Best Aquaponics Courses and Classes

If you want to understand every part of aquaponics, from the nitrogen cycle to plumbing a grow bed, a good aquaponics course is the most structured way to learn. Some are free and self-paced, some are short video courses you can finish in a weekend, and some are multi-day aquaponics classes or practical training taught on a working farm. The right one depends on whether you want a first home system, a deeper understanding of the science, or a business.

This page compares the best aquaponics courses, classes and training available now, in three groups: online courses, free courses, and in-person classes. Course fees change often and many providers run frequent sales, so we describe cost in broad tiers and link you to the current price.

Disclosure: the Aquaponics 4 You button on this page is an affiliate link through ClickBank, and we may earn a commission if you buy. The other course links are not affiliate links.

Aquaponics Courses Compared

Lengths, formats and certificates are as stated by each provider on its course page.

Best Online Aquaponics Courses

Online aquaponics classes are the easiest place to start: you set the pace, you can replay the hard parts, and most cost far less than a day of travel. Courses 1 to 5 below are paid options, and the free ones follow in the next section.

1. Aquaponic Gardening: Growing Fish and Vegetables Together (Sylvia Bernstein, Udemy)

A straightforward, entertaining and popular introduction to aquaponics, and a great choice for beginners who want a strong foundation without spending much. Bernstein based the course on her book, Aquaponic Gardening, which is still our top beginner book. The video lectures are organized into sections on the plan, the hardware, the "software" (fish, plants and bacteria) and the integrated system, with a certificate of completion.

Most lectures show Bernstein or her husband and partner Alan demonstrating on one side and slides on the other. The course ends with her "Aquaponic Gardening Rules of Thumb" article and printable tracking sheets. Check the last-updated date on the course page, and treat any product links inside it as a starting point.

• ✅ Fully online and self-paced, with lifetime access
• ✅ Clear and unintimidating for complete beginners
• ✅ Inexpensive, especially during Udemy's frequent sales
• ❌ Focused on home systems, not commercial growing

See the course on Udemy

2. Aquaponics 4 You (Best Low-Cost DIY Guide)

Aquaponics 4 You is a do-it-yourself program rather than a class: a downloadable guide in PDF format with step-by-step video instructions for building a home aquaponics system, plus a set of bonus gardening ebooks. The sales page states that you get instant access and that it is covered by a 60-day money-back guarantee.

It is aimed squarely at beginners who want to build a low-cost system themselves, from a mini home setup upward, and it focuses on the floating raft method. Be aware that the sales page is written in the hype-heavy style common to digital guides, with claims such as growing up to ten times the plants; treat those as marketing, not measured results. What you are buying is an affordable, structured build guide with videos, and the guarantee lets you try it with little risk.

• ✅ Low one-time cost, instant download
• ✅ Step-by-step build videos for a home system
• ✅ 60-day money-back guarantee, per the seller
• ❌ No instructor or certificate
• ❌ The sales claims are marketing; the FAO manual is a better source for numbers

3. Nelson and Pade Online Aquaponics Courses (Best Path to Commercial)

Nelson and Pade, the Wisconsin aquaponics company of Rebecca Nelson and John Pade, has long been one of the best-known names in aquaponics training. Its famous Aquaponics Master Class used to be a three-day in-person event in Montello, Wisconsin; it is now offered as an online course, alongside a ladder of shorter online modules that you can take one at a time.

The online catalog runs from an Introduction to Aquaponics course and Aquaponics 101 to courses on Daily Operations, the Science of Aquaponics, Greenhouses and Indoor Farming, and Commercial Aquaponics, with the Master Class bringing them all together. Nelson and Pade states that its online courses end with a certificate and that the instructors answer questions by email. It also runs three in-person courses at its Wisconsin site: Intro to Aquaponics, Aquaponics 101 and System Assembly.

• ✅ From beginner to commercial, so you can start small and keep going
• ✅ Certificates and access to the instructors
• ✅ A dedicated course on greenhouses and indoor farming
• ❌ The full Master Class is a premium purchase; start with the introduction

See Nelson and Pade courses

4. ACS Distance Education: Aquaponic Production (Most In-Depth)

ACS Distance Education's Aquaponic Production course is the most thorough structured option here. It is split into lessons covering system types from deep water culture and NFT to media beds, components, fish, plants and the economics of aquaponics. You work through notes, videos, practical tasks and an assignment for each lesson, with feedback from a tutor, and can sit an optional exam for a Statement of Attainment.

It is self-paced, so check the expected study time on the course page before you enrol. The provider is based in Australia but the course is designed to be applied anywhere.

• ✅ Deep, tutor-supported study
• ✅ Formal certificate if you take the exam
• ❌ A real time commitment; more than most hobbyists need

See the ACS course

5. Aquaponics Farming and Gardening + Design Case Study (Ahmed Aibak, Udemy)

This Udemy course is taught by Ahmed Aibak, whose instructor profile says he founded Urbanspace Aquaponics, a commercial aquaponics facility in Vancouver, British Columbia. It covers the science of aquaponics, fish and water quality, plants, and finishes with a design case study for a backyard or small commercial system. Like other paid Udemy courses, it comes with a certificate of completion.

If you finish it and want more, his follow-on course, How to Design and Build an Aquaponics Farm, goes into the engineering of a small commercial facility based on the UVI model. The course description itself notes it does not cover backyard system design in detail.

See the course on Udemy

Best Free Aquaponics Courses

6. Introduction to Aquaponics (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)

The best free aquaponics course we found comes from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, run through Auburn University's course catalog. It is a self-paced online course with multiple modules covering aquaculture, hydroponics, water quality, fish biology, plant biology, integrated pest management, system design and classroom applications, each with short quiz questions. Alabama Extension says it is geared toward educators, but anyone interested in aquaponics is welcome and should find value in it.

Enroll free at Auburn's catalog

7. Introduction to Hydroponics and Aquaponics (Alison)

Alison's free online course covers both hydroponics and aquaponics, including their types, in about 4 to 5 hours of material with video. It is free to study, and Alison offers a certificate on completion. It is a broad overview rather than a build guide, which makes it a good first hour if you are still deciding between growing with fish or without. Our comparison of aquaponics vs hydroponics covers the same decision.

See the course on Alison

Free Reading That Works Like a Course

The FAO technical paper Small-scale aquaponic food production (Somerville and colleagues, 2014) is a free manual laid out like a course: water quality, balancing fish and plants, system design, fish and plant care, chapter by chapter. Springer's open access book Aquaponics Food Production Systems (2019) is the free academic follow-up. Both are reviewed on our aquaponics books page.

Aquaponics Classes and In-Person Training

Video is great for theory, but nothing replaces standing next to a running system and asking why the pump is sized the way it is. These aquaponics classes put you on a real farm or in a live session with the instructors.

8. The Aquaponic Source: Aquaponic Basics and Online Courses

The Aquaponic Source in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, runs Aquaponic Basics, a full-day class from 9 am to 4:30 pm that covers system components, growing methods such as media beds and deep water culture, starting a system and the nitrification cycle, water quality, pests, and planning your space. It includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the Dahlia Campus Aquaponic Greenhouse in Denver. The class is now offered to small groups on flexible dates, so you contact them to schedule.

If you cannot get to Colorado, the same company sells online courses: a full Flourish Farm online aquaponics course for future farmers, an online course for home and hobby gardeners, and shorter single-topic courses such as Water Quality and Bacteria, Aquaponic Components, Plant Selection and Management, Fish Health and Management, and Aquaponic Greenhouse Planning.

See The Aquaponic Source classes

9. Aquaponics Short Course (Cornell University)

Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences runs an annual short course on recirculating aquaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics, taught live online by Cornell instructors Michael Timmons, Neil Mattson and Eugene Won. The 27th edition ran August 17 to 20, 2026, in afternoon sessions, with a follow-up Q&A on September 17. Cornell lists it for educators, entrepreneurs, growers, researchers and planners rather than hobbyists. Watch the page for the next edition.

See the Cornell short course

Aquaponics Classes Near Me: Where to Look

Nelson and Pade's in-person courses in Wisconsin, described above, are one in-person option, but most people want something closer to home. These are the places worth checking:

• University extension offices. Land-grant universities run workshops and field days, and many list aquaculture and aquaponics programs on their extension pages. Search your state's extension service by name.
• Community colleges. Agriculture, horticulture and fisheries departments sometimes offer continuing-education aquaponics classes or short certificates.
• Agricultural classrooms and school programs. Teachers often run aquaponics units, and some programs open their demonstration systems to the public.
• Botanical gardens and local suppliers. Gardens and aquaponics shops host occasional weekend workshops, which are usually the cheapest way to see a system running.

Before you drive anywhere, call and ask what the class covers, how much time is spent at a working system, and whether you will leave knowing how to cycle a system. A quick call also tells you whether the class is still running.

How to Choose an Aquaponics Course

Hobby or Business?

For a home system, a short video course or a free extension course is plenty, and our guides to home aquaponics and building an aquaponics system fill the gaps. If you are thinking about selling produce or fish, pay for a course that covers operations and economics, such as the Nelson and Pade commercial modules or The Aquaponic Source's farm course.

Online or In Person?

Online courses are cheaper, self-paced and can be repeated; you lose the chance to see a working system up close and ask questions while you look at it. In-person classes cost more once you add travel, but a single day on a real farm answers questions you did not know to ask.

Aquaponics Design Courses

If your goal is to design systems rather than just run one, look for courses that spend real time on sizing, plumbing and layout. Several in this list do: ACS Aquaponic Production covers system types from deep water culture and NFT to media beds, Ahmed Aibak's Udemy courses end in a design case study and a small commercial design, The Aquaponic Source lists an Aquaponic Farm System Design online course, and Nelson and Pade offers a System Assembly course in person. Pair any of them with our guides to the aquaponics grow bed and the aquaponics pump, since those are the two decisions that most often go wrong in a first design.

Aquaponics Education for Schools

Teachers have good free options too. The Alabama Extension course above is built for educators, and the National Agriculture in the Classroom Matrix at agclassroom.org has an Exploring Aquaponics lesson for grades 3 to 5, in which students identify the needs of plants and fish and then build and monitor a small classroom system. A grades K to 2 version is also listed. If you want a ready-made system for a classroom, see our roundup of aquaponics kits.

Do You Need a Certificate?

For growing at home, no. A certificate helps if you teach, apply for grants or want something to show a future employer. ACS, Nelson and Pade, Udemy and Alabama Extension all offer one in some form.

Check What Is Current

Aquaponics courses come and go. Before paying, check when the course was last updated, whether the instructor still answers questions, and whether there is a refund policy.

Aquaponics Courses FAQ