The cannabis industry is rapidly growing, which means that it’s going to need a larger workforce. From cannabis marketing to cannabis science, there are many cannabis-related professions that require higher education programs and courses. The cannabis industry is in desperate need for trained professionals in chemistry, biology, horticulture, and more.
If you’re thinking about making cannabis your career, check out these higher education programs to bone up on your desired field.
University Programs in the East
If you live in or want to visit the Wolverine State, Northern Michigan University offers a Medicinal Plant Chemistry degree. It’s the first and only 4-year undergraduate program designed to train students in medicinal plant production, analysis, and distribution. Learn chemistry, plant biology, and horticulture as well as how to use equipment for analysis of medicinal plants. Expect to pay $10,730 if you live in-state or $16,226 for out-of-state students. The price doesn’t include room and board.
Michigan’s Lake Superior State University is also gearing up to roll-out their cannabis chemistry bachelor’s program starting in the 2019 fall semester as well as an associate’s degree in cannabis science. Head a bit east in New Jersey to sign up for Stockton University’s cannabis studies minor. They partnered with Thomas Jefferson University’s Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp to provide more opportunity for students.
Jefferson University in Philadelphia also offers graduate courses in cannabis medicine, pharmacology, toxicology, and cannabinoid chemistry and 3 graduate certificates. Students can get a master’s (the first of its kind). The program doesn’t come cheap. Students will have to pay around $40,000 in tuition per year depending on what they choose to study.
Certifications
Head on over to the west coast in Oakland, California to join Oaksterdam University, the first cannabis-based college. Over 40,000 alumni across the world have taken a variety of courses on horticulture, business, politics, history, economics, and more. In Ohio, the Cleveland School of Cannabis is the only state-approved career school for cannabis.
Students can choose between 3 certificate programs: Cannabis Horticulture, Cannabis Business, and Medical Applications of Cannabis. The Cleveland School of Cannabis also offers an Executive Program that combines the core curriculum of each major to train future cannabis industry leaders.
University Courses Abridged
There’s a growing number of university courses dedicated to the cannabis sciences. For example, the University of Vermont College of Medicine offers cannabis science and medicine courses, modules, seminars, webinars, and certificates. The University of California, Davis has an undergraduate course on the “Physiology of Cannabis” and a graduate course, “Cannabis Sativa: The Plant and Its Impact on People.”
Modules For Health Professionals
Pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals that want to take their cannabis education further can consider the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. They offer a Medicinal Cannabis and Chronic Pain modules with up-to-date information and best practices in the medical field.
What’s Next For Cannabis Higher Education?
There’s plenty more cannabis-related degrees and programs to come in the near future. In fact, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is gearing up a research initiative to study industrial hemp and medical marijuana. They’ll train students to teach farmers and growers to improve their growing operations. The New Jersey CannaBusiness Association is also developing a cannabis academic program with Union County College
Cannabis-related majors extend beyond the sciences and business. Since cannabis is becoming a major cash crop, students are getting the chance to explore their passions within the cannabis industry. If you’re serious about learning the ins-and-outs of your desired cannabis major, consider these cannabis higher-education courses.
