What Can I Do With a Major In Landscape Architecture?

General  

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Landscape Architect Projects:

Landscape Architects are hired for a variety of projects from residential to commercial. Typically, Landscape Architects do not need a Masters Degree to obtain entry-level employment. Listed below are just a few of the projects that they can be involved in:

• School and college campus
• Corporate and commercial grounds
• Public gardens and arboreta
• Historic preservation and restoration
• Hotels, resorts, and golf courses
• Hospital and other facility sites
• Interior landscape
• Land planning
• Landscape art and earth sculpture
• Monument grounds
• Parks and recreation
• Land reclamation and rehabilitation
• Residential sites
• Security design
• Streetscapes and public spaces
• Therapeutic gardens
• Transportation corridors and facilities
• Urban and suburban design

Licensure

Landscape architects who work outside of the federal government need a license. As of 2010, all 50 states required landscape architects to be licensed. Licensing is based on the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.), which is sponsored by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards. Candidates can take the L.A.R.E. at different times of the year in two parts—three multiplechoice sections and two graphic response sections.

Applicants who want to take the exam usually need a degree from an accredited school and 1 to 4 years of work experience under the supervision of a licensed landscape architect, although standards vary by state. For those without an accredited landscape architecture degree, most states provide alternative paths to qualify to take the L.A.R.E., usually requiring more work experience.

Currently, 13 states require landscape architects to pass a state exam, in addition to the L.A.R.E., to satisfy registration requirements. State exams focus on laws, environmental regulations, plants, soils, climate, and other characteristics unique to the state.

Because requirements for licensure vary, landscape architects may find it difficult to transfer their registration from one state to another. Common requirements include graduating from an accredited program, serving 3 years of internship under the supervision of a registered landscape architect, and passing the L.A.R.E. By meeting national requirements, a landscape architect also can obtain certification from the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards. That certification can be useful in getting one state to accept a license from another state.

Landscape architects who work for the federal government do not have to be licensed. For federal government jobs, landscape architects should have a bachelor's or master's degree in landscape architecture.

*Taken from Bureau of Labor Statistics

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General  

• Handshake (scroll down to the bottom of the page; login with your UGA MyID and password)  
• LinkedIn (this popular networking site also has a job board!) 
• Idealist (non-profit jobs) 
• USAJobs (federal jobs) 

• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
• Urban Land Institute 
• The Georgia Chapter, ASLA
• American Institute of Architects 
• American Planning Association 
• Environmental Design Research Association 
• Land8Lounge
• Trees Atlanta 
• The Land Lovers 

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