Undergraduate Certificate in Native Perennial Garden Design

Enrich your residential planting design experience with the Undergraduate Certificate in Native Perennial Garden Design at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. Certificate courses provide learning experiences with fundamentals of herbaceous plants, horticulture and planting design. The skills necessary for a well-designed and maintained residential perennial garden will be gained from learning plant identification, cultural conditions, and appropriate use of plants and planting design. 

This certificate is available to all undergraduate degree students and non-degree-seeking students. Consult an academic advisor about how the required courses fit into academic and career plans. 

Most courses for the Undergraduate Certificate in Native Perennial Garden Design are offered on the Ambler Campus. 

Facilities

Students who pursue the Native Perennial Garden Design Undergraduate Certificate may take advantage of Temple’s suburban Ambler Campus, home to 

• a 187-acre arboretum; 

• design build studio workshop; 

• gardens;

• greenhouses; 

• labs and studios; and 

• technology center with computers, printers, plotters, software and 3D-printing capabilities. 

Temple’s urban Main Campus in Philadelphia—a top city in the nation for green storm water infrastructure (GSI) projects—includes AR/VR design stations, dedicated studio space for undergraduate and graduate students, design studios, digital fabrication tools, exhibition, lectures, studio review spaces, a woodshop facility, and more.   

Classes & Curriculum

The Undergraduate Certificate in Native Perennial Plants comprises coursework in horticulture, landscape architecture and planning. Students can expect to take the following courses. 

• Designing with Perennials 
• Fundamentals of Horticulture 
• Herbaceous Plants I 
• Herbaceous Plants II 

Learn more about the required coursework for this program. 

Related Undergraduate Degrees

• Associate of Science in Horticulture 
• Bachelor of Science in Horticulture 
• Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture 

Related Graduate Degrees

• Master of Landscape Architecture 

Minors and Certificates

• Minor in Ecological Planning and Design 
• Minor in Environmental Horticulture 
• Minor in Landscape Studies 
• Minor in Sustainable Food Systems 
• Certificate in Environmental Sustainability 
• Certificate in Horticultural Therapy 
• Certificate in Landscape Plants 
• Certificate in Sustainable Food Systems 

Internships & Opportunities

Native Perennial Garden Design students take advantage of the region’s broad range of opportunities for professional advancement and civic engagement, including connections to organizations like the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Society for Ecological Restoration and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society,

Careers

Pursuing a certificate in perennial plant garden design will teach you how to be a dynamic thinker and problem-solver—two of the most valued skills that today’s employers seek in new hires. Design programs teach creative ways of seeing, thinking and making.  

Students learn versatility and technical skills while becoming adept in traditional practice and new technologies. Students enter a competitive workforce at the head of the pack, ready to use their skill sets and creativity to tackle society’s toughest challenges.  

Temple’s Career Center is another resource that empowers students to find pathways to future success. The Career Center offers comprehensive career development services, from résumés and interviews, to finding internships and jobs.