College of Letters and Science Cannabis Science Certificate

While you are free to apply on your own, many prospective students speak with an enrollment adviser first. Our friendly staff is here to answer your questions and talk with you about your career interests. Contact Nick Schultz, graduate recruitment coordinator, to learn more about your next steps to applying.

Graduate students
If you have completed a bachelor’s degree, please select the following on the UW application. You will be applying as a graduate, non-degree seeking student.

1. Select “No” when the question populates about whether you are seeking a degree.
2. Select “Graduate” when the question populates about whether you plan to take undergraduate or graduate courses.
3. Select “UW-Stevens Point” campus and then “Cannabis Science Graduate Certificate.”

Undergraduate students
If you are in the process of earning a bachelor’s degree, please select the following on the UW application. You will be applying as an undergraduate, non-degree seeking student.

1. Select “No” when the question populates about whether you are seeking a degree.
2. Select “Undergraduate” when the question populates about whether you plan to take undergraduate or graduate courses.
3. Select “UW-Stevens Point” campus and then “Cannabis Science Graduate Certificate.”

In order to be qualified for the program, students must have completed a college-level introduction to biology AND an introduction to chemistry course (no labs needed). If a student earned an Advanced Placement Biology AND Chemistry score of 3 or 4 within the last three years, they will be qualified for the program. 

Graduate courses offered for the Cannabis Science certificate program cost $650 per credit (online). Cannabis Science students are also charged 50% Segregated Fees and Distance Education Fees.

The certificate consists of at least 9 credits:

The certificate consists of three classes (9 credits total):

BIOL 701 (3 cr.): Introduction to Cannabis Science: This course will provide a broad introduction to Cannabis Science, including the history of Cannabis cultivation, social and legal controversies surrounding Cannabis, and the many ways in which Cannabis is used.
*In order to be qualified for the program, students must have completed a college-level introduction to biology AND an introduction to chemistry course (no labs needed). If a student earned an Advanced Placement Biology AND Chemistry score of 3 or 4 within the last three years, they will be qualified for the program.

BIOL 702 (3 cr.): Cannabis Biology, Ecology, and Horticulture: This course will cover the anatomy, physiology, taxonomy, and ecology of Cannabis, and a variety of important topics related to growing and harvesting Cannabis successfully.
Prerequisite: BIOL 701 (or concurrent registration)

BIOL 703 (3 cr.): Cannabis Phytochemistry: This course will cover the complex phytochemistry of Cannabis, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, and the modern-day techniques used to extract and quantify them.
Prerequisite: BIOL 701 (or concurrent registration)

The industry is poised to make tremendous employment gains, and states with legalized cannabis continue to add jobs at double-digit rates. The industry currently supports 428,000 jobs with a predicted 1.5 million or more positions in a mature U.S. legal cannabis market. Career paths include jobs related to cultivation and harvest, sales, laboratory technician, regulatory compliance, manufacturing, and more.