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Arboriculture programs in the United States: college degrees and certificates

What four colleges say about their arboriculture degrees, which programs a fifth college names, and the rows the International Society of Arboriculture prints in its own list of academic programs.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

This page describes programs from college pages and from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) academic programs list, all read on October 9, 2026. It does not rank schools, give tuition or say which program suits which person. The ISA calls its own list "incomplete", so a school missing here or there is not a statement about it. Which credentials employers ask for after a degree is on the ISA credentials guide.

Paul Smith's College, New York

The college lists Arboriculture and Landscape Management as an Associate of Applied Science of 60 credits, in its Institute of Forestry. The page says the program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters. It describes lab courses in tree climbing, planting, fertilizing and pruning, and the recognition of common diseases and insects. Its semester list includes Dendrology, Insects and Disease, Arboriculture I and II, Ornamental Dendrology, an introduction to GIS, and a choice of an extern course or a business course. The page names jobs its graduates take, among them city arborist, landscape manager and plant health care specialist, and calls the program a pathway to a bachelor's degree in Parks and Conservation Management or Forestry.

Cuyamaca College, California

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca catalog (2026-2027 edition) lists an Arboriculture Associate in Science and Certificate of Achievement. It says the major covers urban forestry, professional tree care and tree trimming, with course work in climbing, pruning, basic tree maintenance and the principles of urban forestry. The Associate in Science needs 32 units in the major plus general education, and the course list includes OH-260 Arboriculture, OH-263 Urban Forestry and OH-264 Safe Work Practices in Tree Climbing and Arboriculture, with a cooperative work experience course. The catalog says students who complete only the major requirements qualify for a Certificate in Arboriculture, and that six units in the major must be taken at Cuyamaca.

Merritt College, California

The Merritt Landscape Horticulture department page lists three urban arboriculture awards: an Arboriculture A.S. Degree, a Tree Care Specialist Certificate of Achievement and a Tree Climber Specialist Certificate of Achievement. The department page gives names only.

Hennepin Technical College, Minnesota

The college lists Arboriculture and Urban Forestry in its Horticulture and Landscaping department as an Associate of Applied Science and a certificate, taught in the daytime or evening at Brooklyn Park. Its 2025-2026 catalog gives the Urban Forestry Technician AAS as 60 credits: 41 in technical studies, 9 in general education, 6 in general education electives and 4 in technical electives. The required courses include Woody Plants I and II, Introduction to Arboriculture, Applied Arboriculture Operations, Insects and Diseases of Landscape Plants, Integrated Pest Management, Soil Science, Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and an Arboriculture Internship. The catalog lists award outcomes that include demonstrating the knowledge to take the Minnesota Tree Inspector Certification Test and the knowledge portion of the ISA certification exam. The program page says students have the opportunity to earn industry certifications such as the ISA Certified Arborist credential.

Clackamas Community College, Oregon

The college offers an Associate of Applied Science in Landscape Management with an Arboriculture option, listed at 96 to 97 credits over two years. Its 2026-2027 catalog says the degree prepares students for a career in arboriculture and urban forestry and provides the knowledge base for the ISA Certified Arborist exam. The plan of study includes Tree and Shrub Pruning, Tree Climber Training, Arboriculture I and II, Tree Diagnostics, Treework Practicum I and a Plant Health Care Practicum, with cooperative work experience in the summer terms. The catalog says working arborists with enough on-the-job experience can have prerequisites waived for higher-level classes. Its program outcomes name competency with climbing gear, chainsaw, chipper, hydraulic sprayer, truck and trailer, and the program page lists tree climber, plant care technician and self-employed arborist among career paths.

Rows in the ISA academic programs list

The ISA page says it is a list of academic degree programs related to arboriculture and tree care, and asks visitors to suggest ones to add. These rows name arboriculture or urban forestry in the program field, with the degree levels as ISA prints them.

SchoolDegrees and field in the ISA list
Colorado State UniversityBachelor, Master, Doctorate: Environmental Horticulture, with Arboriculture and Urban Forestry courses
University of IdahoBachelor: Arboriculture and Urban Landscape Ecology
Joliet Junior CollegeAssociate: Urban Forestry/Arboriculture
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Stockbridge School of AgricultureAssociate, Bachelor, Doctorate: Arboriculture and Community Forest Management
Hennepin Technical CollegeAssociate, Certificate, Diploma: Arboriculture; Urban Forestry
Clackamas Community CollegeAssociate, Certificate: Horticulture, with an AAS Arboriculture option

The list also carries Paul Smith's College, Cuyamaca College, Hennepin Technical College and Clackamas Community College, covered above.

Sources