Grow the Future of Food, Anywhere, Online
Master the fundamentals of hydroponics and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) in a fully online, asynchronous course from the University of Arizona, built on more than 20 years of hydroponic research and teaching. Learn how to grow more with less water, fertilizer, and pesticides, skills you can apply to a career in sustainable agriculture or a backyard growing system of your own, on a schedule that fits your life.
What Is Hydroponics?
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, using nutrient-rich water solutions to deliver everything a plant needs directly to its roots. Combined with controlled environment agriculture (CEA), which means growing in greenhouses, vertical farms, or indoor systems where temperature, light, and humidity are managed, hydroponics allows growers to produce food more efficiently, with significantly less water and fewer chemical inputs than traditional field agriculture. It's a rapidly growing field at the intersection of agriculture, engineering, and sustainability.
What You'll Learn
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain the basic principles of hydroponics and controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including benefits, applications, and challenges.
- Describe the components and operation of common hydroponic systems, including deep water culture (DWC), nutrient film technique (NFT), and drip systems.
- Compare hydroponic substrate types based on water-holding capacity, air porosity, reuse, and application.
- Explain the purpose and management of hydroponic nutrient solutions, including essential nutrients, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and crop-specific recipes.
- Describe how concentrated nutrient stocks are prepared, dosed, and managed to maintain balanced nutrient solutions.
From Professional to Personal Use
Developed and taught through the University of Arizona, a top-tier public research institution, giving learners a credential backed by real academic rigor and decades of applied research, not just a generic online certificate.
Course Details
This course is developed and taught through the University of Arizona, a top-tier public research institution, giving learners a credential backed by real academic rigor and decades of applied research, not just a generic online certificate. This is a fully online, self-paced course delivered through the University of Arizona Online Professional Studies.
Enroll and begin on your own schedule.
A score of 80% or higher is required to pass each module quiz, each hands-on challenge, and the final certification exam. Pass the final exam to earn your Digital Badge of Completion from Arizona Online Professional Studies.
You do not need to be located in Arizona or be a University of Arizona student to take this program.
Instructor
Taught by Dr. Triston Hooks of the University of Arizona. Dr. Hooks is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and serves as the Hydroponic Specialist at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC). He earned his Ph.D. in Plant and Environmental Sciences from New Mexico State University and completed a postdoctoral appointment at Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, where he focused on urban agriculture and CEA technology, including hydroponic systems and LED lighting. His current research covers greenhouse hydroponic specialty crop production (tomatoes, peppers, cucurbits, strawberries, and more), nutrient solution management, bio-circular substrates, and integrated pest management for CEA. Dr. Hooks teaches this course through hands-on, experiential learning at the CEAC Teaching Greenhouse.
Research Backing
This course is built on more than 20 years of hydroponic research and teaching, applied to real lettuce and tomato greenhouse production, the same principles used in commercial CEA operations today. Learners come away with a practical foundation they can apply immediately, whether that's toward a career path in controlled environment agriculture or a personal hydroponic growing project.
Get Started with the Introduction to Hydroponics Certification
Registering is easy. No application required. Start anytime.
Cost:
- $299
Credential:
- Digital Badge from the University of Arizona Online Professional Studies
About:
- Schedule: Open enrollment, start anytime.
Format: 100% online, self-paced (asynchronous), no set class times.
- Prerequisites: None. No required textbooks.
- Grading: Module quizzes and discussions; 80% required to pass and to earn credit for each module and the course.
- Course Length: 8-10 hours
- Structure: 8 modules, each with lecture videos, knowledge checks, a discussion topic, a quiz, and optional lecture slides.
Questions about Introduction to Hydroponics? View answers to commonly asked questions below.