Graduate Diploma in Urban Horticulture (GD-URBHORT) // Attributes, outcomes and skills

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Intended learning outcomes

The course is designed for graduates to:

  • develop skills, knowledge, understanding and competence in the area of environmental horticulture or production horticulture;
  • analyse problems, advise, guide, develop and organise horticultural programs and operations;
  • develop a holistic approach to horticulture through an understanding of the biological, socio-cultural and environmental factors within the system;
  • extend scholarly and critical attitudes in the discipline of horticulture.

Generic skills

  • A profound respect for truth, intellectual and professional integrity, and the ethics of scholarship
  • Capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning and research
  • An ability to derive, interpret and analyse social, technical or economic information from primary and other sources
  • Awareness of and ability to utilise appropriate communication technology and methods for the storage, management and analysis of data
  • Capacity for creativity and innovation, through the application of skills and knowledge
  • Ability to integrate information across a relevant discipline to solve problems in applied situations
  • Highly developed computer - based skills to allow for effective on-line learning and communication.
  • Highly developed written communication skills to allow informed dialogue with individuals and groups from industry, government and the community
  • Highly developed oral communication skills to allow informed dialogue and liaison with individuals and groups from industry, government and the community.
  • Appreciation of social and cultural diversity from a regional to a global context
  • Ability to participate effectively as a member of a team
  • Ability to plan work, use time effectively and manage small projects

Graduate attributes

The Melbourne Experience enables our Graduates to become:

Academically excellent
Our Graduates will be expected to:

  • have strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship
  • have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s)
  • reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities,
  • problem-solving and communication
  • be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed
  • learning
  • be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and
  • communication technologies

Knowledgeable across disciplines

Our graduates will be expected to:

  • examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines
  • expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects
  • have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems
  • have a a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.

Leaders in communities

Our graduates will be expected to:

  • initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including
  • professions and workplaces
  • have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of
  • personal strengths and limitations
  • mentor future generations of learners
  • engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs

Attuned to cultural diversity
Our graduates will be expected to :

  • Value different cultures
  • be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work
  • have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community
  • respect Indigenous knowledge, cultures and values

Active global citizens
Our graduates will be expected to:

  • accept social and civic responsibilities
  • be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment
  • have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equality and ethics.

Last updated: 27 February 2025