
Diploma
of
Permaculture Design, PD.
“The Field Lies Open to the Intellect“
“Revitalizing Sustainable Living”
“We already know “How To” build and inhabit Sustainable Systems.
Every essential problem is solved, but in the everyday lives of people, this is hardly apparent.
The wage-slave, peasant, landlord and industrialist alike are deprived of the leisure and the life spirit that is possible in a cooperative society which applies its knowledge.
Both wardens and prisoners are equally captive in the society in which we live”
Bill Mollison


4 courses over 2 Months
Only 2,150 USD
All-Included
Diploma Of Permaculture Design
Rak Tamachat, in association with the Sustainable Agriculture Institute, is proud to provide students from all over the world the opportunity to take a deep dive into Permaculture and Sustainability by allowing them to earn a Diploma in Permaculture Design.
Your 2-months Diploma journey will allow you to experience living and learning on a Permaculture Farm while studying more in-depth Permaculture knowledge through the Sustainable Agriculture Institute’s learning management system.
The Permaculture Diploma Program consists of 4 courses:
- Permaculture Design Course
- Natural Building Course
- Permaculture Consulting Course
- Permaculture Teacher’s Training
To reserve your place in the Permaculture Diploma Program, you can register now or contact us, and we will be happy to answer any question you may have:
Curriculum – Permaculture Design Diploma

Fee Structure – Permaculture Design Diploma Program

The Permaculture Design Diploma can be taken in 2 Learning Pathways which have different Fee Structures.
On-Campus Diploma of Permaculture Design – 56 Days
Combined Natural Building Course Practicals & Full Permaculture Design Course – 940 USD
Online Natural Building Course Lectures – Included in Combined Course Price
Online Permaculture Consulting Course – 195 USD
Online Permaculture Teacher Course – 195 USD
41-Days Stay On-Campus (Room & Board) at 20 USD per Day: 820 USD
(15 Days already included in the Combined Natural Building & Permaculture Design Course price)
Regular Price
2-Months On-Campus, All-Inclusive- Private Accommodation for 2 Months
- 3 Meals a Day for 2 Months
- Fiber WiFi Internet during Stay
- 4 Individual Course Certifications
- 1 Diploma Certification
- 38.39 USD/Day
Price After 5% Grant Rebate
2-Months On-Campus, All-Inclusive- Private Accommodation for 2 Months
- 3 Meals a Day for 2 Months
- Fiber WiFi Internet during Stay
- 4 Individual Course Certifications
- 1 Diploma
- 36.47 USD/Day
Learn more about our Permaculture Education Grant Program and check your Eligibility:
For any questions about our Permaculture Diploma Program, feel free to contact us:
Online Only Option: Distance Learning
Permaculture Design Diploma: 980 USD
Master’s Option – Combined Permaculture Design Diploma + Master’s Degree – 112 Days
Total Cost = On-campus Diploma + On-campus Masters
On-campus Diploma of Permaculture Design – 2,110 USD
On-campus Permaculture Design Master Degree – 2,105 USD
Regular Price
112 Days On-Campus, All-Inclusive- Private Accommodation for 4 Months
- 3 Meals a Day for 4 Months
- Fiber WiFi Internet during Stay
- 4 Individual Course Certifications
- 1 Permaculture Diploma
- 1 Permaculture Master’s Degree
- 37.99 USD/Day
Price After 5% Grant Rebate
112 Days On-Campus, All-Inclusive- Private Accommodation for 4 Months
- 3 Meals a Day for 4 Months
- Fiber WiFi Internet during Stay
- 4 Individual Course Certifications
- 1 Permaculture Diploma
- 1 Permaculture Master’s Degree
- 36.09 USD/Day
Learn more about our Permaculture Education Grant Program and check your Eligibility:
For any questions about our Permaculture Diploma Program, feel free to contact us:
Online Only Option: Distance Learning
Permaculture Design Diploma & Online Master’s Degree: 1,965 USD
Academic Schedule – Permaculture Design Diploma

There are two pathways to attaining your Certification as a Professional Permaculturalist.
1. Onsite (Rak Tamachat Campus) Learning Pathway – Practical Pathway
The On-campus pathway is an accelerated learning pathway designed to give the full Advanced Permaculture Design Diploma within a period of two months. The students will engage in full-time learning while living at the Rak Tamachat Permaculture Institute. The Program starts with the Rak Tamachat Combined Natural Building and Permaculture Design Course – Schedules can be found here.
2. Distance Learning Pathway – Theoretical Pathway
The Distance Learning Pathway is a flexible learning schedule that allows the student to progress at their own pace (part-time). The program is run for a period of 1 Year, which allows ample time for the Students to complete the required final project.
Permaculture Diploma Schedule – Typical Week On-Campus

* Meals & Meals Preparation: Every month, Rak Tamachat hosts Natural Building and Permaculture Design Courses for two weeks. During that time, Diploma Students can – but are not compelled to – help for meal preparation. During the other two weeks, we expect you to be responsible and convene with other interns, master’s or course students how to share the tasks of meal preparation and cleaning. As our Institute is also home to an Intentional Permaculture Community, we strongly suggest you share communal meals with staff, interns, and students of other programs.
** Sundays: Sundays are free time. You can either enjoy a few hours of down-time, get out of the farm to visit the region or work on your Diploma.
Permaculture’s Foundations as a Design Science
Open Universities

From the beginning, the determination of Permaculture Institutes has been to concentrate on going to the people, not locking themselves away in fixed Institutions, unavailable to people who live in remote locations, in poverty, or who are now “illiterate” in terms of major languages (although very literate verbally, and a mine of knowledge).
Thus, teachers have given courses in very remote and sometimes dangerous areas, and will always continue to do so. These certificated courses allow students to achieve Applied Diplomas of Permaculture Design following on two or more years of activity.
Rak Tamachat, in partnership with the Sustainable Agriculture Institute, set up the Institute as an open ‘University’, and gives these certificate courses and accredited Permaculture Design Diploma in accordance with ISO 21001:2018(en) — Educational organizations, as pertaining to Management systems requirements for educational organizations.
Here, you may look over the Standard which all S.A.I. Institutes operate in accordance with:
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:21001:ed-1:v1:en
The International Standards Organization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental membership organization and the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards.
Our wish is for every person to have access to a Certificated Permaculture Design Course, to know how to design sustainable houses, villages, economies, and land-use systems.
To eventually achieve a widespread education in Permaculture, we must always concentrate on “letting teachers loose” in their own cultures, using their own languages, and teaching their own people.
However, while this work continues, the Sustainable Agriculture Institute operates as an Open University delivering knowledge of Permaculture Design and Sustainable Living to as wide an audience as possible with Permaculture Design Courses, Natural Building Courses, and Higher Level Permaculture Design Diplomas.
Educational Quality Assurance
Rak Tamachat Permaculture Research and Education Institute (Rak Tamachat) has partnered with the Sustainable Education Institute (S.A.I.) to allow for the distribution of the Permaculture Design Curriculum through the S.A.I. Learning Management Systems (LMS).
The LMS assures that the Permaculture Design Curriculum is delivered in accordance with all International Standards for Quality Management Systems, as pertaining to Higher Education Requirements.
The S.A.I. LMS controls the Permaculture Design Learning Journey through rigorous adherence to the following:
1. Andragogical Plan – seeks to embody a learning design, articulating it in a hierarchical structure that incorporates degrees of abstraction suitable for supporting reflection, communication, and reuse.
2. Taxonomy Plan – sets a specific organizational structure for the delivery of online Permaculture Design Curriculum; in short, it controls the curriculum management through the use of the Learning Management Systems, LMS.
3. Curriculum Management Plan – S.A.I. provides support in the development of curriculum guides that are of high quality, well-aligned, provide an adequate cognitive challenge, and articulated vertically with antecedent and subsequent learnings.
4. Quality Assurance Certification – The Quality Assurance Management Systems for application of Higher Education Requirements, as adopted and implemented by e-campus Education LMS, meets the requirements as outlined by ISO for the Standardization of Educational practices across international borders.
Permaculture and Sustainability

What is the traditional definition of “Sustainability?”
Sustainability is most often defined as:
“meeting the legitimate needs of the present generation without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their needs as well.”
This “shallow” sustainability usually focuses on making our current systems more sustainable; that is, reforming our agricultural, transportation, and energy systems by increasing efficiency and substituting non-sustainable materials and energy with more sustainable alternatives.
Permaculture Design goes beyond this simple definition by focusing on the root problem, not a quick fix solution. In Permaculture Design “The Problem is the Solution“.
For example, this type of sustainability would aim to correct our transportation crisis by creating more efficient cars which use alternative fuels.
Permaculture Design recognizes that there is a difference between doing things right and doing the right thing. Basic sustainability focuses on doing things right, on the means we use to accomplish an end.
Permaculture Design addresses the ends themselves.
The Permaculture Design Diploma Curriculum teaches that the correct approach to say the “Transportation Problem” would focus on the creation of higher quality of life. This would put the focus on the solution of creating lifestyles where people are able to meet their needs close to where they live so that the need for automobile transportation is greatly reduced.
The development of Sustainable businesses, societies, and communities is dependent upon those entities being comprised of highly developed individuals.
Such development means doing more with less. It means creating a higher quality of life while consuming fewer resources. Sustainability is about creating a thriving world in which we lead rich, productive, and fulfilling lives — without depleting the environment or ourselves.
To fully meet our responsibility to current and future generations, we must connect with our own inner nature and take action.
Permaculture Design Diploma & Environmental Science

What is Environmental Science?
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences (including ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanology, limnology, soil science, geology, physical geography – geodesy – and atmospheric science) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
Environmental studies also incorporate social sciences for a deeper understanding of human relationships, perceptions, and policies towards the environment. Environmental engineering focuses on design and technology in order to improve environmental quality in every aspect.
What can I do with a Permaculture Design Diploma in Environmental Science?
An environmental science degree equips you with essential skills and practical experience that could lead to a career in the environment sector or a range of other occupations.
Job Options
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
- Environmental consultant
- Environmental education officer
- Environmental engineer
- Environmental manager
- Marine biologist
- Nature conservation officer
- Recycling officer
- Sustainability consultant
- Waste management officer
- Water quality scientist
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
- Environmental health practitioner
- Landscape architect
- Town planner
- Toxicologist
- Transport planner
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don’t restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.
Who is the Permaculture Design Diploma Intended For?

Recent Permaculture Design Course Graduates
The Permaculture Diploma Program is perfect for Permaculture Design Course (PDC) Graduates who would like to take a “Deep Dive” into the world of Permaculture Design in order to help foster a possible career path in Environmental Science. You will learn what it takes to be a Professional Permaculture Consultant with Advanced Permaculture Design, including all the professional level documentation, and Permaculture Master Planning Techniques to support your Environmental Science career path.
Practicing Permaculturalists
You may have taken your Permaculture Design Course and headed straight into building your Permaculture Paradise. Now you are looking to expand your basic knowledge of Permaculture Design by learning more Advanced Permaculture Design. This could be just to make you a more well-rounded and Certified Professional Permaculturalist, or you may have aspirations to take your Permaculture Practice to the next level by trying your hand at Permaculture Consulting, teaching or working in the Environmental Science Field.
Permaculture Consultants
If you are a Practicing Permaculture Consultant, you can refresh your knowledge of Advanced Permaculture Design by learning the Permaculture Consulting Techniques as practiced by the Rak Tamachat Permaculture Design Consultancy. You will be able to compare your processes and pick up many new tips and tricks to help make your Permaculture Consultancy more profitable and better able to serve your clients and the environment at large.
Not Convinced? Why Not Take Our Free Permaculture Design Course Introduction!
We love being able to offer to the world something that is Truly Free!
The Sustainable Agriculture Institute and Rak Tamachat Permaculture Institute have offered to the world the Introduction Chapter of the Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual – as taught on our Physical Permaculture Design Courses – for Free in the Online Permaculture Design Course Introduction.
Also feel free to share this amazing opportunity with those who may not be able to take a PDC due to poor circumstances. We think everyone has the right to know about Permaculture!