ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Landscape Architecture Schools in California

3 Colleges in the United States
162 Landscape Architecture Degrees Awarded
$56,168 Avg Early-Career Salary

Landscape Architecture degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for landscape architecture students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/architecture-and-related-services/landscape-architecture/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 2
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 04.06), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Architecture (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Architecture (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Trade & Vocational Programs (Landscaping Technology)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Trade & Vocational Programs (Landscaping Technology)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 1 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 1
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 0 offers with relevance >= 0.9
DEBUG: Backfilling with 1 offers with relevance >= 0.8

Best Schools for Landscape Architecture in California

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the landscape architecture degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Landscape Architecture

1

University Of Southern California tops our 2026 ranking of the best landscape architecture schools. Located in the city of Los Angeles, University Of Southern California is a very large private not-for-profit university. About 92% of students finish within six years. University Of Southern California awarded about 15 landscape architecture degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the landscape architecture program make about $75,677 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $15,625 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in landscape architecture from University Of Southern California

2

A rank of #2 makes California State Polytechnic University Pomona one of the top schools for landscape architecture. Located in the suburb of Pomona, California State Polytechnic University Pomona is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 68%. About 80 landscape architecture degrees were awarded at California State Polytechnic University Pomona in the most recent year. Students who receive their landscape architecture degree from California State Polytechnic University Pomona earn around $47,253 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $20,893 to complete this degree. Get the full landscape architecture details for California State Polytechnic University Pomona

3

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in landscape architecture, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo is a very large public university. Roughly 86% of students complete a degree within six years here. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo awarded about 42 landscape architecture degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, landscape architecture degree recipients from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo generally make around $58,331. California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo graduates carry a median of $22,433 in student loans. More information about a degree in landscape architecture from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

4

University Of California Berkeley came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best landscape architecture schools. Located in the city of Berkeley, University Of California Berkeley is a very large public university. About 93% of students finish within six years. University Of California Berkeley awarded about 25 landscape architecture degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the landscape architecture program make about $43,413 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $14,238 to complete this degree. Read more about the landscape architecture program at University Of California Berkeley

ADBLOCK #173
View All Landscape Architecture Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 8 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options