Fall off-campus MSU Fruit Tree and Landscape Course enrollment open

Applied Plant Science and Viticulture certificate programs are being offered at northwest and southwest Michigan community college locations this fall by Michigan State University Institute of Agricultural Technology.

The Michigan State University Institute of Agricultural Technology (MSU IAT) has been conducting practical plant, animal and technology certificate courses on its East Lansing campus for more than 100 years. Commercial horticulture programs relating to fruit, vegetable, greenhouse production and ornamentals are attracting students to Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, and Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. In addition to local access to MSU academic programs serving agriculture, the community college collaboration enables students to obtain an associate’s degree through supplemental coursework. MSU classes begin August 27, 2014.

Fall semester classes include Tree Fruit Production and Management, Fundamentals of Soil Science, Landscape Plants II, Horticulture Industries Seminar, and Plant Diseases & Their Pathogens. Complete applications, including transcripts, for new MSU IAT students are due August 15.

Michigan State University Institute of Agricultural Technology off-campus coordinators guide prospective students through the application process, creation of a course of study, and student internship. All MSU IAT courses are taught by Michigan State University approved faculty and staff and credits earned are fully transferable to on-campus bachelor’s degree programs. Act now since MSU IAT application deadlines and procedures differ from those of community colleges.

The registration deadline is August 15, 2014 for on-line Viticulture Enology Science Technology Alliance (VESTA) courses which operate through a separate registration system and may be found at http://www.vesta-usa.org. VESTA courses begin September 2, 2014.

To obtain information about VESTA and off-campus MSU IAT Applied Plant Science certificate programs and admission requirements, contact one of the community college-based coordinators. At Lake Michigan College, Coordinator, Stacey Rocklin, may be reached at 269-927-8772 rocklin@msu.edu, and at Northwestern Michigan College, contact Coordinator, Brian Matchett, at 231-995-1719, matchet4@msu.edu

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