflects the health of all of the beings that utilize it as well as the health of the planet
- Apply sustainable landscape measures creatively, designing for biodiversity, therapeutic utility and aesthetics
- Integrate permaculture techniques and principles for sustainably modifying land and implementing designs
- Understand importance and elements of soil science and how to utilize this knowledge in horticultural methods
- Enhance knowledge of practices that support seasonal and sustainable cultivation of food and medicinal plants
- Practice therapeutic plant propagation and cultivation from native and analogue climates for landscape design as well as nursery or market production
Note: The above curriculum is applicable to students entering in SU13. Curriculum and course changes in the 2012-13 Bastyr University Catalog are applicable to students entering during the 2012-13 academic year. Please refer to the appropriate catalog if interested in curriculum and courses required for any other entering year.
Prerequisites - Permaculture Program
Prior to enrolling, students must have completed 90 quarter credits (60 semester credits) of college-level coursework.
In order to be prepared for the concepts covered in the Holistic Landscape Design program, coursework in the following areas is strongly advised:
- Chemistry – survey-level to cover general inorganic and organic concepts, no labs required
- Biology – basic biological concepts desired, covering cell and plant biology, no labs required
- Public Speaking coursework or experience
- General Education material to round out the 90 college credits, including some humanities, English, natural sciences and social sciences
Certificate Program Costs
Average first-year tuition and fee costs for a typical credit load.
Program |
Tuition & Fees See the course catalog for a full schedule of fees. |
Books & Supplies |
First-Year Total The budget used to determine financial-aid eligibility allows for an additional $21,600 for a 9-month period of living expenses for graduate students. |
Intended Time to Complete |
Total Program Costs |
|
Chinese Herbal Medicine |
$12,665 |
$1,050 |
$13,715 |
10 academic quarters or 30 months |
$40,105 Based on current tuition rates. |
|
Holistic Landscape Design |
$19,365 |
$1,400 |
$20,765 |
5 academic quarters or 14 months |
$20,765 |
What is Permaculture (or Holistic Landscape Design)?
Bastyr's program is grounded in the concept of "permaculture," or the sustainable and harmonious integration of design and ecology for the benefit of people and the planet.
The principles of permaculture can be applied as a guide for building natural homes, growing food, restoring diminished landscapes and ecosystems, and building communities that mirror the surrounding natural environment.