Approved Continuing Education Opportunities
Certification as a Master Gardener is valid for one year. Keeping your certification current requires that you annually complete at least 10 continuing education (CE) hours and at least 20 hours of volunteer service. The goal of recertification is to ensure that Master Gardener volunteers know and share the latest information on sustainable gardening.
Enter your CE classes in the Master Gardener Volunteer Reporting System (VRS) by 10/31 each year.
What criteria does OSU Extension use to approve classes for continuing education?
- Continuing Education status is granted to educational programs/classes that support a volunteer’s ability to deliver research-based and objective gardening information to the general public.
- Classes may also grow skills for community garden educators like working with people, technology, and more.
Did you find a class not listed here that you would like to count for continuing education? Contact your program staff.
Approved continuing education
- Master Gardener Training Online. Continuing Master Gardener volunteers may enjoy free access to this Master Gardener Online program. Do not enroll in the fee-based online course–instead, contact your program staff for access.
- Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series for 2025
- Growing Oregon Gardeners: Level Up Series for 2024
- 10 Minute University
10-Minute University™ offers a short-cut to research-based gardening know-how. - Garden Future Events
Focusing on climate resilience in the garden. - Oregon Forest Pest Detector Training.
- Elevated Master Gardener Series (Grow your community garden educator skills with people and technology.)
- MG Advanced Training webinar series (ongoing & recorded) updated 6/29
- Online gardening classes (fee) by OSU’s PACE division (Professional and Continuing Education)
- Reading research-based sustainable gardening publications
- Approved continuing education classes offered by Master Gardeners in other counties
- Some classes are offered by local garden centers and Garden Clubs. Classes must meet the educational criteria above – ask your program staff
Webinars on Garden Design and Making
- Garden Design 101 https://youtu.be/X4xB7enA-B8
- Shade Garden https://youtu.be/YiZqivNWNEQ
- Year-round Colors https://youtu.be/bSckdgKWFyY
- Garden Transformation https://youtu.be/7DpMM8zAh2o
- Building a Garden https://youtu.be/H8CBIEURM_A
Webinars on Plant Trials, Resilient Gardens, and Low- & No-Water Plants
- Plant Trial Winners https://youtu.be/tRUCf4wj0nY
- Groundcovers for Un-irrigated Landscapes https://youtu.be/4BdWnMwcCX4
- Resilient Gardens https://youtu.be/O2LrwkqzBEg
Inclusive Adult Learning
Master Gardeners teach mostly adult learners including people from all walks of life. If you present workshops, host plant clinics, or write educational posts, these continuing education opportunities will help you succeed. When submitting hours please share your top takeaway and how it might apply to Master Gardener activities.
- Read: Sustainable Agriculture Through Sustainable Learning: An Educator’s Guide to Best Practices for Adult Learning. Adults learn through experience and by relating new information to their existing knowledge. Discover methods for teaching research-based information that has been tested in Extension.
- Watch: Trauma-Informed College Teaching: Prepare, Respond, Restore. Understanding how common trauma is and how it affects adult learners can help community educators like us to reach more people and reduce barriers to learning.
- Read: Creating Safe Spaces Within Extension Programs. Extension educators are challenged to find effective ways to ensure that our participants learn in program contexts that are inclusive and respectful of all people. In order to make our programs inclusive environments, it is important for us to be brave enough to disrupt statements that are demeaning and marginalize others.
