The Best Online Cannabis-Oriented Courses Of 2022
- 1. Oaksterdam university (ou)
- 2. Cannabis training university (ctu)
- 3. Clover leaf university (clu)
- 4. Trichome institute (ti)
- 5. Thc university (thcu)
- 6. Will a certificate get you a job?
- 7. In conclusion
As the marijuana industry grows exponentially, it has become very possible to make a living in the legal cannabis industry but, as the majority of applicants are now discovering, it’s not easy to get a job. For a few years now, marijuana courses have been growing in popularity due to the legalization and decriminalization in several countries around the world, there are possibly hundreds of thousands of applicants looking for a marijuana-related job and looking to improve their skills in order to get an advantage and land the job they’re looking for and, like any other job, the best way to get qualified is to go to school and get certified. So, if you're looking to get a certificate that will allow you to get into the legal cannabis market, read along for the best online marijuana courses and schools!
1. Oaksterdam University (OU)
Oaksterdam University was founded in 2007 in Oakland, California, and is probably the first result you’ll get when searching online for the best marijuana courses. The institution is one of the first cannabis colleges in the US and its courses are not only directed to home growers but also professional growers, offering both online and in-person classes.
Oaksterdam offers several certification programs and also a couple of free classes in case you want to get an idea of what to expect before enrolling in the other courses they offer; Here are the main courses that they offer at the moment:
Business of Cannabis Semester
The Business of Cannabis Semester is an in-person 16-week certification program that provides students with what they need to become responsible patients, employees, advocates, and business owners. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to land a job, start a business or invest in one, this course will give you the information you need and get you prepared for the risks and responsibilities you will encounter in the legal marijuana industry.
Budtending Certification Program
Oaksterdam’s Budtending Online Course offers the most thorough and comprehensive education available for those of you who are looking to pursue a budtending career in a legal marijuana dispensary. This course provides the resources and exercises developed by people who are actually in the marijuana industry, allowing you to provide not only a pleasant and entertaining experience for the clients but also give you the tools, knowledge and skills you need to succeed in this area.
In the following table you can find the main subjects that the institution offers, divided by course. Have in mind that the information provided is just a small part of the course and we highly recommend that you read more about the specific course you're planning on taking and take a look at the requirements before enrolling.
Commercial Extraction and Manufacturing
The Commercial Extraction and Manufacturing Certification Course is only available online and offers a certificate of completion once you have finished it. This course focuses on the process of extracting the compounds of the cannabis plant, such as the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids, including everything from safety requirements to manufacturing the actual products, while exploring and giving you all the information needed about market trends and evolution of this section of the marijuana industry.
Horticulture Semester
The Horticulture Semester is an in-person 17-week certification program that provides the most thorough indoor and outdoor plant growing education and training for the marijuana industry. The course consists of lectures, presentations, and demonstrations led by professional marijuana growers and industry leaders, including field trips to commercial growing and extraction facilities, and projects that will allow you to reach your goals in both small and large-scale operations.
In the following table you can find the main subjects that the institution offers, divided by course. Have in mind that the information provided is just a small part of the course and we highly recommend that you read more about the specific course you're planning on taking and take a look at the requirements before enrolling.
Oaksterdam University Main Subjects by Course
| Business of Cannabis | Methods of Ingestion | Business registration | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facility requirements | Employee management | ||||
| Business plan | Regulation and compliance | ||||
| Horticulture | Equipment overview | Nutrients and pH | |||
| Anatomy & physiology | Organic gardening | ||||
| Growth stages | Strain selection | ||||
| Commercial Extraction | Cannabis extraction | Light Hydrocarbon extractions | |||
| Basic lab operations | CO2 and ethanol extractions | ||||
| Basic extraction operations | Solventless extractions | ||||
| Budtending | Cannabis history & policies | Cultivar selection | |||
| Methods of ingestion | Cannabis dosing | ||||
| Budtending foundations | Cultivar selection |
2. Cannabis Training University (CTU)
The Cannabis Training University (aka CTU) was founded in San Francisco in 2009 and the headquarters are currently in Denver, Colorado. The institution has one of the most extensive course selections out there.
Their courses focus more on the medical side of marijuana and include classes with medical marijuana dispensary managers, chefs, software companies and cannabis businesses owners among others; So in case you want to learn more about the medical benefits that marijuana has to offer and venture into the medical marijuana market, here are the main courses they offer:
Growing Medical Cannabis
How To Grow Medical Cannabis is a 22-lesson video course that will teach you how to successfully grow medical marijuana with step-by-step videos and several guides that will help growers with any level of experience get their grow tent running and ensure a potent and robust yield.
Cooking With Cannabis
Cooking With Cannabis is a 14-lesson course that will teach you everything about making marijuana-infused foods, from decarboxylation to actually cooking the edibles. You will also receive The Marijuana Cookbook that teaches how to make easy, delicious and potent edibles with hash, concentrates or marijuana flowers and the best of all, without a strong plant taste.
As a plus, you will learn how to make marijuana salves, topicals, ointments and other products from respected medical marijuana manufacturers and entrepreneurs while learning how to get those products in the legal cannabis industry!
How To Open a Dispensary and Delivery Services
This is a 15-lesson video course that will give you every tool you need to start your own business in the medical marijuana industry and start making money in the marijuana market, from a legal medical dispensary to a cannabis delivery business. This course gives you an inside view into the basic needs to open a legal dispensary and operate a delivery service with some of the most successful medical marijuana entrepreneurs and business owners.
Here are the main subjects you'll learn about divided by course, just remember to always learn more about the course before enrolling!
Cannabis training University Main Subjects by Course
| Medical Cannabis | Nutrient Disorders | Life Cycle | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis Strains | Starting your Garden | ||||
| Basic Requirements | Harvest, drying and curing | ||||
| Cooking with Cannabis | Making butter, oils and sauces | Cannabis Transdermals | |||
| Cooking for Diabetics | Non-psycho-active products | ||||
| Vegan Cooking Methods | Cannabis entrepeneurism | ||||
| Open a Dispensary | Legal issues | Store equipment | |||
| Finding a location | Buying & pricing MMJ | ||||
| MMJ delivery | Inventory Management |
3. Clover Leaf University (CLU)
Clover Leaf University was founded in Denver, Colorado in 2009 and claims to be the oldest certification-issuing marijuana institution in Colorado and the first accredited institution that specializes in phytotechnology to be approved, regulated, and licensed by the Department of Higher Education.
CLU offers a huge course selection and certifications that include state-specific programs, job training, and seminars on everything cannabis-related, from actually growing marijuana to how to plan, develop and maintain a marijuana business.
Cannabis Cultivation Program
The Cannabis Cultivation Program is a 16-hour long course that teaches you everything related to marijuana cultivation. Learn every step needed to grow marijuana from seed to harvest and the best method to keep a healthy garden. This course will help you improve yields and overall perfect your cultivation processes, helping you build knowledge while learning from the best in the industry.
Chemistry For Hash Makers Program
Chemistry For Hash Makers is a 3-day course that covers everything related to making hash, concentrates, and extractions. This course focuses on the organic chemistry of the main compounds found in marijuana plants, the physical chemistry of the extraction processes, focusing not only on the process itself but also the properties of each compound and also the chemistry involved in the different methods used to produce hash, extracts and concentrates.
Also, you'll learn the industry's standard for these kinds of products, the best ways to advertise them and sell them, and how to make the pros and cons between all extractions processes, a must if you're planning on selling your products in the legal marijuana market.
Cannabis Business Program
The Cannabis Business Program is a 16-hour course that teaches everything you need to start your own marijuana business, from compliance guidelines to management procedures; Teaching you how to get the most out of your business while you learn how to maintain standard operating systems for your company and staff. This course gives you the basics on how to operate any marijuana business such as dispensaries and grow operations, and also gives you training in sales processes, customer service and marketing tools from people that are already working in the legal marijuana market.
Remember that the information provided is just a general overview of the course, we recommend getting more information on the course you're planning before enrolling.
Clover Leaf university Main Subjects by Course
| Cannabis Cultivation | Setting up a grow tent | Growing mediums | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant growth, nutrients | Harvest, trimming, drying, curing | ||||
| Pest control | Basics of breeding | ||||
| Hash Chemistry | Organic chemistry | Cannabis compounds | |||
| Physical chemistry | Analytical chemistry | ||||
| Process of extraction | Hash, extracts and concentrates | ||||
| Cannabis Business | Developing a business | Implementing a business | |||
| Maintaining a business | Sales processes | ||||
| Product development | Compliance |
4. Trichome Institute (TI)
The Trichome Institute is an online marijuana school that offers classes in Denver and in Portland, Oregon, the institution was invited to help create the Responsible Vendor Program for the marijuana industry in Colorado in 2016 and it’s also certified by the MED (Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division) to train and certify workers and businesses for the marijuana industry.
The institution focus on providing correct information from trustworthy business owners and master growers, so don't settle with misinformation, learn from the people who really know what they're doing.
Professional Interpening
As you may know, Indica, Sativa and Hybrid don’t tell you anything about how a specific strain will make you feel. What you really should look after is the terpene profile and this course will help you with that. Created in 2014, the Professional Interpening course provides everything you need to basically become a marijuana sommelier, providing the tools for you to be able to determine the quality, and psychotropic effects just based on physical and aromatic evaluation, regardless of the strain, category and brand.
Cannabis Consultant
The Cannabis Consultant Training is an on-demand course designed to give you the knowledge you need to better educate your customers.
It doesn’t matter what your job is, from a budtender, attorney or activist, this course provides the foundation you need, including marijuana plant’s chemistry, legal definitions, consumption methods, effects and side effects, dosing and product sales.
Cannabis For All Crash Course
The Cannabis For All Crash Course was designed for those who are new, looking to try new products or haven’t consumed marijuana in years; This course teaches everything you need to know to start consuming cannabis again (or for the first time), providing the information you need to consume marijuana responsibly, making it a joyful and nice experience, leaving you confusion and anxiety-free.
In the following table you can find the main subjects of TI divided by the course mentioned in this blog, just remember to get informed before enrolling.
Trichome Institute Main Subjects by Course
| Professional Interpening | Cannabinoids & Terpenes | Aroma Perception Technique | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parallels of Cannabis & Wine | Predict Psychotropic Effects | ||
| Unacceptable Aroma Characteristics | The Professional Interpener | ||
| Cannabis Consultant | Determining customer tolerance | Cannabis concentrates | |
| How cannabinoids and terpenes work | Lab tests and product labels | ||
| What is the Endocannabinoid System | Weights and conversions | ||
| Cannabis For All | Indica, Sativa and Hybrids | Cannabis Side Effects | |
| Cannabis Quality | Endocannabinoid System | ||
| THC and CBD | Terpenes | ||
5. THC University (THCU)
THC University is a low-cost way to improve your knowledge and get certified, offering over 150 hours of classes and several certification programs for those who don’t know much about marijuana and want to get a solid base before starting a more expensive and demanding cannabis course. The institution focuses mainly on online classes that teach the basics about growing, CBD, the marijuana business, and budtending.
Marijuana 101
Marijuana 101 is an introductory course that offers everything you need to know to get started in the marijuana industry; In this course you’ll learn about marijuana history, law and regulations, medical marijuana, terpenes, cannabinoids and much more, focusing more on the basics so you start your marijuana career with a solid base.
Cannabis Business
The cannabis business course provides the basics to ensure that your marijuana business is not only legitimate but that also is a valuable business that provides good services and products while following local marijuana regulations.
This course offers everything you need to start a marijuana business from scratch, teaching you how to start a medical cannabis dispensary, social media strategies, and search engine optimization to get your business to the next level.
Horticulture Specialist
The Horticulture Specialist course is kinda a continuation to Marijuana 101 and it's designed for those who want to become experts in the art of growing marijuana. This course provides students with more knowledge about commercial cannabis growing indoors and outdoors, concentrate manufacturing and everything you need to know about setting up a grow operation and growing marijuana from seed to harvest.
In case you want to know a little bit more about what to expect, here are the main subjects by course.
THC University Main Subjects by Course
| Cannabis Business | Starting a MMJ Dispensary | Cannabis Social Media Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Encapsulation 101 | Search Engine Optimization | |
| Hard Capsules | Cannabis Marketing | |
| Marijuana 101 | Cannabis History | Edibles Versus Flower |
| Cannabis Law | Hash, Wax, Oils | |
| Medicinal Cannabis | Terpenes and Cannabinoids | |
| Horticulture Specialist | Seeds and Seedlings | Lamps, Lights and Electricity |
| Vegetative and Flowering growth | Soil and Containers | |
| Pests, Fungi and Diseases | Water and Nutrients |
5. Will A Certificate Get You A Job?
Realistically, a certificate won’t actually land you the job you’re looking for, it will depend on what you’ve studied, where, and your overall experience. As you can see, there are multiple options and several certification courses that may boost your CV but generally, employers prefer those with hands-on experience.
For example, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll get a Master Grower position if you have a Budtender certificate so a certificate will definitely help you get the job you’re looking for but remember that you also need to get lots of experience in the area you want to get into so if you want to become a Master grower (for example) the only way to get experience is by growing weed and learning as you do it.
6. In Conclusion
Now that you know a little bit more about the main courses each institution offers, here's a price comparison. Just remember that if a course is more expensive it doesn't mean that it's actually better, each one offers different things that may be better suited for you depending on what you want to learn so make sure to read more about each institution and course before enrolling.
Price Comparison
| Institution | Course | Price |
|---|---|---|
| OU | Horticulture semester | $2495 |
| CTU | Growing medical cannabis | $597 |
| CLU | Cannabis cultivation program | $3000 |
| TI | Cannabis consultant | $249 |
| THCU | Horticulture specialist | $187 |
In short, a marijuana education can provide you with the knowledge base that you need to enter the marijuana industry but in most cases you will still need hands-on experience. If you’re a beginner and don’t know the difference between Indica and Sativa, for example, these courses will surely give a solid base but if you’re an experienced grower it’s highly recommended that you document your experience in any way possible because, in most cases, employers will value practical experience more than a certificate. So, remember, you only need:
- Hands-on experience;
- And a way to prove that experience.
You don’t actually need a certificate to prove that you can grow marijuana but the certificate combined with the experience needed will show the company that you know what you’re doing and that you spent time and money to get certified, which is always a plus and shows dedication.
If you work in the marijuana industry feel free to share your experience in the comment section below!
