Online (via Zoom)
Fast-Track Diploma

Professional
Garden Design

Online (via Zoom)
Fast-Track Diploma

Professional
Garden Design

As a not-for-profit foundation, we are so confident in the price of our Diploma’s that if you can find the same level of education for less, we will match it!

Course Summary

With twice weekly live Zoom classes, the Online Fast-Tracked Diploma combines the intensive pace of the ‘In-Studio Fast-Track’ Diploma and the convenience of the ‘Online Flexible’ Diploma. This 16-week course is ideal for those students wanting to study from home and speed up their learning in a live environment.

The Level 3 Diploma in Professional Garden Design provides you with the skills and qualification to work professionally as a garden designer… without having to go back to school full-time allowing you to balance the demands of work and family life.

The skills you’ll learn can help you carry out design projects for yourself or for family and friends, prepare you for work as a designer, or enable you to pursue further studies in the subject.

This course is Ofqual Level 3 accredited and globally recognised, meaning you can work legally as a garden designer or gain enough educational credits to study a Bachelors Degree if you so choose.

We have over 30 years of experience in teaching design, with over 35,000 alumni, this garden design course is a trusted way to help you pursue your passion and kick-start your career as a garden designer

Why Learn Online?

For students who want all the benefits of remote online learning, but are also looking for more structure and live interaction with tutors and peers, the ‘Online Fast-Track’ course offers an ideal mix.

Because the course is delivered fully online, it means students can study from anywhere in the world without the need to travel or commute and attend a full-time course. But it also adds the valuable element of live lectures online with tutors and other students, to cover key content and enable discussions.

What Will I Study?

You will study ten dedicated Units during this Professional Diploma

Background to Garden Design

This unit introduces you to the definition of Garden Design and key Garden styles. It covers the history of Garden Design and the main design principles Garden Designers work with in the present day. This unit also includes:

The definition of Garden Design
The history and development of Garden Design
The effect garden design history has on contemporary gardens
Garden Design styles, e.g. formal, classical, urban, rural, cottage etc.

The Role of the Garden Designer

This Unit introduces you to a design brief and takes you through the different stages of the garden design process, giving you an understanding of the role and responsibilities of the garden designer. This unit also includes:

Skills required to fulfil the role of Garden Designer
Stages of the garden design process
The importance of the design brief
An introduction to the virtual client, whose garden you will design throughout the course

Presentation Techniques

Within this Unit, you will learn how to measure a garden and draw it to scale. You will also learn how to start the process of developing conceptual designs for a client. This unit also includes:

Site surveying – how & what to measure or record on site
Surveying tools
Understanding scale
Developing technical plans to scale, step by step
Hand drawn or CAD – students may produce either
Industry standard drawing conventions

Components of Garden Design

This unit focuses on how you organise and fill your garden design effectively. You will have the opportunity use your creative skills by preparing and presenting your ideas working to a specific garden design brief. This unit also includes:

Planning the space
Colour theory & how it will affect your garden design
Creating a variety of effects using garden components: boundaries, structures, planting, soft & hard landscape
Using furniture, accessories, play equipment, pets, wild animals and water features for garden design
Light and shade as part of the garden design
Concept and design presentation to a client

Understanding Plants

This Unit will help you to understand planting biology and the importance of selecting appropriate planting as part of your design. This fundamental knowledge will complement your presentation skills when developing a design and help you to communicate your initial ideas. This unit also includes:

Plant identification
Plant features: flowers, fruits, leaves, stems
Hazardous plants
Basic plant biology
Plant names and classification
Soil types and suitability for plants

Using Hard Landscaping Materials

In this Unit, you will learn how to select specific Hard Landscaping Materials to enhance your design. Increasing your knowledge of sustainable products and practices It also covers how to communicate your ideas visually to your client and how to specify your requirements to a contractor. This unit also includes:

Raw, natural & man-made materials: stone, aggregates, stone composite, metals, glass, timber, synthetics
Recycled and reclaimed materials
Use for walling, paving, decking, pergolas and arches
Drawing a Hard Landscaping plan
Communicating your design via a presentation board
The importance of a specification

Selecting Plant Types

This Unit looks at how you source your plants and the practical and aesthetic considerations to be considered when developing a planting layout to a design brief. You will also learn how to present a planting plan to a professional standard. This unit also includes:

The role of plants in the garden
Selection & design for site context, functionality and client requirements
Selection & design for visual aesthetics
Producing a planting plan
Planting specifications

Selecting Furniture & Features

This Unit looks specifically at sourcing furniture, lighting, water features and accessories from the huge variety available, to meet your client brief. You will learn about the main types of garden lighting and how to present this information on a Furniture, Lighting and Accessories Plan. This unit also includes:

Furniture: human scale, bespoke, style
Garden lighting: function, types and specification
Water features: types, style and how to design
Garden accessories: pots, sculpture, garden art, statues, heating, barbeques / outdoor kitchens
Presenting your selection to your client
Designing to accommodate pets and wildlife

Professional Practice

This unit shows you everything you need to know about how to set up your own garden design business. It also helps you identify other career opportunities within Garden Design, such as working within an established garden design practice or moving on to studying for a degree. This unit also includes:

Different roles within the Industry
How to set up a garden design practice
Marketing and promotion
How to calculate your fees
Handling clients and the client brief
Sourcing suppliers and contractors
Managing the project

Producing a Garden Design

For the final unit of the course, you bring together all your newly learned skills by producing conceptual designs and a design pack to create a wonderful garden design for a new client. When complete, your work will form an asset to your developing portfolio to show future clients. This unit also includes:

Creating concept plans
Creating a planting plan
Creating a hard landscaping plan
Concept sketches
Specifications, rationale and order of works

Unit 1

Background to Garden Design

The definition of Garden Design
The history and development of Garden Design
The effect garden design history has on contemporary gardens
Garden Design styles, e.g. formal, classical, urban, rural, cottage etc.

Unit 2

The Role of the Garden Designer

Skills required to fulfil the role of Garden Designer
Stages of the garden design process
The importance of the design brief
An introduction to the virtual client, whose garden you will design throughout the course

Unit 3

Presentation Techniques

Within this Unit, you will learn how to measure a garden and draw it to scale. You will also learn how to start the process of developing conceptual designs for a client. This unit also includes:

Site surveying – how & what to measure or record on site
Surveying tools
Understanding scale
Developing technical plans to scale, step by step
Hand drawn or CAD – students may produce either
Industry standard drawing conventions

Unit 4

Components of Garden Design

Planning the space
Colour theory & how it will affect your garden design
Creating a variety of effects using garden components: boundaries, structures, planting, soft & hard landscape
Using furniture, accessories, play equipment, pets, wild animals and water features for garden design
Light and shade as part of the garden design
Concept and design presentation to a client

Unit 5

Understanding Plants

Plant identification
Plant features: flowers, fruits, leaves, stems
Hazardous plants
Basic plant biology
Plant names and classification
Soil types and suitability for plants

Unit 6

Using Hard Landscaping Materials

Raw, natural & man-made materials: stone, aggregates, stone composite, metals, glass, timber, synthetics
Recycled and reclaimed materials
Use for walling, paving, decking, pergolas and arches
Drawing a Hard Landscaping plan
Communicating your design via a presentation board
The importance of a specification

Unit 7

Selecting Plant Types

The role of plants in the garden
Selection & design for site context, functionality and client requirements
Selection & design for visual aesthetics
Producing a planting plan
Planting specifications

Unit 8

Selecting Furniture & Features

Furniture: human scale, bespoke, style
Garden lighting: function, types and specification
Water features: types, style and how to design
Garden accessories: pots, sculpture, garden art, statues, heating, barbeques / outdoor kitchens
Presenting your selection to your client
Designing to accommodate pets and wildlife

Unit 9

Professional Practice

Different roles within the Industry
How to set up a garden design practice
Marketing and promotion
How to calculate your fees
Handling clients and the client brief
Sourcing suppliers and contractors
Managing the project

Unit 10

Producing a Garden Design

Creating concept plans
Creating a planting plan
Creating a hard landscaping plan
Concept sketches
Specifications, rationale and order of works

Student Gallery

A sample of work completed by our talented garden design students

How Is The Course Run?

The 16 week course consists of a 10-week study period that covers each of the 10 subject units in the Diploma course, one unit per week. Also up to 6 ‘Independent Study’ weeks within the duration to allow students to complete assignments.

Study Week Course Schedule

At the start of each week, students are provided access to course content for the relevant subject unit
A 2.5 hour live lecture is held by the tutor to cover key points in the unit
Students are given 2 to 3 days to go through the unit content and start their assignments in their own time
A 2.5 hour live lecture is held towards the middle of the week to allow time for discussions, questions and a review of progress made on assignments
All assignments relating to the unit are completed by end of the week or a following 'Independent Study' week

Please Note: This is an intensive, fast-track course. If you are unable to commit to the course schedule, other study options are available.

Next Available Course Dates

International students (non-UK) – Please check the timings of each course in your country, using our handy Timezone Converter below. All courses are listed in UK (London) Timezone.

20th March - 13th July
10am - 12.30pm (UK Time)
Thursday & Monday

Morning

18th September - 3rd January
2pm - 4.30pm (UK Time)
Wednesday & Monday

Afternoon

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A Recognised Qualification

Accreditation

At the National Design Academy, we fully believe in the importance of accreditation. After all, what value is there in investing time and money into a course if it doesn’t offer a recognized qualification? The Diploma course is accredited by AIM Qualifications, an independent accrediting body for UK courses, and is recognised globally. It offers a level-3 UK qualification that allows to you work as a professional garden designer or start your own garden design business.

UK residents pay approximately 50% course fees and funding from the UK government will pay the rest.

No upfront course fees to find. If you are aged 19+ and have lived in England for 3+ years you are eligible.

UK residents pay approximately 50% course fees and funding from the UK government will pay the rest.

Online Fast-Track Diploma Course Fees

UK Students

Non-Funded
Course Fee £1,800

Less
UK Government Funding

NDA Funded Course Fee £1,200

There are two ways for UK students to pay for their Online Fast-Track Diploma:

£ 1,200 On Enrolment

International Students

There are two ways for International students to pay for their Online Fast-Track Diploma:

$ 2,425 ON ENROLMENT

Save $250 by paying in full
Limited spaces available!!

$ 2,675 IN TOTAL*

$1,125 on enrolment
+ 2 x $775 monthly payments

* Monthly payments include admin fee.

All International fees in US Dollars.

What Will I Need To Study?

Alongside a computer and an internet connection, there is also essential and recommended design equipment and resources required to complete your NDA Course, the majority are available through the online NDA Art Shop at student prices!

What's Next?

Higher Education

Once you have successfully completed the NDA Diploma in Professional Garden Design, you a will be offered a guaranteed place onto one of our online degree courses, such as BA (Hons) Design for Outdoor Living, with a generous Progression Scholarship. Degrees are awarded by our academic partner, De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), and they are studied online in the same way as your Diploma.

Careers

The Diploma in Professional Garden Design is designed to help you start your own Garden Design business. Like the Diploma course itself, you can work flexibly for your clients around your family commitments and gradually expand your business.

Many of our Diploma students start their own business and study for their degree flexibly alongside their client projects.

Student Success Stories...

Student Success: Professional Garden Design, Baz Grainger

Baz Grainger was already highly successful in the fashion industry, working as Head of Apparel for Timberland, but something was nagging at him. After visiting the

Garden Design Student Spotlight: Katie Reynolds

The best way to find out what it’s like to study an adult education course is to ask someone who has done it! We love to

Student of the Month: Joseph Limeta

Joseph Limeta was presented with his Student of the Month award in Dubai by NDA Academy Director, Pauline Riley. Joseph was chosen from over 2,000 students

Ready to pursue your passion for Garden Design?

What Our Students Say...

Hear what past and present students have to say about studying at the NDA

The course has given me a direction to follow that I am passionate about, which after 12 months of life being thrown into complete chaos is a relief. It’s an intense course, which has been great to keep my mind busy between days off of work. I’ve learnt many new skills in a quick space of time that I can take away and develop further. It’s also been absolutely lovely to meet other students (even if only via Zoom) for a couple of sessions of normality during a lockdown each week. Gill my tutor has been absolutely encouraging, offering advice when we reach out and giving me the confidence to continue on in a direction that was new to me.

I was very hesitant to join the fast track zoom course because I was afraid it would be intense and I wouldn’t be able to handle it. However, I truly saw the value in one-on-one time with my teachers and direct contact with my peers. While it was challenging, it was equally if not more rewarding to be a part of this course.

The course gave a really comprehensive taste of the whole process with a client… I just couldn't commit to longer studying so this suited and definitely did the job… it was really good to have that personal element rather than just online learning.

I wanted to study, but needed to find a course which would fit in with, and hopefully complement, my busy workload. After looking at different options, I decided the course at the NDA looked like the one for me as it covered a wide range of topics from gardening history and design through to professional practice.

It was an easy decision to study with the NDA. One of the things that made the whole process so much easier was the VLS platform. It's a great method of communication between student and tutor but also in terms of receiving work and submitting feedback.

Online (via Zoom)Fast-Track Diploma

ProfessionalGarden Design

Online (via Zoom)Fast-Track Diploma

ProfessionalGarden Design

Entry Requirements

Course Duration

Next Course Dates

Assessment

Course Summary

Why Learn Online?

What Will I Study?

Background to Garden Design

The Role of the Garden Designer

Presentation Techniques

Components of Garden Design

Understanding Plants

Using Hard Landscaping Materials

Selecting Plant Types

Selecting Furniture & Features

Professional Practice

Producing a Garden Design

Background to Garden Design

The Role of the Garden Designer

Presentation Techniques

Components of Garden Design

Understanding Plants

Using Hard Landscaping Materials

Selecting Plant Types

Selecting Furniture & Features

Professional Practice

Producing a Garden Design

Student Gallery

How Is The Course Run?

Next Available Course Dates

Timezone Converter

A Recognised Qualification

Online Fast-Track Diploma Course Fees

UK Students

One Payment

3 x Monthly Payments

International Students

One Payment

3 x Monthly Payments

What Will I Need To Study?

What's Next?

Student Success Stories...

Student Success: Professional Garden Design, Baz Grainger

Garden Design Student Spotlight: Katie Reynolds

Student of the Month: Joseph Limeta

Ready to pursue your passion for Garden Design?

What Our Students Say...

Questions? Request a Call Back

Course Schedule

Induction Session (1 hr)

Unit 1 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 1 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 2 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 2 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 3 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Independent Study (1 week)

Unit 3 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 4 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 4 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 5 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Independent Study (1 week)

Unit 5 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 6 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 6 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 7 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 7 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 8 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Independent Study (1 week)

Unit 8 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 9 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 9 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Unit 10 - Live Lecture (2.5 hrs)

Unit 10 - Q&A (2.5 hrs)

Independent Study (3 weeks)

Completion Date (Hand-in)

Course Schedule

Online (via Zoom)
Fast-Track Diploma

Professional
Garden Design

Online (via Zoom)
Fast-Track Diploma

Professional
Garden Design