Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Diploma
Program Overview
The Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Diploma is a 9-month program that provides training for participants who are interested in creating regenerative food systems and lifestyles within the context of the development of resilient ecosystems. This program provides robust curriculum in permaculture design, going above and beyond basic permaculture training while also including courses in business planning and project management, community development, natural building, and food and medicine systems.
Length: 9 months
Offered: yearly beginning in February
2021 and 2022 programs are FULL
Hours: 720 total
Program Enrolment: Maximum 20
My experience in the Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Diploma has been life altering in all of the best ways. The way I look at the world, at our ecosystems and at our history as individuals and a society has forever been changed. The value of understanding regenerative farming, sustainable practices and how to thrive while practicing permaculture principles are priceless. I am grateful for all of the instructors that shared their passions with us and continue to plant seeds of inspiration and knowledge for a brighter future.
– Nikki Wilkinson, Alumnus
Why Pacific Rim College?
What You’ll Learn:
Key Learning Outcome #1
To establish and sustain abundant, regenerative food systems by deploying appropriate permaculture principles, techniques, and design approaches.
Key Learning Outcome #2
To build community through placemaking: participation in local restoration work, ethical wild harvesting, and herbal medicine-making.
Key Learning Outcome #3
Development of hands-on proficiency building soil, performing plant and tree care, harnessing water and energy flows, and undertaking natural building projects.
Key Learning Outcome #4
Engagement and networking with the Pacific Northwest’s thriving and dynamic permaculture community.
Key Learning Outcome #5
Employment preparation in permaculture design and related fields with multidisciplinary business instruction.
To me, the PDRE program embodies holism in every sense of the word. It is a re-remembrance of what it means to be a human on this earth, and reminds us how to co-create with the land and its people in an inventive, harmonious way that celebrates the unique gifts and contributions of all. When I think back to all that I have experienced through this program, I recall how it felt to make a hawthorn tincture, or learn how to sheet mulch, or taste a medlar for the first time. It has taught me a deeper, more grounded way of interacting with the past and the future in this pivotal time on earth – honouring where we come from, learning how to be a good ancestor.
– Dominique Argan, Alumnus
Core Program Instructors
Hannah is a professional agrologist and ethnobotanist, and her research interests span agroecology, permaculture, medicinal plants, and indigenous land-management and cultivation techniques.
Mark is a co-founder of the City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon, and founder and principal of Communitecture, Inc.
Christina has 15 years teaching experience in organic horticulture, landscape design, and plant ID.
Liza is a Medical Herbalist and Holistic Nutritionist deeply committed to expanding her knowledge about all things plant-related.
Brandon has been studying nature, agriculture, and culture for more than 20 years and is co-founder of The Blue Raven Farm.
Kym Chi is a chartered herbalist with extensive training and experience in permaculture.
Shima Hashemian is a Medical Herbalist and the co-founder of Heartsease Herbs.
Curriculum
Below is a list of all courses included in the Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Diploma program. Please click on course links below to see more course information including descriptions and prerequisites.
Food and Medicine Systems
Natural Building Techniques
Permaculture Design
Permaculture Workshop
Total Requirements
Learning Sites
This program is offered primarily at the college’s two herb farms: Tiny Tree Herb Farm (main campus) and Ravenhill Herb Farm. These farms are located on the beautiful and fertile Saanich Peninsula, about 25 minutes north of our downtown campus.
Tiny Tree Herb Farm is located near the coastal community of Brentwood Bay overlooking the Malahat. This 6-acre farm organically grows a variety of food, along with medicinal and culinary herbs, trees and mushrooms. The rich soil, spring-fed water and ample sun exposure makes it a beautiful place to grow.
Ravenhill Herb Farm is a locally-run farm overlooking the Saanich Inlet of the Salish Sea. This 10-acre west coast oasis grows food, medicinal herbs, and culinary herbs, all organically, for the community and is dedicated to sharing knowledge of sustainable living and permaculture practices. The farm also is home to many happy animals including goats, livestock guardian dogs, and chickens.
Admissions
Admission into the Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Diploma program at Pacific Rim College is on a competitive basis. Entering students must have a high school diploma or an equivalency test. In addition, all non-native English speaking applicants must demonstrate a mastery of written and spoken English. Any foreign applicant may be required to submit an official score report from an English proficiency exam such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Test System).
Tuition and Fees
Tuition and fees for the Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Program are broken down as follows:
– A $250 non-refundable registration fee (tuition adjusted in final semester) and a signed student contract is required for acceptance into this program.
– Tuition for the first and second semesters is $3300 each and for the third semester $3050. Payment is due 15 days prior to the published start date of each semester.
– A $100 program supply fee is due with each semester’s tuition payment.
Please click here for a description of Academic Fees in PDF format.
Financial Aid
This program is approved for Canada Student Loans. British Columbia residents can apply for student loans online through StudentAid BC. Students can also pick up a paper application from PRC or any other academic institution registered with Canada Student Loans. For non-British Columbia residents, please visit hrsdc.gc.ca for information about Canada Student Loans.
For a list of all financial aid programs available to PRC students, please visit our Financial Aid page.
Post-Graduation
Graduates of the Permaculture Design and Resilient Ecosystems Diploma program will have the distinction of having completed an unprecedented program. They will be poised to be leaders in the permaculture realm and can seek employment as permaculture designers, in greenhouse/nursery management, in a horticulture and/or sustainable agriculture business, in herbal medicine production and processing, as a natural building apprentice, and in sustainable community development.
