Continuing Education
Learning is a crucial part of being a Master Gardener Volunteer and we hear it’s something you love to do! Each year, you will need to complete 10 hours of continuing education as a part of your certification requirements. This added learning will help keep you informed, involved and updated about research-based horticultural topics and advances. You can also learn about how to be a better volunteer and outreach educator.
Only certain educational activities count for Master Gardener Program continuing education hours. In general, something will count if it presents research-based gardening or horticultural information in an objective way or if it helps you learn to be a better Extension volunteer. The Continuing Education Policy helps you understand if that seminar, book, article, webinar or video you’re checking out is an appropriate continuing education experience for the Master Gardener Program. We recommend you try to get your continuing education in a variety of different ways each year.
Read through the Continuing Education Policy to learn about the general requirements. You can find it on the Master Gardener website program policies section. The Policy includes more specific information about what counts toward your continuing education hours. A short summary follows here.
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Know the Continuing Education Policy
Continuing education keeps Master Gardener Volunteers informed, involved, and learning about research-based horticultural and volunteer topics and advances. It matters for volunteer development and satisfaction and promotes high quality volunteerism
Requirements:
To fulfill the continuing education requirement for certification, a Master Gardener Volunteer must complete 10 hours of continuing education per year using approved sources.
Hours are reported on the honor system in the online reporting system (ORS).
To be counted toward certification requirements, a continuing education experience should:
1a. present research-based information on horticulture or gardening in an objective manner
or
1b. support or improve an individual’s ability to serve as an Extension volunteer,
and
2. align with Master Gardener Program scope and scientific literacy guidance.
Best practices:
- Get information from a variety of sources if possible, depending on what you have access to.
- As well as you are able, make sure to focus on the most current information. There are, of course, exceptions to this—some gardening information is as true now as it was 50 years ago! If you are wondering if something older is appropriate, check in with your coordinator.
Time:
MGVs collect continuing education hours over the year. Continuing education hours do not transfer between reporting years; they count only for the reporting year of the educational activity. MGVs can claim the full run time of a continuing education presentation, class or webinar unless otherwise specified. Time spent can be rounded up to the nearest 15 minutes. Travel does not count toward continuing education hours.