by our College Data Analytics TeamLandscape architects use their creative skills and technical abilities to plan outdoor scenes and landscapes. This includes using natural items like plants and trees, but also buildings and pathways. The places you could design are limitless, ranging from skate parks to tech parks to wetlands. Landscape Architecture involves much more than just arranging flowers; students will learn to design and create landscapes using both natural and manmade elements and structures.
Classes that you would take as a landscape architect could include: horticulture, landscape design, history, theory, hydrology, geology, environmental design, and project and site planning. This is a very challenging and diverse curriculum that helps ready the student for success. Students will use elements of both art and science to create beautiful and breathtaking spaces.
A degree in Landscape Architecture explores Landscape Architecture. Read on to learn the key facts every landscape architecture student should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering landscape architecture programs.
Nationwide, landscape architecture draws strong interest, with 1,050 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Landscape Architecture Schools ranking analyzes these 64 schools to determine the best overall colleges for landscape architecture students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of landscape architecture programs later in this article.
Studies in Landscape Architecture develop a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations landscape architecture graduates commonly enter.
As a landscape architect you will have a lot of creative freedom. A student in this field must have a vast imagination and an interest in nature and ecology. It is important for the student to have an interest in preserving and cultivating nature, while at the same time adding elements from the man made world. One of the keys to success is effective communication skills and the ability to work well with others. A landscape architect will need to communicate with clients and incorporate the client's desires into their own vision. You should be prepared to spend a lot of time rethinking and redesigning projects.
As a landscape architect major, a student will learn to research and identify plants and know the climates in which they survive. Landscape architects need to be computer savvy and have the ability to build models and create plans of their designs on the computer. They also need to be able to build and represent a model of their design three dimensionally. By the time they finish school, students will learn how to create beautiful and yet functional natural spaces through a variety of methods.
The skill set built by a landscape architecture program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a landscape architecture major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several landscape architecture degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 24 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 18 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 662 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 346 |
People currently working in careers related to landscape architecture tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 43.7% |
| Master’s degree | 18.2% |
| Doctoral degree | 16.6% |
| First professional degree | 9.2% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 5.5% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2.5% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 1.8% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 1.6% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.5% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.4% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in landscape architecture careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
In order to become a licensed and professional landscape architecture, you must be ready and willing to obtain an advanced degree. Most students go on to attain a master's degree as well as work as an intern for at least two years. After completing their advanced degree and internship, landscape architects must pass the L.A.R.E. (Landscape Architect Registration Examination) in order to receive their license to practice as a professional.
On the bright side, landscape architects are in high demand. They are needed to design public spaces, resort grounds, parks and bike trails, housing developments, and many more open spaces.
Majoring in landscape architecture can lead to numerous career paths. These are some of the most common occupations related to landscape architecture.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to landscape architecture.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | 489,715 | 11.8% |
| Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | 440,884 | 8.0% |
| Landscape Architects | 210,994 | 13.6% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 207,139 | 9.0% |
College Scorecard reports median earnings of landscape architecture graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $52,824 |
| 4 years | $61,820 |
| 5 years | $67,981 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for landscape architecture graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers landscape architecture grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $101,277 |
| Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | $89,263 |
| Landscape Architects | $88,491 |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | $66,757 |
With 64 different landscape architecture programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased landscape architecture school rankings to help you.
If you are interested in landscape architecture, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Landscape Architecture | 1,050 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 9,814 |
| Architecture | 4,594 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 2,362 |
| Interior Architecture | 756 |
| Environmental Design | 714 |
| Real Estate Development | 555 |
| Architecture and Related Services, Other | 166 |
| Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation | 151 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
