The Virginia Tech Turfgrass team offers an affordable virtual 13-week training program covering all areas of turfgrass management called the Virginia Tech School of Turfgrass Ecology and Management (VT-STEM).
VT-STEM was developed primarily to serve the educational needs of those seeking professional advancement and greater opportunities in their segment of the turfgrass industry, but don’t currently have the time or resources to pursue formal two or four-year Turfgrass Science degrees.
The 7th Annual VT-STEM opens on October 31, 2026, and will run through mid-February, 2027. Each week’s training features a new topic in turfgrass management with a member of the Virginia Tech Turf Team through Canvas. The Turf Team then meets with students weekly by Zoom from 7-9 p.m. EST to review that week’s material, answer any questions, and engage with each other and an industry guest. (All Zoom meetings are recorded in case this doesn’t fit the student’s schedule.)
All students that earn their STEM badge will then have the opportunity to test for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Certified Turfgrass Professional (CTP) badge through March 31 as a part of their tuition fee for VT-STEM.
Tuition is $600 (with discounts available for veterans, first-responders, extension personnel, teachers and athletic directors. Contact us to see if you qualify for a discount).
Any questions? Contact Mike Goatley (goatley@vt.edu) or Dan Sandor (dsandor@vt.edu) for further information. Registration is available at https://tinyurl.com/VT-Turfgrass-School.