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Program Overview
You're outdoorsy and fascinated by anything green and growing. Plus, you appreciate trees not just for their shade, but also their climbing potential.
Madison College’s Tree Care Technician technical diploma will help you turn your passion for nature into meaningful work taking care of your community.
The Tree Care Technician program will prepare you for a career in the field of arboriculture and urban forestry. Through field and classroom hours you will gain experience in:
- tree maintenance and management
- aerial tree work
- chain saw safety and operation
- tree and plant identification
- landscape management
- plant health care
- plant disorders and treatment
- tree selection and planting
- heavy equipment safety and operation
You’ll use problem-solving abilities to guide landscapes through planting, care, health concerns and removal as needed. Not only will you learn about the biology of trees, shrubs and plants, you’ll learn to properly use all the equipment needed to care for them, from shovels to caterpillars track machines, from chain saws to aerial lifts.
Learn safe climbing and canopy-access techniques used by tree care professionals and have a lot of fun doing it. Real-world, Hands-on Learning
The program involves practicum and lab components that provide you with real-world application and experience. You will have some traditional class time, but for the most part, the community is the classroom. The outdoors is calling!
Program Details
Students in the Tree Care Technician program can attend full or part-time. Classes should be taken in the sequence listed. While there's much learning done in the community, tree care classes are based at the Madison – Truax campus.
Upon completion of the program, you will be eligible for pest application certification, tree climber certification and the International Society of Agriculture certification.
Technical Diploma or Apprenticeship?
This technical diploma is the faster of two pathways into tree care careers. Prefer to earn while you learn? Consider the Arborist Apprenticeship, which combines paid employment, classroom instruction and hands-on training over a longer period. -
Curriculum and Experience
Prospective program students, the information below reflects the basic requirements for students admitted for the 2026-2027 academic year. To learn more about Madison College, visit us.
Current and newly admitted program students, go directly to your Degree Progress Report to view:
- Progress toward your specific requirements
- Alternative (in lieu of) courses to meet specific requirements
If you have questions after reviewing your degree progress report (advisement report), please see Advising Services.
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Admission
Earning a degree is a great way to advance your career development opportunities, so apply today!
If you are an international student and want to apply to Madison College, or transfer your F-1 student visa here, check program availability and then complete the International Admission Process.
Apply Now – Secure Your Spot!
This program has a limited number of seats available. We encourage early applications to secure your spot, but the program has not historically reached full capacity.
Application Dates
Fall 2026
- Application open
- Application completion deadline is August 31, 2026
Admission Requirements
All materials must be submitted by the application deadline.
1. Admission Application
The online application allows you to save your work as you complete it and ensures fast, secure delivery to our office.
2. Education Completion
Submit official transcripts from the institutions you attended that indicate one of the following:
- High school completion (current high school seniors may submit an in-progress transcript)
- GED/HSED completion
- College transcript or Madison College experience showing:
- Completion of an associate degree or higher, or
- At least 30 credits completed with a minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4-point scale
- The credits must be completed at a single college and cannot be combined with other transcripts
- Any transfer credit listed on a transcript does not count toward the 30-credit minimum
- Credits completed at Madison College are evaluated and do not require a transcript
All high school and/or college transcripts are recommended to be submitted for Credit for Prior Learning evaluation.
Additional Notes
Individual courses may have prerequisites to enroll. Admission into a program does not guarantee eligibility to enroll in courses. See the Curriculum section for the list of courses for the program.
After Acceptance
Once you are admitted into your program, review the Start of Semester Checklist to prepare for your first day of classes at Madison College.
Questions?
Contact the Enrollment Center at EnrollmentServices@madisoncollege.edu or 608.246.6210.
Get Started!
Apply to Madison College and take the first step towards your Tree Care Technician career.
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Career Outcomes
Prospective employers consider Madison College graduates top candidates. Graduates from this program are ready for a range of professional positions in the green industry including:
- Commercial Arborist
- Municipal Arborist
- Utility Arborist
- Unban Forest Technician
- Forestry Technician
- Nursery Technician
- Horticulture Technician
- Naturalist
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Graduate Summary
Graduate Report Summary Overview
2023 2024 2025 Number of Program Graduates 4 9 10 Number of Surveys Sent 4 9 10 Number of Surveys Returned 3 7 6 Percent of Surveys Returned Available for Employment 2 6 5 Percent Available for Employment 66.7% 85.7% 83.3% Not in Labor Market Percent Not in Labor Market 33.3% 14.3% 0.0% Available for Employment
2023 2024 2025 Graduates Employed 2 6 5 Percent of Graduates Employed 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Employed in Related Occupation 2 3 3 Percent Employed in Related Occupation 100.0% 50.0% 60.0% Employed in Unrelated Occupation 0 2 2 Percent Employed in Unrelated Occupation 0.0% 33.3% 40.0% Employed - No Response 0 1 0 Percent Employed - No Response 0.0% 16.7% 0.0% Seeking Employment 0 0 0 Percent Seeking Employment 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Reaction To Training at Madison College
2023 2024 2025 Student satisfaction Mean (Out of 4) 3.5 3.7 3.2 Number of Satisfaction Responses 2 6 6 Very Satisfied (4) 1 4 1 Percent Very Satisfied 50.0% 66.7% 16.7% Satisfied (3) 1 2 5 Percent Satisfied 50.0% 33.3% 83.3% Unsatisfied (2) 0 0 0 Percent Unsatisfied 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Very Unsatisfied (1) Percent Very Unsatisfied 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Primary Reason for Attending Madison College
2023 2024 2025 Number of Primary Reason Responses 3 7 6 Preparation for Getting a Job Percent Preparation for Getting a Job Career Change Percent Career Change Improvement of Existing Skills Percent Improvement of Existing Skills Preparation for Further Education Percent Preparation for Further Education Personal Interest Percent Personal Interest Other Percent Other 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% When Employment was Obtained
2023 2024 2025 Number of When Employment Obtained Responses 2 5 5 Before Enrollment 0 1 2 Percent Before Enrollment 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% While Attending the College 2 1 1 Percent While Attending the College 100.0% 20.0% 20.0% After Training at the College 0 3 2 Percent After Training at the College 0.0% 60.0% 40.0% Location of Employment (related and unrelated)
2023 2024 2025 Number of Employment Location Responses 2 6 6 In College District 2 4 5 Percent In College District 100.0% 66.7% 83.3% In Wisconsin, Not in District 0 1 0 Percent of In Wisconsin 0.0% 16.7% 0.0% Outside of Wisconsin 0 0 0 Percent Outside Wisconsin 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Employer Location Unknown 0 1 1 Percent Location Unknown 0.0% 16.7% 16.7% Salary Trend 2023 2024 2025 Full Time Employment (Related Job) Full Time Salary Count 2 3 2 Average Monthly Wage $3,673 $4,243 $4,176 Average Hourly Wage $21.36 $24.67 $24.28 Average Work Hours per Week 39.0 40.0 40.0 Part Time Employment (Related Job) Part Time Salary Count 1 Average Hourly Wage $22.99 Average Work Hours per Week 30.0 -
Graduate Employers
Graduate Employers for academic year: 2025 Employer(s) Job Title City* State** Positions City of Madison Arborist Trainee Dane County Parks Forestry Technician Sun Prairie Parks, Recreation & Forestry Parks Maintenance Technician Sun Prairie * - Only cities outside of Madison will display.
** - Only states outside of Wisconsin will display.
*** - If you have a position to post, please contact Career and Employment Services at jobpostings@madisoncollege.edu