Horticultural Therapist-Registered (HTR)Notice: During the holiday season, professional registration applications will not be accepted or processed from November 26th, 2024, through January 1st, 2025. Please do not submit your application, supporting materials, or submit electronic transcript requests during this time. The office will begin accepting applications again on January 2nd, 2025.
The HTR is intended for practitioners who provide horticultural therapy services aligned with the AHTA definition:
The designation Horticultural Therapist-Registered (HTR) ensures that professional competencies have been achieved based on standardized academic requirements and professional training. Professionally registered horticultural therapists are expected to adhere to the AHTA Code of Professional Ethics for Horticultural Therapists. The AHTA's Standards of Practice for Horticultural Therapy describe the expectations of professional conduct and delivery of horticultural therapy service. Eligibility for Horticultural Therapist-Registered To be eligible to apply for professional registration at the HTR level, an applicant is required to:
View the HTR Policies and Procedures. Apply TodayPlease review all of the information on this page before applying. Navigate this page: Professional Registration OptionsInternship RequirementsAcademic Coursework InformationProfessional Registration Application ProcessProfessional Registration OptionsThere are three options available to applicants interested in becoming professionally registered as an HTR with the American Horticultural Therapy Association. All options require coursework in plant science, human science, and horticultural therapy. In addition to coursework, applicants are required to meet the internship or work experience requirement.
Internship RequirementAll applicants are required to successfully complete the required 480-hour internship or be exempt from the internship, meet the work experience criteria. Review the AHTA Horticultural Therapy Internship section for full details and information. Review the AHTA Professional Registration Policies and Procedures-Horticultural Therapist-Registered for full information about the work experience option. Academic Coursework InformationGrade: All coursework must be for college credit. All coursework must have a passing grade of C- minus (C-) or above or a pass for a pass/fail course. Credit: Coursework may be a combination of semester and quarter credits. Review the HTR Policies and Procedures for more information about combining semester and quarter credits. For reference, review the Quarter to Semester Conversion Table for additional information. Coursework must be converted from quarter to semester credits at time of application. Coursework granted credit for work and/or life experience by an accredited degree-granting institution will be accepted in fulfillment of the plant science and or human science course requirements. Please refer to Credit for Work/Life Experience for more information about this option. Pre-approval: The AHTA offers pre-approval of plant science and/or human science coursework for students considering applying for the HTR. To learn more about submitting a pre-approval application for coursework, please visit the Pre-Approval of Coursework for Professional Registration page. Gandfather clause 2013: The AHTA updated the HTR education requirements in October 2013. At that time, a grandfather clause was enacted. The grandfathering period is based on how many plant science and/or human science courses an applicant has taken prior to this date. Please review the grandfather clause to determine eligibility. Required Coursework: The following coursework represents subject areas and not specific course titles. Please review the Course Titles that Support the AHTA Core Curriculum Topic Areas as a reference for plant science and human science course content descriptions with suggested course titles. a) Plant Science: Twelve (12) semester credits total in: Three core required courses - a minimum of three (3) semester credits in each individual subject area:
One elective course - a minimum of three (3) semester credits in one individual subject area:
b) Human Science: Twelve (12) semester credits total in: Three core required courses - a minimum of three (3) semester credits in each individual subject area:
One elective course - a minimum of three (3) semester credits in one individual subject area:
c) Horticultural Therapy: Nine (9) semester credits total in:
Horticultural Therapy Coursework If the degree program does not offer specific horticultural therapy courses, the nine (9) semester credits in horticultural therapy may be achieved by: 1) Completing an AHTA Accredited Certificate Program. 2) Completing courses as an Independent Study. The independent study must be academic coursework reflective of the required course content in horticultural therapy and may not be hands-on or work experience. Horticultural therapy coursework completed as an independent study is required to cover the content areas as defined below. The following subject areas do not represent actual course titles. A course may include additional topic areas. 1. Overview of the profession to include:
2. Disability groups, characteristics and considerations, to include:
3. Program materials, tools, and techniques, to include:
4. Program management, to include:
The document Course Titles that Support the AHTA Core Curriculum Topic Areas is the reference for plant science and human science course content descriptions. The AHTA Education section of the website lists colleges and universities that offer horticultural therapy as a degree option and lists AHTA accredited horticultural therapy certificate programs. HTR Application ProcessReady to submit your application? There are four components to complete an application for professional registration:
Please be ready to submit:
Note: Official transcripts are required for all coursework. Unofficial transcripts, or unsealed transcripts, will not be accepted. Transcripts: Three options:
Upon receipt of application, if there are any questions regarding the submitted coursework in the required subject areas, the review board will contact you and may ask for additional information. The application will be held and will not be processed until this information is received. Review the HTR Policies and Procedures for complete information about the application review process. Complete Application TodayProfessional Registration Resources
|