The cannabis industry has been booming.
And all signs point to it growing even faster in the next few years.
That means a huge need for workers.
And more and more universities now offer cannabis-related degree programs to prepare those workers for their future careers.
Keep reading for a rundown of the best cannabis schools in the US.
If you want to get ready for a career in this industry, the list of colleges below will help you find a good degree program or course in the cannabis field.
Best Cannabis Schools
All of the universities listed below offer a number of different marijuana studies programs and courses. You really can’t go wrong with any of these schools. Look into each one a bit more to see which one suits you best.
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University started offering a cannabis production minor at their Macomb campus in the fall of 2020 to prepare students for employment in the new Illinois cannabis industry. The course duration is 18 to 19 hours.
Students can learn basic cannabis biology, physiology, and reproduction. The minor course also complements the University’s existing comprehensive agriculture degree program (that teaches horticulture, plant anatomy, post-harvest processing, etc.).
Western has been around for a long time and is known for some of the best faculty in the country. Their classrooms and labs are equipped with modern technology and state-of-the-art equipment.
Students interested in marijuana studies can also get assistance from approachable professors and tutors, well-equipped libraries, and student assistants. The school is also disability friendly and students can easily get around campus using free transport.
Northern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University offers various cannabis courses including the use of marijuana in healthcare and medicine, marijuana horticulture and agriculture, compliance and risk management, product development and design, and the business aspects of marijuana.
Students can also study remotely with their $499 online cannabis course offering conducted over 24 weeks. You can also go with their non-credit cannabis certificate program.
The Medicinal Plant Chemistry Course at NMU was launched in 2017. It was the first of its kind four-year undergraduate degree course in the country.
Students can also participate in the official student club, the Medicinal Plant Chemistry Club, so they can continue learning outside the classroom.
NMU also offers flexible certificate courses such as The Cannabis Business, Cannabis Law and Policy, Cannabis Agriculture and Horticulture, etc. The duration of these certificate courses can range from 6 to 12 months.
NMU has expert faculty and all their courses are designed by industry experts. All course curricula are designed to help students acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills required to thrive in the ever-growing cannabis industry. The non-credit cannabis certification program also gives participants access to their employer network.
Lake Superior State University
Students can opt for a degree program in Cannabis Chemistry or a course in Cannabis Business at Lake Superior State University.
Graduates of the Cannabis Science program at the LSSU will gain more than 400 hours of hands-on experience in lab work which can enable them to become expert technicians in the cannabis industry. They also learn to handle tasks like extracting, preparing materials, and performing analytical tests.
This degree can also lead to a Bachelor of Science in Cannabis Chemistry. The Cannabis Chemistry program at Lake Superior State University is recognized by the American Chemical Society.
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
The Pennsylvania Institute of Technology offers many flexible courses in cannabis health therapy for students with jobs, kids, and other obligations. If you cannot enroll in their 4-year degree course, you can opt for remote learning, or transfer credits in small chunks to complete the degree course.
Courses are designed to cover the basic anatomy and physiology of the cannabis plant, the use of marijuana in alternative health therapies, business and marketing of marijuana products/supplements, and also law, politics, and research analysis in the field. The cannabis horticulture consists of 22 courses while health therapy and business modules consist of 21 courses.
At the end of the four years, students will walk out with an Associate’s Degree in Cannabis Health Therapy. They can then choose to work in growing and cultivating cannabis, manufacturing edibles/products, retail, dispensary management, or cannabis medicine.
Johnson & Wales University
The Cannabis Entrepreneurship is a 4-year bachelor’s degree program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. Students learn everything about the ever-growing cannabis industry, with a focus on business foundation, plant cultivation, applications of cannabis, and career management.
Through these comprehensive courses, you can get ready to start your own businesses or work for startups or big companies in the cannabis industry. You will study everything from growing marijuana plants to selling them, while also learning about marketing principles.
Colorado State University Pueblo
Colorado State University offers a BS degree course in Cannabis Biology and Chemistry. CSU Pueblo students learn how cannabis grows, how it can be used as medicine, and its use in real-life businesses.
Equipped with this degree, you can pursue careers as an agriculture and food scientist, biochemist, and more.
The advantage of studying cannabis biology and chemistry at CSU Pueblo is that the faculty at their Southern Colorado campus has strong agricultural expertise.
Also, the state of Colorado established the Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR) at CSU Pueblo in 2016. Since then, the university has contributed significantly to cannabis research at a global level.
Syracuse University
To qualify for Syracuse University’s cannabis education programs, you need prior higher education experience. You can choose five out of the following six courses: Cannabis Business Operations, Law & Policy, Startups, Science & Health, Cultivation, and Manufacturing, Processing & Distribution. This is a 15-credit course with an online certificate. The duration of each course is 6 months.
Syracuse is considered one of the top universities for marijuana studies, because students get a foundation of knowledge across the cannabis industry in areas like laws, plant science, medicinal properties, as well as business and employment opportunities.
Beal University
You can choose to study one of the following three courses at Beal University, located in Bangor, Maine: a diploma or associate’s degree in Cannabis Business Administration or Cannabis Laboratory Science, or the more detailed 3-year Bachelor in Medicinal Plant Sciences.
You also enjoy the flexibility of being able to take the courses 100% online from anywhere. Beal University is one of the oldest universities in the USA and has been offering career-oriented degree/diploma courses for more than a century.
Stockton University
New Jersey is one of the states in the USA that has legalized both medical and recreational marijuana. So, it makes sense that one of its top universities offers courses in marijuana studies.
Stockton’s minor in marijuana consists of 5 modules: law, internship preparation, medical cannabis, an elective, and an internship in cannabis-related fields like retail, patient research, etc. Stockton also offers a completely online certification course in cannabis studies.
Alabama A&M University
Alabama A&M University is one of the five Alabama Universities that grow hemp for research purposes. The courses conducted at the College of Agricultural, Life, and Natural Sciences (CALNS) are designed to equip students to tackle the complexities associated with cannabis production, distribution, and research.
The course consists of modules focusing on the legal, ethical, and medical aspects of cannabis production.
Best Schools For Marijuana Studies: Final Thoughts
I smoked a lot of weed in college and spent much of my time watching the best stoner movies that existed back then. But that does not make the school I went to a good school to study marijuana. That’s definitely not what my friends and I were doing. All of the schools above actually take cannabis seriously.
Naturally, a list of the best cannabis schools will need to be updated regularly. This is such a rapidly expanding industry, that more and more colleges will begin offering degree programs in the field.
If you know of any other good universities that offer cannabis-related courses, please let me know in a comment below. I will be happy to add more cannabis colleges to the list in future updates.
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