Major: Landscape Architecture
If you love architecture and the outdoors, you might consider studying landscape architecture. Landscape architects design outdoor spaces.
If you study landscape architecture, you might go on to help parks bloom in big cities. You could also study plants with a master gardener, design the green space for a new suburban community, or help restore a wetland. You might cooperate with an architect to create outdoor areas that beautify and accent the buildings they surround.
Students of landscape architecture learn how to design and create landscapes using plants, trees, structures, and other natural and human-made elements. Classes cover such topics as horticulture (the study of growing plants); landscape design, history, and theory; and project and site planning.
“Landscape architecture can range from designing a skateboard park to an entire wilderness area. It’s not just about the trees and shrubs around buildings.”
Philip N. Pregill, Professor and Chair, Landscape Architecture,
California State University, Pomona
Are You Ready To...?
- Spend a lot of time in design studio planning and creating projects
- Build computer and 3-D models of your designs
- Use computer-assisted drafting to create plans
- Research and write papers
- Identify plants
It Helps to Be...
Creative, interested in nature and ecology, and good at communicating your ideas to others.
College Checklist
- Is the program accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects?
- How long does it take to graduate? Some landscape architecture programs are five-year programs.
- Does the department have a specific focus? If you are interested in xeriscape (a landscaping technique that conserves water), consider a school in the Southwest. If you’re interested in urban landscaping issues, you might look for a school in a big city.
- Are the professors practicing landscape architects?
- What kind of work do current students do? Ask to see examples of student work.
Did You Know?
- Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed New York City’s Central Park, hoped that the park’s public spaces would encourage an open, democratic culture.
Course Spotlight
As a landscape architecture student, you’ll encounter at least one class in planting design. You'll listen to lectures but also spend a lot of time in the studio, working on assigned projects. You’ll learn about the artistic and functional uses of plants in the landscape. You'll also study the role of plants in increasing a building's energy efficiency, among other topics.
