At A Glance
Hands-on course designed to prepare students for a career in the turf and grounds management industry.
Enter a growing field with employment of certified coding specialists projected to grow 4 percent between now and 2034.
Earn real world internship experience.
Welcome to the Turf Management Certificate Program
Do you love working outdoors and always wanted to maintain a beautiful landscape? Lackawanna College has you covered with our Turf Management Certificate Program!
This certificate teaches you the vital skills you need to succeed in a career in turf management and give you real world experience before you enter the workforce.
Your Career Starts Here
Turf management certificate holder play a pivotal role in the maintenance of the fields they care for. This can be in any outdoors location that requires your green thumb. The median average salary of turf management certificate holder in Pennsylvania is typically $38,000.
Certificate holders can expect to work in a variety of location such as:
- Sport Facilities
- Golf Courses
- College/Universities
- Public Parks
- Commercial Facilities
- Residential Communities
More About the Program
The Turf Management Certificate Program is an intensive, hands-on training course designed to prepare students for a career in the turf and grounds management industry. This 6-month (26-week) program includes 495 hours of classroom instruction and field training, followed by a real-world internship beginning in Week 17.
Our comprehensive program provides in-depth training in turfgrass science, soil management, irrigation, pest control, and equipment operation. You’ll receive industry-standard certification preparation while developing practical, job-ready skills for careers in golf course maintenance, athletic fields, landscaping, and related areas. All courses are taught by experienced professionals currently working in the field, ensuring you learn from real-world expertise and current industry practices.
The Course Work
The classes you will take in this certificate include:
- Intro to Turf Management (Weeks 1-2)
- Soil Science (Weeks 3-4)
- Plant Science (Weeks 5-6)
- Entomology (Weeks 7-8)
- Golf Course Management (Weeks 9-10)
- Intro to Recreation Services (Weeks 11-12)
- Environmental Quality (Weeks 13-14)
- Environmental Law & Bioethics (Weeks 15-16)
- Supervised Internship (Weeks 17-26)
Some of the key concepts you will learn include:
- Golf Course Mechanic: Reel grinding, equipment diagnostics, maintenance.
- Spray Technician: Mixing, calibration, application, and recordkeeping.
- Irrigation Technician: System audits, repairs, controller programming.
- Exposure to Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (BIO 225) concepts in fieldwork.
Additional Information
This program tentatively runs from Monday to Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The total cost of the program is $9,900 and includes course materials and textbooks, a Pesticide License – Category 7 (Turf Certification), and internship placement support.