Tulsa Community College Expanding Cannabis Education Courses

Tulsa Community College is expanding one of its programs in November to help students find work in the growing cannabis industry. Educators at TCC say the demand for cannabis-educated workers has also grown.

The school launched its first set of online cannabis education programs in 2022. After seeing the success among students, TCC is launching 5 more in-depth professional cannabis programs next month.

As laws change, so can college classes. Now students at Tulsa Community College can add to their cannabis courses.

"All industries, no matter what the type, will tell you, 'We want a trained and educated workforce,' and so we think as a community college especially, we're well positioned to provide that," said Vice President of Workforce Development, Dr. Pete Selden. 

TCC partnered with online cannabis training provider Green Flower to bring the program to campus two years ago. Now, it's expanding to include topics like healthcare, agriculture, and business.

"As we saw the legislation change and medical marijuana become a new industry in Oklahoma, we've been looking to see how demand is changing, what are the skills that are needed," said Dr. Selden. 

Dr. Selden said several universities were already offering similar online programs, so it was time for an Oklahoma school to offer them too.

"Just like any other programs we have, to give the right skills and information to our students is what we want to do to better prepare them for the workforce," he said. 

A statement Green Flower says, "We believe the demand for these additional professional programs will be significant as the cannabis market in the state continues to grow and evolve," and educators at TCC agree.

"The first set of certificates are very entry-level just to get you exposed to the industry, but when you want to dig deeper and go deeper into skills and knowledge then we need more time," said Dr. Selden. 

The cost for the 6-month program is $2,950. Enrollment for the professional courses is open until November 18th, and classes start November 12th. 

You can learn more about the courses here.