Landscape Design - Schools, Degrees, Courses

What’s it all about?
A degree in landscape design will consist of both theoretical and practical study. You’ll work towards developing your own design skills, plant identification, plant anatomy and all the various principles of the landscaping industry at a whole. At the end of your degree course you’ll be left with a firm knowledge of all the basic skills necessary, and you’ll have been encouraged to experiment and explore your own design skills to develop your individual style. Expect your course to include other aspects such as technical design and drawing, working to create presentations, essay writing, problem solving and team work – as landscape design very often requires the ability to work within a group of other like-minded individuals.

What will I learn?
All universities will have their own way of presenting their degree in landscape design, but wherever you study you can expect to cover the following:

• The principles of landscape design and how these work in practice
• The history of landscape design, and how changing fashions shape the industry as it is today
• Surveying and drafting
• Plant identification and plant anatomy
• Science of the soil and plants
• Computer aided design
• Designing with plants and landscape management
• Environmental science
• Design interpretation and presentation

How will I learn?
By necessity you can expect a lot of practical work. However theory will also make up a large part of your learning – especially in the first years of study. Once you have learnt the basics you’ll quickly move onto practical work. This will include surveys, design projects, drawing work and presentations, along with getting your hands dirty on the physical aspect of the jobs. Much of your learning will be delivered by lectures, seminars and also critiquing of other students work. This is a valuable learning aid that teaches a lot to all parties involved, and you should expect to have your work critiqued in return. Depending on where you study, assessments will take the form of coursework and/or examinations.

After gaining my degree, what options are open to me for employment?
On qualification there are plenty of career options you can choose to follow. These include moving into private design practice for small landscapes and private gardens. You might choose to enter the world of larger projects, such as working for various councils that deal with parks, forests, schools housing estates and other public areas. Still further options include planting plan design for nurseries and garden centers, or setting up as a freelance landscape designer. Don’t forget related businesses that might have need of landscape design skills – such as the TV and film industry, hotels and other leisure trades.

Everyone knows that today, probably more than ever before, that it’s almost vital to have a degree to be in with a chance of securing the job of your dreams. It’s true that times today are tough, so by getting the best qualification possible you considerably raise your chances of being the person that an employer wants to interview – and ultimately offer a job. Not only that, but the skills you learn when undertaking a landscape design degree really will give you the thorough grounding you need to understand exactly what the trade is all about. And the encouragement you’ll receive throughout your training will help you expand your own natural talents and develop your own style. It will also give you an excellent portfolio of projects that you can present to any future employer.

Here at Colleges and Universities we understand how difficult it can seem to seek out the ideal course for your particular needs. It seems that not another day goes by without another course, in another university, in yet another state looks like a viable option. And that’s why we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve compiled an in-depth list of landscape design degree courses throughout the whole of North America, and put them together in one easy to search list. So no matter what level of course you’re searching for, no matter what location you need, you can use our easy to navigate search system to narrow down suitable landscape design degree courses. And from then – it’s game on! So don’t delay, because places on sought after landscape design courses get snapped up fast. Check out our listings right now and that job you hanker after really could be one step closer to reality.