School of Horticulture - Kew Diploma

The Kew Diploma - course overview

The Kew Diploma is taught at first degree level by internal specialists, external practitioners and professional lecturers. The three-year course has three main elements:

• three lecture block trimesters;
• project work;
• practical work experience.
  

The course commences with an Induction and Skills Training period of 3 weeks. Each of the lecture block trimesters consists of a three-month period. The foundation trimester in the first year is a science subject block covering structural anatomy, plant physiology, plant protection, soil science, and landscape studies. An introduction to computer studies is also given. The second year trimester covers systematic botany, ecology and genetics, landscape studies, and amenity/landscape provision. The final year trimester consists of landscape studies, horticultural management, and conservation studies. A compulsory study tour takes place during this year as well, and each student is required to pay towards the cost of this.

Project work links the lecture block trimesters. The projects enable in-depth research to take place into areas of individual student choice. The material is presented in written form with the opportunity for verbal presentation in seminar sessions. The subjects are normally based at Kew, but allow for comparisons to be made with other organisations. Topics for projects are selected from the general areas of plant propagation and crop protection in the first year, ecology and landscape construction in the second year, and systematic botany, conservation studies, and management in the final year.

Outside of the lecture block trimesters, practical work experience is gained in the Living Collections Department at Kew. Students spend nine months of each year of the course working in the gardens.

The course begins and finishes in early September after three years. Successful students are awarded the Kew Diploma at pass, credit or honours level. Holders of the Kew Diploma may place Dip.Hort.(Kew) after their name.

The School of Horticulture at Kew has been described on many occasions as a ‘centre of excellence’ and as such is at the very heart of world-wide horticultural and botanical education. As a result, close links are maintained with many institutions around the globe helping to ensure Kew Diploma students are at the forefront of academic and practical botanical education.

Home | Education |