Professional Diploma in Garden Design & Horticulture

	QUALIFICATION KLC Professional Diploma in Garden Design & Horticulture and RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles & Practices of Horticulture OBJECTIVE Career-focused training in Garden Design & Horticulture DURATION 28 months (2 years plus 1 term through a combination of courses at the college and distance learning requiring 15 hours study at home per week on average) LOCATION Workshop elements are held at Hampton Court Palace

This course is unique in its approach providing comprehensive Garden Design training coupled with an in-depth Horticultural knowledge, both delivered with extensive coverage of professional practice, giving KLC graduates a significant competitive advantage in the market place.

The course includes:-

• Plants and Plantsmanship (including the RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture)
• Practical Horticulture (including the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture)
• Practical Horticultural Workshops in the 20th Century Gardens at Hampton Court Palace
• Design Principles
• Planting Plans – including form, texture & colour
• Design Projects – including live projects
• Inspirational Lectures from leading designers in the industry
• Sketching and Technical Drawing
• 3D Visualisation, CAD (Vectorworks)
• Garden History
• Landscape Construction – theory
• Professional Practice including Setting Up in Business and Project Management
• Presentation Techniques – Visual and Verbal
  

Flexibility of Study
Blended learning offers students unparalleled flexibility with their study. The combination of distance learning study, on-line training and workshops and tutorials held at KLC's Design Studio in Hampton Court Palace allows students to study from home, but with the support and structured programme of an on-site course. This method of study also enables students to achieve both the prestigious KLC Professional Diploma Qualification in Garden Design & Horticulture and the RHS Level 2 Diploma in the Principles & Practices of Horticulture in just over two years without necessarily having to give up work or family commitments.

Existing KLC distance learning students can also elect to upgrade their study package to benefit from the additional support mechanisms of blended learning (although this requires students to start the blended learning course from the beginning).

Individual Care & Attention
One of the strengths of KLC's training is the small class size and the care and attention that are given to each individual student. All students are assigned a course tutor for tutorials throughout their training.

The course is carefully overseen by Annie Guilfoyle, our Director of Garden Design Courses. Annie is an award-winning designer and an RHS Chelsea Flower Show Silver Medal winner. As well as writing for garden magazines, she has also appeared on several garden design programmes on TV to much acclaim and her garden design consultancy has been extremely busy and successful as a result.

Gain Employment
KLC is very proactive about helping graduates find employment at the end of the course. Advice on CV's, portfolio presentation and career direction is available and, with many approaches from some of the leading design companies, we are often able to put graduates directly in touch with potential employers. It may also be possible to find Blended Learning Students some work experience whilst they are studying on the course, but we cannot guarantee a placement.

General Requirements
No previous art or design experience is necessary. Normally the entry standard is a degree, but mature students with sufficient prior learning experience are particularly encouraged. Entry is by interview and numbers are strictly limited. The purpose of the interview is to assess applicants' academic ability, motivation, performance under pressure and the reasons for undertaking the training. English language ability must also be competent and we look for a minimum score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (www.ielts.org) or its equivalent. Students are also required to have a laptop computer, access to a colour printer and a broadband internet connection for this course and have basic everyday computer skills (e.g. using a mouse and keyboard, opening and saving files etc.).

Computer Skills
Students on KLC's Diploma level courses are expected to use computers during their studies. These will be used for producing presentational material and for CAD and presentation software training. Important information relating to the course is sometimes communicated via email. For this reason, students should ensure that they are familiar with the general operation and use of computers (for example, they should be able to confidently create, amend, save and distribute documents, and use email) before starting their course. Prior experience in using either PCs or Macs will be equally helpful. Full details of the expected level of ability will be provided upon enrolment. CAD software can sometimes cause conflicts with other software on your computer. Current students using PCs seem to have had fewer complications than those using Apple Mac computers, however this will not necessarily be the case with future releases of the software and the choice of which computer to use is entirely yours.

NOTE: The interview is the first step in the formal application process for KLC's full time and blended learning course. At interview, among other topics of conversation, we will ask you to outline how you plan to incorporate 15 hours of study per week or over into your life alongside any existing commitments; this will be of particular concern if you are in full-time employment. Before applying for an interview please ensure that you have the funding available, are of sufficient age and have the required language ability.

To arrange an interview for this course, please contact us on 020 7376 3377 or email info@klc.co.uk.

Online Training
Through KLC's website, blended learning students will access a range of on-line support services. Students download study modules and worksheets from the site, which then keeps track of progress through the course. This allows students access to their study material from anywhere in the world.

Regular online tutorials (about one per term) will be held with a KLC tutor in a virtual classroom. These online tutorials will be given on specific subjects with a live video link to the tutor, course notes and PowerPoint presentations. KLC uses Adobe Connect, which is a secure flexible web communication system that allows on-line training, web conferencing and online collaboration, and allows students to have an interactive experience with both the tutor and other students in the classroom.

The website also acts as a Learning Resource Centre, so that students can access examples of other students' work, take part in lively discussions on the bulletin board and chat room, view and amend their personal details and access other relevant course information such as their student study guide, course timetable, latest news and the useful links page.

Extensive Support Throughout Studies
Students taking this blended learning course benefit from all the unique support services that we offer our traditional learning students. However, in addition to this, blended learning students are overseen by their course tutor, who will be your mentor and monitor your progress from day one of your studies through to your graduation.

You will also be given a schedule for your distance learning studies setting down fixed deadlines for projects to be submitted that will ensure that you complete your studies within the specified timeframe.

KLC Staff are available (Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 5.30pm) to rapidly respond to any course queries by phone or e-mail. Our maximum response time is usually within one working day, but we will endeavour to respond to blended learning students' queries within 2 hours during office hours.

Blended Learning Students also have the opportunity to attend a group seminar at every workshop (approximately every 2-3 months) to present recent work to a small group of their peers and to discuss progress.

Timetable for Courses at the College

YEAR ONE

One Week Foundation Course (16 – 20 April 2012)

• Introduction to your studies
• Introductory Technical Drawing Course – including instruction on drafting plans, elevations and sections
• Inspirational Lecture from a leading garden designer showcasing their work
• Introduction to concept boards

Friday Workshop (1 Day)

• Site Survey and Analysis for 1st Project and Client Brief for 1st Project (15 June 2012)

2-day Workshops (Friday/Saturday)

• Horticulture and the Principles of Planting Design & Planting Plans (21 & 22 September 2012)
• Axonometric Drawing and Rendering (1 & 2 February 2012)

YEAR TWO

One Week Intermediary Course (15 – 19 April 2013)

• Computer Aided Design (Vectorworks)
• Horticulture (continued)
• One Point Perspective

Friday Workshop (1 Day)

• Two Point Perspective (14 June 2013)
• Site Survey & Analysis and Client Brief for 3rd Project (27 September 2013)

Saturday Workshop (1 Day)

• Project Workshop focusing on historical research (9 November 2013)

2-day Workshops (Monday/Tuesday)

• RHS Theory for Level 2 Horticultural Assessments (10 & 11 February 2014 – TBC)

YEAR THREE (One Term Only)

One Week RHS Assessment Course (7 – 11 April 2014 – TBC)

• Practical Demonstrations for RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture
• Formal Assessments for RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture)
• Lighting Lecture
  

Three Day Final Course (2 – 4 July 2014)

• Costing a Project
• Specification
• Professional Practice
• Careers Workshop
• Presenting Skills
• Inspirational Lecture

PLANT SCIENCE

• Plant kingdom
• Anatomy
• Functions
• Processes
• Genetics
• Soil (structure, texture, composition and management & other growing media)
• Propagation

PLANT CARE & MANAGEMENT

• Receiving and planting out plants
• Watering
• Pruning
• Plant protection
• Feeding and composting
• Weeds
• Pests and diseases
• Beneficial organisms
• Practical horticulture (inc dealing with tools & equipment, powered garden machinery, health & safety)

GARDEN HISTORY

• Ancient and religious gardens
• Mediaeval gardens
• Gardens of the Far East
• Renaissance gardens
• The plant hunters
• The formal garden 1660-1714
• Landscape – early and late
• Gardens from the Gardenesque to the Arts & Crafts 1830-1920
• 20th Century
• Contemporary gardens

TECHNICAL DESIGN SKILLS

• Scale
• Inking and lettering
• Freehand sketching
• Survey, plans, elevations, sections
• Planting plans and schedules
• Axonometric and isometric drawings
• Perspective drawing
• CAD
• Scale models
• Detailed construction drawings
• Setting out plants
• Reproducing drawings

PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES

• Visual and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Concept boards
• Graphics
• Rendering
• PowerPoint

THE DESIGN PROCESS

• The client
• The brief
• Site survey and analysis
• Design analysis
• The design concept
• Functional layout drawings
• Design development
• Design principles

PLANTS AND THEIR USE IN DESIGN

• Plant nomenclature
• Plant categories
• Form, texture and colour
• Special garden habitats
• Naturalistic planting
• Special garden themes

CONSTRUCTION

• Feasibility
• Hard landscaping materials and finishes
• Soft landscaping (inc green roofs and walls)
• Water
• Construction and structural principles
• Construction details and specification
• Drainage
• Lighting
• Accessibility
• Planning permissions and building regulations
• Costing a project

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY IN

• Design
• Planting
• Construction
• Garden practice

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

• Career planning
• Business planning
• Project management and contract administration
• Legal considerations
• Health & safety

CONTEXTUAL STUDIES

• Careers advice
• Careers workshop
• Work experience opportunities
• Working in a design team
• Student-led debates, discourse, research