• ONLINE COURSE •
Permaculture Design Certificate
Learn how to design your edible garden and your life, for abundance, resilience and real security in your family and community.
- Gain an internationally recognised permaculture qualification
- Learn practical ways to address climate & biodiversity crises
- Open doors to a possible new career designing permaculture gardens, farms and systems
- Learn from Morag Gamble, who has 30+ years' experience
Want to start designing your own abundant edible garden or farm, right from today? Study your Permaculture Design Certificate online with Morag Gamble — and get started the minute you sign up, no waiting for scheduled classes to begin.
Includes 26 modules PLUS lifetime access to a global permaculture community!
Monthly payment plans available!
Learn how to design for sustainability, food and health
Here are just a few examples of past students’ permaculture designs. Many were complete permaculture beginners before starting their course.
Join global permaculture ambassador Morag Gamble for this interactive online permaculture course
This internationally-recognised PDC is led by Morag Gamble, who has over 30+ years of practical permaculture experience and is the founder of the Permaculture Education Institute of Australia.
Morag was personally approved as a teacher by permaculture co-founder Bill Mollison and has taught students on six continents.
Plus, by studying with Morag, you’re opening the door to a possible career in permaculture! All Permaculture Design Certificate graduates get discounted access to Morag’s Permaculture Teacher Certificate, so you can support others to design permaculture gardens, farms and systems.
Gain permaculture skills to:
Sketch detailed site maps to create sustainable, edible landscapes
Save money by growing healthy food and creating simple systems
Use permaculture to enhance your community and local ecology
Apply permaculture principles and ethics to your whole life, not just your garden!
The entire program is extremely flexible. Start at any time and take your own pace over 12 months.
Plus: kids under 18 study free with a paying adult! We welcome home-schoolers, un-schoolers, world-schoolers and schoolers — the program is flexible and spacious.
Need help deciding if this program is right for you? Book a free 15-minute chat with Morag Gamble — founder, lead teacher and program director at the Permaculture Education Institute.
Permaculture is a ‘one planet’ way of life that is socially just, life-affirming and caring for the future
The movement is guided by three core ethics — earth care, people care and fair share.
Permaculture is a great way of life and such a fabulous feeling to be of positive service to people and the planet. Every day, you know your efforts are not only enhancing people’s health and lifestyles, but you are contributing to planetary health too.
Is this something you’d like to be doing?
The call for permaculture-skilled people is growing around the world in a whole range of contexts — and it’s only going to get bigger.
By studying your Permaculture Design Certificate — the internationally recognised course of the global permaculture movement — you will become part of the positive and practical movement to address climate and biodiversity crises.
Imagine being able to create and implement regenerative edible landscape designs for individuals and communities — urban and rural. This is your permaculture future.
Permaculture Design Certificate Course
- An internationally recognised Permaculture Design Certificate qualification led by global permaculture leader, Morag Gamble.
- 12 months access – plus option to renew at half price.
- 26 detailed multimedia modules, action ideas + resource lists.
- Practical course projects – step-by-step guidance to create a detailed design for your site of choice.
- Personalised feedback.
- Regular live sessions with Morag Gamble. Ask your questions directly.
- Access to huge archive of masterclasses and design studios.
- Permaculture book discounts
- Under 18 child can join a registered parent FREE! Email to discuss
- BONUS: HIVE Permaculture global learning community with 80+ hours of optional live classes, tutorials and forums. Meet and talk with your global learning community. Access 24/7 for Q&A and sharing. Get FREE 12 month access (valued at $997)
- UPGRADE OPTION: Within the 12 months, you can upgrade to the Permaculture Educators Program for $1000
- PAYMENT PLANS: available – 3 months and 6 months (12 months by request)
Permaculture Educators Program
- EVERYTHING in the Permaculture Design Certificate PLUS
- Internationally recognised Permaculture Teacher Certificate course hosted by award-winning permaculture teacher, Morag Gamble.
- Lifetime access.
- Total of 44 detailed multimedia modules, action ideas + resource lists.
- Design your own locally relevant permaculture education program – step-by-step guidance.
- Live sessions to discover and share a wide range of permaculture education workshops.
- Live tutorials to explore many dimensions and questions about becoming a permaculture educator.
- Special education forums to extend learning.
- BONUS: 3 permaculture business modules for permaculture educators.
- PAYMENT PLANS: available – 3 months and 6 months (12 months by request)
Sign up today, start your course immediately
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Fair Share scholarships for refugees & youth
Our Institute tithes funds to our partnered charity, Ethos Foundation, to support permaculture projects globally. We practice what we teach and embrace permaculture’s Fair Share ethic by offering scholarship places to women and young people in the majority world — to those who would never have the chance to access a course like this due to economic disparity. We also support indigenous students, refugees and displaced peoples.
What our PDC students say:
“Morag’s gentle and encouraging teaching style is inspiring and motivating. The way Morag brings people together from all over the world truly makes interconnections among us stronger and more meaningful.”
JO ANNE CORUÑA
Graduate
“Thoroughly enjoying the exploration of thoughts and ideas that are not a part of my daily life. You’ve opened up an entirely different world. Thanks for having such an impact on humanity, for making us challenge our paradigms.”
PAUL COBBIN
Student
“The step-by-step structure of the course helps build confidence and gives you plenty of practice opportunities within a supportive community.”
LIZZY SMITH
Graduate
Permaculture Design Course curriculum — inside our 26 modules:
- Permaculture design thinking and methods
- Permaculture principles and ethics
- Learning from indigenous and traditional cultures
- How to read the landscape
- Permaculture planning, zones and conceptual design
- Patterns in nature and principles of ecological systems design
- Understanding climate, biodiversity and natural cycles
- Designing for water, soil health and regeneration
- How to design a kitchen garden, a food forest, and a permaculture farm
- Forests and wild harvesting food
- Permaculture in the home
- Permaculture in the suburbs and cities
- Community permaculture and community food systems
- Permaculture livelihoods and the new economy
- Full review of your own permaculture design
+ FREE access to bonus (valued at $997):
BONUS: Hive Global Permaculture Community access
Valued at $997/year
Our online community for Permaculture Education Institute students and graduates. Cross-pollinate permaculture and access 80+ hours of interactive, live sessions (replays available).
- Design Studio – monthly student permaculture design presentations and feedback sessions.
- Design Tutorials – monthly design tutorials led by Morag and special guests.
- Hiving – monthly permaculture discussion forums.
- 24/7 chat space and Q&A.
- Permaculture Film Club – monthly screenings and discussions
- Permaculture Masterclasses – monthly live workshop with Morag Gamble and leading voices.
- Invites to special guest events.
- The opportunity to join the Ethos Foundation volunteer team, working directly with refugees on permaculture education.
Valued at $997
What you get when you sign up
- A very warm welcome!
- Your course delivered to your computer, module by module, wherever you are in the world.
- 12 months access to the course content (+option to renew for half price for another 12 months)
- Assistance with any questions & support you need to be completely successful in your course.
- New friends & collaborators – connection to a friendly, helpful and supportive community of practice – an online forum to connecting all Permaculture Education Institute students and teachers around the world.
- 12 months access to the Hive – our online dynamic global learning community.
- Upon completion, you receive your internationally-recognised Permaculture Design Certificate.
About your lead teacher: Morag Gamble
“I discovered permaculture more than 30 years ago, in my teens. It felt like an immediate natural fit — a way to care for earth and people and to create ripples of positivity in the world. For me, permaculture is a positive life purpose.”
Morag is a global ambassador for the permaculture movement:
- She holds a Masters in Sustainability Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture.
- She was directly accredited as a permaculture teacher by Bill Mollison (co-founder of permaculture).
- Everything she teaches, she has tried herself. She lives a permaculture life within a subtropical eco-village in Queensland, Australia.
- Morag works with elders and youth in permaculture globally via the Permayouth and Ethos Foundation non-profits she established.
- She amplifies the voices of global permaculture thinkers and educators via her own weekly podcast and YouTube channel.
- Morag has taught at universities, schools, eco-centres, villages, urban farms, community centres and farms around the world, and lectured for years in Food Politics.
- Morag is a certified Warm Data Host with the non-profit International Bateson Institute.
- Morag has taught permaculture for almost 30 years and always has dirt under her fingernails!
With Vandana Shiva
With two program graduates
With Gardening Australia’s Costa
With David Holmgren
With Rosemary Morrow
At a major speaking event
With Nora Bateson
Teaching happy students
Graduate Beth Horn talks about her course experience (2 mins)
Plus: a pathway to making permaculture both your lifestyle AND your livelihood
Ever dreamed of making a real living through permaculture? By studying with Morag Gamble, you’re opening the door to many career possibilities in permaculture!
All Permaculture Design Certificate students can upgrade to Morag’s Permaculture Educators Program to gain a Permaculture Teacher Certificate too.
Upgrade to the full Permaculture Educators Program for $1000 — usually $2,997 AUD.
Kids under 18 study free with a paying adult!
Still have questions? Book a discovery call with Morag.
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Sign up today — $1997 AUD
Payment plans available — 3 month or 6 month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an accredited program?
This course follows an internationally recognised Permaculture Design Course curriculum (PDC). While this particular course is not formally accredited by the government, many students are receiving support from the government to attend this course – for example, Farm Household Assist, Centrelink Retraining – so it is recognised.
A number of universities also give students credit points for taking this course. Some PhD students are integrating this course into their research too.
How long does the course take to complete?
The Permaculture Design Certificate has 26 modules delivered weekly. You have 12 months access to complete the course.
Or, upgrade to the bundled double-certificate Permaculture Educators Program and receive 44 modules delivered weekly, and receive LIFETIME access too. Ask us how.
Does this course certify me as a permaculture teacher?
The Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) is aimed at getting you skilled in the basics of garden, system and lifestyle design.
If you would like to go on to teach permaculture, we recommend you upgrade to our bundled double-certificate Permaculture Educators Program. This is a way to study both your Permaculture Design Certificate and your Permaculture Teachers Certificate together, all at once.
Do I need to have a garden?
Ideally a garden, small or large, is helpful to complete this course. However, you can also ‘borrow’ a garden to do the design project, or get involved in a school or community garden.
I live in a different climate to you. Will this course be relevant for me?
There are students attending this course from 6 continents and a wide range of climates and environments. The permaculture ethics and principles can be adapted to all contexts.
New! Join one of our regional study groups to learn together with others in your area.
Will I have direct contact with Morag Gamble?
Yes. Morag is very active within the group. Morag responds to assessments, leads design studios and masterclass sessions, and communicates directly with students in the various social forums. She takes a keen interest in how everyone is going and loves when you participate in the discussions, and share ideas and questions.
Lots of others also respond to questions and comments. This is a really wonderful learning community. The more you lean in, the more you will learn and feel connected.
What assessments do I need to complete to gain certification?
There are 3 projects to submit to fully complete your Permaculture Design Certificate. These are designed to help you actually design your place in full during the course:
1. Site analysis
2. Kitchen garden design
3. Permaculture design and report
Can I get a discount?
To assist you accessing this course, we offer payment plans – 3 month or 6 month (or 12 months by special request).
Are scholarships available?
We do offer scholarships for community leaders and youth living in the global south. Please contact us to discuss.