Plant Protection
Certificate of Achievement Agriculture · Woodland Community College · 2026-2027 Catalog
The Plant Protection Certificate of Achievement prepares students to design and implement comprehensive integrated pest management programs for private or public entities. Pest Control Advisers (PCA) provide written recommendations for the application of pesticides, as well as providing guidance to farmers for overall plant health. This certificate satisfies the core-course requirements specified for option “3. b” in preparing to take the Pest Control Adviser’s exam with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. The following courses need to be completed with a 2.0 grade point average or better.
Note: In addition to completing the course work, the Department of Pesticide Regulation requires PCA exam applicants to have completed 24 months of technical work experience before taking the exam. Courses in the program provide hands-on experiences designed to give students a combination of practical skills and technical knowledge. Students who intend to transfer should meet with a counselor or advisor to review lower-division requirements of the college or university they plan to attend.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate application of pesticides in a safe manner, include selecting proper PPE, mixing, calibration and application.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate with clients, assess pest damage for ecological and economic sustainability, determine thresholds and implement IPM practices based on client/crop needs
- Explain and apply basic principles of soils, cation exchange capacity, entomology and botany to horticulture practices and pesticide mode of action.
Required Courses for Major
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Physical & Biological Sciences (choose 12 units) | 12 | |
| BIOL-C1000 | Introduction to Biology with Lab | 4 |
| BIOL-1 | Introduction to Biological Molecules, Cells, and Cellular Processes | 5 |
| BIOL-7 | Introduction to Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution | 5 |
| BIOL-15 | Bioscience | 4 |
| BIOL-24 | Human Biology | 3 |
| BIOL-25 | Human Genetics | 3 |
| CHEM-2A | Introductory Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM-2B | Introductory Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM-10 | Concepts of Chemistry | 3 |
| ECOL-10 | Environment-Concepts and Issues | 3 |
| ENVHR-15 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| Crop Health (choose 9 units) | 9 | |
| ENVHR-10 | General Entomology | 3 |
| ENVHR-11 | Landscape Irrigation | 3 |
| PLSCI-12 | California Water | 3 |
| PLSCI-21 | Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition | 3 |
| PLSCI-22L | Introduction to Soils | 4 |
| PLSCI-34 | Introduction to Plant Pathology | 3 |
| Pest Management Systems & Methods (choose 6 units) | 6 | |
| ENVHR-10 | General Entomology | 3 |
| PLSCI-30 | Principles of Pest Management | 3 |
| PLSCI-31 | Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture | 3 |
| PLSCI-32 | Plant Protection Materials | 3 |
| PLSCI-33 | Weed Science | 3 |
| PLSCI-34 | Introduction to Plant Pathology | 3 |
| Production Systems (choose 6 units) | 6 | |
| AG-40 | Animal Health and Sanitation | 3 |
| AG-42 | Sheep and Goat Science/Production | 3 |
| AG-45 | Principles of Animal Science | 3 |
| AG-45L | Principles of Animal Science | 4 |
| AG-46 | Animal Feeds and Nutrition | 3 |
| PLSCI-11 | Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems | 3 |
| ENVHR-20 | Fund of Environmental Horticulture | 3 |
| ENVHR-21 | Plant Propagation | 3 |
| ENVHR-24 | Greenhouse Management | 3 |
| PLSCI-20L | Principles of Plant Science | 4 |
| PLSCI-25 | Field and Vegetable Crops | 3 |
| Electives: (Choose 9 units) | ||
| Select 9 units of additional courses listed above from Crop Health, Pest Management Systems & Methods, or Production Systems. | ||
| Internship (3 units required) | 3 | |
| AG-32 | Internship | 3 |
| Total units | 45 | |
Note: Minimum of 24 months documented work experience is required by Department of Pesticide Regulation to be eligible to sit for the Pest Control Advisor Exam (http://www.cdpr.ca.gov)