Serve urban communities through locally grown goods

Earning your Undergraduate Certificate in Urban Agriculture online with Oregon State University will help you turn your passions for innovative farming techniques and dynamic food systems into a new career as an urban farmer or agricultural entrepreneur.

This certificate will train you to capitalize on new markets in agriculture not addressed by traditional rural farming. Learn about modern techniques and technologies that can produce high quality and diverse goods grown right in their urban destination market – such as culturally significant ingredients, crops that don't transport well or specialized ingredients sought after by chefs – all while navigating the environmental, social, economic and regulatory factors that influence urban agricultural systems.

Learn how to develop resilient, local food systems

Study urban agriculture online and gain the skills you need to equip local communities with direct control over their food supply chain through careers in community organizing or nonprofit work. This certificate delivers training in modern agricultural practices and social justice issues that will help you identify inequality in food access, understand how to fix it and then work with community leaders to develop more resilient and responsive local food systems.

Join a leading authority in agricultural sciences

Oregon State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is regarded as a worldwide leader in agricultural education. While this certificate focuses on innovative practices that are ideally suited to emerging urban farming markets, it remains rooted in Oregon State’s legacy that dates back 150-plus years.

Coursework

After completing all 27 credits in this program, you’ll have the skills to successfully plan and manage a diversity of urban agricultural systems, access and develop market opportunities, and identify diverse career opportunities within urban agriculture.

All courses are developed by Oregon State faculty members who are horticulture experts. Visit the OSU academic catalog for certificate requirements and curriculum details.

The online coursework will provide you with in-depth instruction on topics such as urban farming site design, soil management, variety selection, pest management and accessing and developing markets for urban agricultural products.

Sample course topics

• Cropping and non-cropping systems
• Production methods
• Edible and ornamental crops
• Non-crop urban landscapes
• Public and private gardens
• Residential and community scale agriculture
• Nonprofit and commercial urban farms

Prerequisites

You may need to complete additional coursework prior to enrolling in this program and taking the required certificate courses. This could mean completing 3 or more additional credits, depending on your individual educational background as it relates to the program requirements. We recommend that you evaluate this prior to applying for admission.

Benefits of learning online with Oregon State

• All classes are developed by OSU's world-class faculty, who are renowned for their research, expertise and innovation.
• Oregon State is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
• OSU Ecampus students receive the same transcript-visible certificate as on-campus students.