Landscape Architect Career
As a professional landscape architect you will be planning and designing spaces such as parks, botanical gardens, residential developments, corporate and college campuses, cemeteries, resorts, and waterfront areas. You will be working with other professionals. These include civil engineers, land surveyors, architects, developers, and city planners.
A landscape architect takes a leading role in protecting the environment by understanding the science behind plants, clean air and water, erosion control, noise pollution, drainage, and site lighting. You will be a leader in designing attractive and functional outdoor spaces.
Landscape Architect Career Snapshot
Landscape architects can find positions in private, public, and academic environments. In private and public sectors you will be working in an office, approximately 40 hours per week, researching and designing. You will also be visiting job sites. In the academic sector you will be teaching or researching, typically at a university or college campus.
Further details on a career as a landscape architect are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the average annual salary for landscape architects.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a Bachelor’s degree while 7% have a Professional degree.
Landscape Architect Education
A landscape architect is required to complete one of 3 degree programs before applying for a state professional licensing exam. These are: Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture, or a Master of Landscape Architecture. The BLA and BSLA are generally 5 year undergraduate programs, while the MLA is a 2 or 3 year post graduate program.
Landscape Architect Job Duties
A landscape architect will be expected to be able to design, produce CAD drawings and specifications, research, meet with clients and community leaders, and perform field inspections during project construction. You may also be required to perform code compliance reviews and to meet with planning and zoning officials.
Landscape Architect Salaries
The average yearly salary for landscape architects was $63,810 in 2015 according to BLS.gov reports. On the lower end, a CAD drafts person is expected to earn at minimum $40K a year, while a senior architect or a principal can earn over $100K a year. It all depends on your level of experience.
Landscape Architect Job Outlook
The field of landscape architecture is growing an average of 5 percent each year. There are always new and retrofit construction projects underway that require a landscape professional. The outlook for available positions is similar to other design professions.
Landscape Architect Skills & Traits
| Landscape Architect Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Landscape Architects: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Active Listening • Reading Comprehension • Coordination • Speaking • Complex Problem Solving | • Oral Comprehension • Oral Expression • Visualization • Written Comprehension • Category Flexibility | • Digital camcorders • Digital cameras • GPS receivers • Notebook/laptop computers • Computer scanners | • Creative Thinking • Drafting • Communicating with Others • Working with Computers • Decision Making |
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