The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (MMGA) is comprised of amateur and professional horticulturists with a mission to promote horticultural knowledge to the public through volunteering. Master Gardeners become certified based on successfully completing the Master Gardener Training course (MGT). Training consists of fourteen classroom and lab modules, including soil science, botany, entomology, plant pathology, pruning and propagation. Classes are taught by academic and industry professionals.
The MGT course is offered at Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley, MA and at the Worcester County Horticultural Society’s Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. Students can choose their preferred location when they register.
The 2019 MGT course begins in April 2019 and runs through October 2019. Classroom training is held in the spring and fall. Hands-on training and working alongside certified Master Gardeners is required throughout the growing season.
• In Wellesley, the spring session is 9am – 3pm Thursday, April 11, through May 23. The fall session is 9am – 3pm, Thursday, September 12 through October 24.
• In Boylston, the spring session is 9am – 3pm, Tuesday, April 9 through May 21; and in the fall, 9am – 3pm, Tuesday, September 10 through October 22.
All students are required to complete both spring and fall sessions.
Students are required to attend classes, complete reading and homework assignments, and successfully complete take-home exams. Homework and handouts are distributed electronically. Students are expected to have access to and be familiar with email, Internet, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat (.pdf files), and to be able to receive and send pictures in jpeg format.
Students are also required to perform 60 hours of approved volunteering. Volunteering begins at the start of the course and must be completed by one week prior to graduation.
Currently only students who reside in Massachusetts are eligible to attend. All students are required to have gmail accounts to facilitate access to the MMGA portal.
As a volunteer organization providing activities and programs that may include children, the MMGA is required to conduct a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check of all applicants prior to their acceptance.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit an online application and a $25 non-refundable registration fee (payable by credit/debit card or Pay Pal). Starting February 1, 2019, applications MUST be accompanied by a non-refundable payment of $50 (application fee + late fee).
We will review your application and contact you with any questions.
Full tuition and materials fees of $700 total ($550 + $150) are due with two weeks of acceptance.
For questions or further information, please email Cheryl Monroe at Trainingwest@MassMasterGardeners.org.
Emails should include your name and your desired program location (Wellesley/Elm Bank or Boylston/Tower Hill). For more information visit http://massmastergardeners.org/become-a-master-gardener/
