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Pest Control Adviser Certificate

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Total Units: 42.0

Term Effective: Fall 2024

The requirements for this program of study are effective beginning the semester shown above. If you began working on this program before the effective semester, you may not be affected by the changes. Consult with the program contact person or the department chair to determine your eligibility to complete the program under previous requirements.

Previous Versions:

Pest Control Adviser - effective Fall 2023
Pest Control Adviser - effective Fall 2022
Pest Control Adviser - effective Fall 2020
Pest Control Adviser - effective Fall 2019
Pest Control Adviser - effective Fall 2018
Pest Control Adviser - effective Fall 2016

Description:

The Pest Control Adviser (PCA) Certificate of Achievement prepares students to be licensed professional production consultants who serve California agriculture, natural resource and horticulture producers. PCAs specialize in pest and disease management. In addition they are an important resource to growers in matters related to general plant health. This certificate satisfies the core-course requirements specified for Option 3.b in preparing for and qualifying to take the PCAs exam(s) with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR).

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this program, the student will be able to:

Qualify to take the PCA licensing exams from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, including Laws and Regulations, and the specific license categories of A) insect, mites, and other invertebrates B) plant pathogens C) nematodes D) vertebrate pests E) weeds F) defoliation and G) plant growth regulators.
Explain and apply basic principles of soils, cation exchange capacity, entomology, epidemiology, and botany to agricultural practices and pesticide modes of action.
Correctly identify the causal agents for pest infestations and disease infections in agricultural settings, and suggest effective control strategies that include biological control, cultural control, mechanical control and chemical control methods, in this order.
Read and interpret any pesticide label, and recommend legal, safe and appropriate application of that chemical.

Program Requirements:

The requirements for the Pest Control Adviser program are:

Complete 42.0 units from
- Pest Control Adviser Requirements

Pest Control Adviser Requirements - complete 42.00 units

Course	Description	Units
Complete any combination totaling at least 12.00 units from the following:
Physical & Biological Sciences
BIO 2.1	Fundamentals of Biology (Cell and Molecular)	5.00
BIO 2.3	Fundamentals of Biology (Botany and Ecology)	5.00
BIO 10	Introduction to Principles of Biology	4.00
BIO 12	Basic Concepts of Ecology	3.00
BOTANY 10	Plant Biology	4.00
BOTANY 60	Field Botany	4.00
CHEM 3A	General Chemistry Part 1: Lecture	3.00
CHEM 3AL	General Chemistry Part 1: Lab	2.00
CHEM 3B	General Chemistry Part 2	5.00
CHEM 8	Introductory Organic Chemistry	5.00
CHEM 12A	Organic Chemistry	5.00
CHEM 12B	Organic Chemistry	5.00
CHEM 42	Introductory General Chemistry	4.00
ENVS 12	Introduction to Environmental Science	3.00
MICRO 5	General Microbiology	5.00
MICRO 60	Fundamentals of Microbiology	4.00
NRM 12	Introduction to Environmental Conservation	3.00

Course	Description	Units
Complete any combination totaling at least 9.00 units from the following:
Crop Health
AGRI 20	Introduction to Plant Science	4.00
AGRI 60	Soil & Plant Nutrition	3.00
HORT 144	Landscape Irrigation	3.00
SUSAG 64	Warm Season Crop Production	2.00
SUSAG 65	Cool Season Vegetable Production	2.00
SUSAG 103	Composting for Organic Farming and Gardening	1.00
VIT 124	Vineyard Irrigation and Fertilization	1.00

Course	Description	Units
Complete any combination totaling at least 6.00 units from the following:
Pest Management Systems & Methods
AGRI 70	Integrated Pest Management	3.00
SUSAG 50	Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture	3.00
VIT 70	Vineyard Pest and Disease Management	3.00
VIT 132	Advances in Vineyard Integrated Pest and Disease Management	0.50

Course	Description	Units
Complete any combination totaling at least 6.00 units from the following:
Production Systems
ANSCI 20	Basic Animal Science	3.00
ANSCI 27	Beef Cattle Science	3.00
ANSCI 29	Dairy Cattle Industry/Dairy Cattle Science	3.00
ANSCI 61	Livestock Feeding and Nutrition	3.00
ANSCI 91	Rangeland Management	3.00
ANSCI 153	Sustainable Agriculture Production Systems with Animals	3.00
ANSCI 171	Livestock Behavior and Humane Management	1.00
EQSCI 25	Equine Science	3.00
HORT 8	Landscape Plants: Summer/Fall	3.00
HORT 12	Landscape Plants: Winter/Spring	3.00
HORT 70	Plant Propagation	3.00
HORT 71	Nursery Production	3.00
HORT 72	Greenhouse Production	3.00
HORT 80	Sustainable Landscape Management	3.00
NRM 70	Forest Management and Assessment	4.00
SUSAG 109	Organic Crop Planning and Production	4.00
SUSAG 116	Organic Apple Production	1.00
SUSAG 117	Organic Fruit Tree and Berry Production	1.50
SUSAG 119	Specialty Crop Production	2.00
VIT 51	Viticulture: Fall Practices	3.00
VIT 52	Viticulture: Spring Practices	3.00
VIT 53	Advanced Vineyard Practices for Quality Production	3.00
VIT 54	Viticulture: Summer Practices	1.00
VIT 55	Basic Wine Grape Viticulture	3.00
VIT 60	Vineyard Management	3.00
VIT 113	Organic Viticulture	1.50
VIT 114	Sustainable Viticulture	1.50
VIT 122	Vineyard Canopy Management	1.00
VIT 123	Budding & Grafting	0.25
VIT 130	Grapevine Physiology	1.00
VIT 132	Advances in Vineyard Integrated Pest and Disease Management	0.50
VIT 133	Advances in Viticulture	1.00

Course	Description	Units
Complete any combination totaling at least 9.00 units from the following:
Pest Control Adviser Electives
AGRI 20	Introduction to Plant Science	4.00
AGRI 60	Soil & Plant Nutrition	3.00
AGRI 70	Integrated Pest Management	3.00
ANSCI 20	Basic Animal Science	3.00
ANSCI 27	Beef Cattle Science	3.00
ANSCI 29	Dairy Cattle Industry/Dairy Cattle Science	3.00
ANSCI 61	Livestock Feeding and Nutrition	3.00
ANSCI 91	Rangeland Management	3.00
ANSCI 153	Sustainable Agriculture Production Systems with Animals	3.00
ANSCI 171	Livestock Behavior and Humane Management	1.00
EQSCI 25	Equine Science	3.00
HORT 8	Landscape Plants: Summer/Fall	3.00
HORT 12	Landscape Plants: Winter/Spring	3.00
HORT 70	Plant Propagation	3.00
HORT 71	Nursery Production	3.00
HORT 72	Greenhouse Production	3.00
HORT 80	Sustainable Landscape Management	3.00
HORT 144	Landscape Irrigation	3.00
SUSAG 50	Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture	3.00
SUSAG 109	Organic Crop Planning and Production	4.00
SUSAG 116	Organic Apple Production	1.00
SUSAG 117	Organic Fruit Tree and Berry Production	1.50
SUSAG 119	Specialty Crop Production	2.00
VIT 51	Viticulture: Fall Practices	3.00
VIT 52	Viticulture: Spring Practices	3.00
VIT 53	Advanced Vineyard Practices for Quality Production	3.00
VIT 54	Viticulture: Summer Practices	1.00
VIT 55	Basic Wine Grape Viticulture	3.00
VIT 60	Vineyard Management	3.00
VIT 70	Vineyard Pest and Disease Management	3.00
VIT 113	Organic Viticulture	1.50
VIT 114	Sustainable Viticulture	1.50
VIT 122	Vineyard Canopy Management	1.00
VIT 123	Budding & Grafting	0.25
VIT 130	Grapevine Physiology	1.00
VIT 132	Advances in Vineyard Integrated Pest and Disease Management	0.50
VIT 133	Advances in Viticulture	1.00

Course Prerequisites and Advisories:

Courses in a program of study may have prerequisites or advisories; that is, courses that must or should be completed before taking that course. Please check for prerequisites or advisories by clicking on the course numbers in the Program Requirements section.

It is important that students who are completing an Associate Degree and desire to transfer to a four-year institution meet with a counselor to plan their lower division coursework. While many majors at SRJC are intended to align with lower division major preparation required by California public universities, specific lower-division major requirements vary among individual campuses. See a counselor, visit the Transfer Center, and check Guides For Transfer in Specific Majors, and ASSIST to review transfer preparation guides for specific schools and majors.

Notes:

Elective units may not be double-counted towards requirements

Contact Information	Phone	Email	Website
Contact Information	(707) 527-4987	mpadgettjohnson@santarosa.edu