Plant ProtectionCertificate of Achievement

Share my plan
Community of interest
Industrial Technologies & Agriculture
Award
Certificate of Achievement
Program code
31512.00CA
Department
Environmental Hort
CIP code
01.1105: Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management.
TOP code
0103.10 - Agricultural Pest Control Adviser and Operator (Licensed)*
The Plant Protection Certificate prepares candidates for the California State Agricultural Pest Control Adviser (PCA) License examinations and Qualified Applicator License exams. Required courses meet the minimum educational qualifications for the PCA License, and course objectives equip students for exams in IPM principles, laws and regulations, pest identification, physical and biological sciences, crop health, pest management systems and methods, and production systems. Technical experience is highly encouraged through work experience placement. A rewarding career and competitive salary await licensed PCAs. Choose from several career avenues, such as corporate entities, sole proprietary businesses, governmental agencies, and academic professions. Come and learn about agriculture, plants, and how we protect crops; it's a great time to join the crop protection industry.
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP

Program Snapshot

Community of interest
ITAG Industrial Technologies & Agriculture
Award
Certificate of Achievement
Program code
31512.00CA
Department
Environmental Hort
CIP code
01.1105: Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management.
TOP code
0103.10 - Agricultural Pest Control Adviser and Operator (Licensed)*

Next Steps

Map Class Schedule

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

Program Schedule ReportMeet with a counselor
Plant Protection
Certificate of Achievement — expand to learn about this award

A career-aligned credential built around a specific field of study or area of emphasis. Faster to complete than a degree, and the coursework typically stacks into a related AS or AA later if you choose to continue.

See the 2026-27 Catalog for official program details

Semester-by-Semester Map

Term 1

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

12–15 units
EH 60
Principles of Integrated Pest Management
3 units
course details

Examines the origin, history, and management of insect, plant pathogen, weed, and other pests of agricultural, horticultural, and landscape crops. Consideration of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles and practices in conventional, organic, residue-free, and sustainable agriculture. Pest biology and ecology is studied to demonstrate the various IPM technologies used for economic crop production. Pesticide regulations, toxicity, application, and materials for specific uses are examined.

View full course outline for EH 60

Physical, Biological, and Natural Sciences (Select one):

Required

3–5 units
Choose one of 9 choices
Choose one of 9 choices

Crop Health (Select one):

Required

3–4 units
Choose one of 3 choices
Choose one of 3 choices

Production Systems (Select one):

Required

3 units
Choose one of 6 choices
Choose one of 6 choices

Term 2

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

15–18 units

Physical, Biological, and Natural Sciences (Select one):

Required

3–5 units
Choose one of 7 choices
Choose one of 7 choices

Crop Health (Select two):

Required

3–4 units
Choose 2 of 5 choices
Choose 2 of 5 choices

Pest Management (Select one):

Required

3 units
Choose one of 3 choices
Choose one of 3 choices

Production Systems (Select one):

Required

3 units
Choose one of 5 choices
Choose one of 5 choices

Term 3

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

15–19 units

Physical, Biological, and Natural Sciences (Select one or two to meet 12 units):

Required

3–5 units
Choose one of 9 choices
Choose one of 9 choices

Select any 9 units Crop Health, Pest Management and Production Systems not already used

Career Connections

2-Year Degree Paths

Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.

4-Year Degree Paths

Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.

Example roles: 3

  • Soil and Plant Scientists
  • Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
  • Farm and Home Management Educators

Graduate School Paths

Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.

Example roles: 1

  • Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary

Local Job Market

Soil and Plant ScientistsSOC 19-1013no nearby openings indexed

No nearby openings matched any of: agricultural scientist, soil scientist. Browse this occupation on Adzuna for postings outside the mapped keyword set.

Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural ManagersSOC 11-9013no nearby openings indexed

No nearby openings matched any of: farmers ranchers and other agricultural manager, other agricultural manager. Browse this occupation on Adzuna for postings outside the mapped keyword set.

Farm and Home Management EducatorsSOC 25-90211 nearby opening

Search keyword used: home management educator · Search window: last 60 days, 50-mile radius · Avg listed salary: $146,650/yr

Top employers in sample

  • Yuba Community College District 1

Where the postings are

  • Yuba City, Sutter County 1

Sample current postings

  1. Adjunct Early Childhood Education InstructorYuba Community College District · Yuba City, Sutter County · 7 weeks ago

See all openings on Adzuna

Agricultural Sciences Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1041no nearby openings indexed

No nearby openings matched any of: Agricultural Sciences instructor, Agricultural Sciences teacher, agricultural sciences teachers postsecondary, agricultural sciences teacher. Browse this occupation on Adzuna for postings outside the mapped keyword set.

Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 90 days within up to 100 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.

Source Notes

Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.

Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.

Last generated 2026-07-05T17:09+00:00