St Charles County Master Gardeners

Continuing Education Guidelines

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Prior to 2025, the guidelines provided for a variable education requirement based upon volunteer hours with a minimum of 2 hours of continuing education per year, regardless of volunteer hours, to maintain active Master Gardener status.  The variable education option will not be available after 2024.

                 

         After 2024      Annual Education Hours   6

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         Before 2025

    Annual Volunteer Hours       Annual Education Hours

             20                                    6

             21-30                                5

             31-40                                4

             41-50                                3

              50+                                 2

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Continuing education can be obtained in the following ways:

■ Attend an education session held during the monthly Master Gardener meeting.

■ Attend a horticultural class that is general in nature

■ Attend advanced training, which is considered continuing education although the time is advanced
training (see Advanced Training Requirements below).

■ Complete a meeting quiz and turn it in when you attend the meeting.

Travel to and from the class should be reported as volunteer time and not education.

 

Adopted December 12, 2011

 

■ Educational Reading, subject to the following:

1. Must be a horticultural book, or published document, with at least 50 pages of text.

2. 1 hour of CE credit can be reported for every 50 pages of text read.

3. When reporting CE credit for reading, the description must include the title, author, number of pages and a brief description of the book.

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In-person or interactive education is preferred for MG’s; however, educational reading can also be beneficial. Travel to and from the class should be reported as volunteer time and not education.

 

Approved by Steering Committee

Revised on 1/4/2022 to add Educational Reading guideline

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■ Advanced Training Requirements

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• 30 hours of approved AT training; hands on training preferred and prior approval of classes required unless already shown as AT.

• At least three horticulture subjects with no more than 10 hours per subject.

• All requirements must be completed within 5-7 years.

• Minimum 3 years active MG status.

• Fifteen volunteer hours of Horticulture Answer Service (see * below) , speaking engagements, or teaching a class(es); class preparation time counts towards 15 hours.

• Once you have completed the requirements you need to provide documentation of the requirements and forward that to membership to verify earning your AT status and badge.

 

*Horticulture Answer Service (Hort Line) hours should only be counted for Advanced Training when the time spent is researching and responding to a question or inquiry from the public.

 

Approved August 8, 2025, Steering Committee