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At dispensaries across the country, the budtenders serve on the frontlines of legal cannabis. But do they always have the expertise they need, and do cannabis customers deserve better? Put differently, do you think you have what it takes to be the perfect budtender?
With an online cannabis course, people who dream of one day working at or owning a dispensary of their own can receive an education in the finer intricacies of cannabis, as well as a much deeper, richer appreciation of weed – and a certification to put on their resume.
Also, all of these courses can be done from the comfort of your own home, before or after you head to the dispensary. Here are the best online schools for budtenders available today.
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Enrollment is good for an entire year
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Passing grade of 80% is required - so study hard!
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100% satisfaction guarantee
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Only 3 hours to complete
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Access to 9 separate certificate programs
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M-F chat support
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24 hour customer support
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Includes How to get a Job in the Cannabis Industry ebook
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Cannabis resume examples and career guidance
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Easy to follow video lectures from highly-qualified experts
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Highly accredited school
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Truly in depth range of subjects
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One of the more extensive training programs in cannabis
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Learn about a vast range of subjects
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Option to do entire in-person and online degree
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Self-paced, informative, and easy to follow
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Foundational knowledge on cannabis
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Financing options available
Green CulturED – Dispensary Technician Certification
Who it’s best for: People who want to start working in a dispensary and are looking for a certification – and the know-how – that can help them
Degrees/certificates offered: Dispensary Technician Certification
Tuition Cost: $297
Accreditation: Accredited by cannabis industry regulators in a variety of states including Alaska, Illinois, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. Also a member of National Cannabis Industry Association, and are authorized outreach trainers for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Highlights:
- Enrollment is good for an entire year
- Passing grade of 80% is required – so study hard!
- Digital certificate and completion badge are provided
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
Customer reviews:
I was very interested and looked forward to taking the Green CulturED training. After completing three Bachelor degrees that didn’t help me, I became a cannabis professional from my training.
Tammy Carmack Herd / Canna Pharm
The resources at Green CulturED are enormous. From videos to eBooks, every learning material they offer is well structured, clear and easy to follow.
Pearl Andrews
If you’re looking to get your start in the cannabis industry behind the counter of a dispensary, or you’re a budtender who would like to improve your know-how, then the Dispensary Technician Certification course offered by Green CulturED is a great option.
The course is geared towards providing training to work in a medical or adult-use dispensary, to help students learn how to “play the role of an educator and work with your patrons to find the genetics that best suit their needs or educating consumers on the laws surrounding its use.”
The subjects covered include technician role and skills, cannabis effects and impairment, medicinal cannabis use, delivery methods and abuse, cannabis chemistry and testing, and concentrates and infused-products, to name just a few.
All of it is part of what the Denver-based online school calls a “total elearning solution” that provides students with a digital certificate and composition badge – if they get an 80% passing grade on all their courses.
The school says that the course suits people ranging from “cannabis lovers” to industry pros, team leaders, and biz founders.
THC University – Budtender Basics Certification
Who it’s best for: Dispensary staff who would like to better understand customer tolerance and needs, cannabis products, and the ins and outs of customer service
Degrees/certificates offered: Budtender Basics Certification
Tuition Cost: $187 to unlock unlimited access to all courses
Accreditation: Unknown
Highlights:
- Only 3 hours to complete
- Access to 9 separate certificate programs
- M-F chat support
- Students can use cannabis jobs board and receive complimentary exit interview
Customer reviews:
Great learning experience and have great tips. You could take the test multiple times as needed. Great people who knew what they were talking about.
Indeed user
It was very much self driven and oriented towards teaching you and I appreciated that experience. All the sections were very detailed and housed many examples of the sections.
Indeed user
Run in collaboration with the Colorado-based dispensary chain Good Meds, THC University’s Budtender Basics Certification was crafted in order “to instruct dispensary staff on how to understand consumer tolerance, the different cannabis products, and provide great customer service,” according to the school.
The course content includes four main subjects and a quiz for each one – consumer tolerance, hash and concentrates, smoke, vapor, edibles, and sublingual, transdermal, topical.
The certification course is included in the school’s all-inclusive $187 fee, which unlocks access to all of THC University’s 9 separate certification programs, if you’re looking to become a very well rounded budtender with a cannabis education that goes far beyond the dispensary doors.
Also, students who have any problems with the course can avail themselves of the M-F chat support. And when the course is complete, they’ll have a great certification on their resume, as well as access to a cannabis jobs board and complimentary exit interview.
Cannabis Training University – How to be a Budtender Course
Who it’s best for: Learning more about cannabis and tips for finding a job in the industry
Degrees/certificates offered: CTU budtender certification
Tuition Cost: All nine of the school’s certifications are available together for a flat fee of $247.
Accreditation: Member of the National Cannabis Industry Association
Highlights:
- 24 hour customer support
- Includes How to get a Job in the Cannabis Industry ebook
- Cannabis resume examples and career guidance
- Includes access to all of the college’s courses
Customer Reviews:
I just finished my videos and passed my certificate exam! I landed a job as a budtender in a marijuana dispensary in Boulder! Best cannabis training college and most affordable marijuana school. Thanks!
Jeff Haynes – Boulder, CO
Anyone thinking of getting into the cannabis industry needs to check out CTU. Whether you want to learn to grow weed, how to cook weed, become a budtender or open your own dispensary all information is at CTU. Check out the courses and their awesome e-books and get certified.
Jack S – Boulder, CO
The how to be a budtender course at Cannabis Training University is designed to give students the knowledge they need to stand apart from the crowd when they apply for medical marijuana budtender jobs, according to the college.
The course includes six lessons covering the ins and outs of being a budtender, including how to be a patient relation specialist with deep know-how in medical marijuana. The course includes a very wide range of subjects that budtenders should be adept in, including types of medical marijuana, the different effects of medical marijuana, intake methods and preparations, even how to roll a joint. The course also highlights a number of workplace safety tips for handling money and running a register, as well as wages and career advancement advice.
Students will also receive ebooks including “How to Get a Job in the Cannabis Industry,” and guidance on building a resume for the cannabis industry and tips on how to break into the business.
Trichome Institute – Cannabis Consultant Training
Who it’s best for: Cannabis business owners and professionals looking to improve their knowledge and provide a better customer experience
Degrees/certificates offered: Cannabis Consultant Training
Tuition Cost: $149 for single course, $399 for bundle of all 5 of the college’s courses
Accreditation: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, Department of Health of Puerto Rico, American Culinary Federation.
Highlights:
- Very easy to follow video lectures from highly-qualified experts
- Highly accredited school
- Truly in depth range of subjects
- Comprehensive packages available
Customer Reviews:
Anyone from beginners to experienced budtenders will find this training valuable and unlike any other cannabis certification program. I have seen greater confidence and product knowledge from budtenders after receiving this training and I would recommend Trichome Institute to anyone seeking to enhance their understanding of cannabis.
Jordan Baker, Sr. Retail District Manager, Cookies
Trichome Institute breaks all the complexities down to value pieces like no one else has been able to do. THANKS!
Dedee Culley, RN
Cannabis is far, far more than just THC and some frosty looking buds, and no place knows that better than the Trichome Institute.
Since 2014, the college has run a full assortment of courses covering the ins and outs of cannabis and what makes it tick. For a budtender, the school’s Cannabis Consultant Training is a truly up close look at cannabis including strain names (and what they actually mean), how cannabinoids and terpenes work, the Entourage Effect, dabbing, cannabis suppositories, how to read lab tests and procuts labels, and a whole lot more.
The Institutie states that the course can help dispensary owners better educate their customers and can help clear up misinformation about cannabis that can hurt their bottom line. The course also includes sales and customer service training.
The Trichome Institute describes their course as a breed apart from the “boring and corny” cannabis education programs – without skimping at all on the science.
The Ganjier – Cannabis Sommelier Certification Program
Who it’s best for: Budtenders who want to truly know and appreciate the finer aspects of cannabis, and become a “cannabis sommelier.”
Degrees/certificates offered: Cannabis Sommelier Certification
Tuition Cost: $699 for just the online portion, $2,997 with the in-person training and exam included
Accreditation: Unknown
Highlights:
- One of the more extensive and intense training programs in cannabis
- Learn about a vast range of subjects from cultivation to terpenes to cannabis customer service
- Option to take just the online portion or the entire in-person and online degree
- Developed by 18 of the most respected and experienced experts in cannabis
Imagine if in cities across the country, the dispensaries were staffed by experts with a breadth of knowledge about cannabis that would rival the know-how that a sommelier has fior wine.
That’s the promise behind the Ganjier program, a very extensive, multi-tiered comprehensive cannabis trade certification training created by Green Flower Media.
Green Flower Media states that “the burgeoning cannabis industry is in dire need of its own class of educated and certified professionals that help consumers find and enjoy products that exceed their expectations.” To get there, the Ganjier program includes 3 levels of certification – certified Ganjier, Advanced Ganjier, and Executive Ganjier. The first level requires the completion of the online training, the second entails also completing the live training, and the executive combines both as well as an in person written, service, and systematic assessment protocol exam.
The online training can be purchased separately and includes 10 online courses and 31 lessons taught by all 18 members of the Ganjier Council, who represent some of the most well-known experts in the world of cannabis. The 10 courses include such subjects as the history of cannabis and cannabis consumption, the botany of the cannabis plant, understanding the science of cannabis, and accurately assessing cannabis flower and concentrates, among others.
Oaksterdam University – Budtender Certification Program
Who it’s best for: People who want a credential to help them get a job as a budtender
Degrees/certificates offered: Budtender certification
Tuition cost: $595
Accreditation: None
Highlights:
- Self-paced, informative, and easy to follow
- Foundational knowledge on cannabis and more specific instruciton on budtending
- Financing options available
- Access to job board as well as “resources for success”
- Dedicated student support staff
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended and an excellent value for anyone wanting to enter this industry
Anil S.
The level of education you receive is outstanding. So happy with the staff, the networking, experience, and professionalism that I experienced at Oaksterdam.
Chad Taylor
Oaksterdam University is perhaps the best-known school in cannabis education, and their budtending program is a perfect online course to help students get their budtending cdream off the ground.
The course includes 7 different modules, ranging from the history of cannabis to federal and state law to products and methods of ingestion, and a lot more. Module 4, ”Budtending Foludnations,” looks at the necessary qualifications of bud tenders, including what Oaksterdam says is the most important – outstanding customer service skills. As the school puts it “a budtender serves as an ambassador for the entire cannabis industry,” which indicates how seriously Oaksterdam takes budtending.
All prospective budtenders will also be able to take advantage of all the services that Oaksterdam offers, including a dedicated student support staff and their own job board.
Why take an online budtending course
- To get a job as a budtender
An online cannabis course doesn’t guarantee you a job at a dispensary, but it will provide you with a credential for your resume when you’re job hunting, and provide you with the knowledge to stick out from the pack.
- To become a better budtender
Even many experienced budtenders could use deeper knowledge of cannabis and the science behind it. In addition, many budtending courses include instruction on sales and customer service.
- To gain a deeper understanding of cannabis
Arguably, anyone who is working as a budtender probably sees cannabis as more than just weed, but an online bartending course can still open their mind to all types of facts, features, and benefits of the plant, and broaden their knowledge even further.
How online cannabis courses work
By now, the average person probably doesn’t need an explanation of remote learning.
Online cannabis courses provide the same curriculum as in-person classes, but held remotely by way of video lectures, webinars, and other forms of video and written content.
Online courses are typically structured to allow students to complete them at their own pace and during the hours that they prefer. They are thus perfectly suited for working students who need to fit their education in whenever they have a few minutes free.
These courses are also designed with the cannabis industry in mind, and typically provide the student with a certificate upon completion, which can be just the credential they need to stick out in the cannabis industry.
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