Program Overview

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Landscape Architecture Program

The Landscape Architecture program at Ohio State University is a discipline that combines design and ecology. Landscape architects recognize the significant role the environment plays globally in the health of growing populations, expanding cities, and fragile ecosystems.

Program Overview

Students in the landscape architecture program in the Knowlton School combine critical thinking skills with artistic principles, environmental consciousness, and construction technology to address people's relationship to the land in a range of situations. They develop practical and evolving knowledge and skills as the foundation for professional competence, academic scholarship, and individualized enrichment.

Degree and Accreditation

Ohio State's Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA) is a four-year accredited professional degree leading to licensure. It is the only such program in Ohio and has an established reputation going back over 100 years.

Admission Criteria

Upon admission to the university, first-year students who declare a major in landscape architecture within the Knowlton School are directly admitted to the major. No prior experience or portfolio is required. First-year students who begin at Ohio State as landscape architecture majors are eligible to continue into the second year upon earning a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or above and earning a B+ or higher in both architecture foundation courses.

Curriculum

The landscape architecture curriculum is structured around studioan intense one-on-one pedagogy modeled after a traditional apprenticeshipsupported by lectures, seminars, and courses in technology, ecology, digital representation, and history/theory. Projects range from the design of small gardens to regional agricultural and ecosystems planning.

First-Year Curriculum

During the first year, students gain a foundation in design and an awareness of the built environment. Through a process of drawing and making models, students learn to develop and communicate ideas across landscape architecture, architecture, and urban design.

Second-Year Curriculum

Second-year students participate in studios that emphasize drawing by hand and computer and model-making abilities by exploring terrain and ecology through conceptual exercises and design interventions on small local sites.

Third-Year Curriculum

Third-year students delve into the programs, systems, and details of landscape practice. Students participate in studio projects that engage the medium of landscape architecture (topography, vegetation, and water).

Fourth-Year Curriculum

Fourth-year students take advanced seminars and electives and explore special topics with faculty. In studio, they tackle hybrid programs on complex sites and conduct design and material research to prepare for professional practice and graduate studies.

Study Abroad

Students are encouraged to participate in a Knowlton-led education abroad program during their time as a student. Knowlton programs are traditionally offered during academic breaks, allowing for the greatest flexibility and participation. Recent programs have taken place in Cuba, Chile, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and multiple European countries, with a focus on topics from the development of modern architecture and landscape architecture to sustainable urban planning practices.

Internship

Many landscape architecture students pursue internship opportunities. Many landscape architecture students also participate in the Knowlton Landscape Co-Op Program during their junior year. In this program, students gain valuable professional experience directly in the field while earning credit toward their degree and a competitive hourly wage.

Student Organizations

Students can join the Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (SCASLA) to connect with professionals and gain professional development through firm visits, portfolio and resume reviews, and mock interviews. Students can also participate in SERVitecture, which links students with design-based service experiences such as Habitat for Humanity.

Possible Careers

Students in the landscape architecture program are prepared to enter a range of professional fields or graduate programs. Graduates of Ohio State's landscape architecture program are successful in finding positions at regional, national, and global landscape architecture firms; architecture, urban design, engineering, and planning firms; development and design/build; environmental management; public sector roles with metropolitan park systems, recreation and parks departments; state and federal agencies of environmental law, policy, and management; and academic careers.

Salary Estimates

New graduates report entry-level salaries between $45,000 and $60,000. Those who have completed experience requirements and registration exams may earn salaries of $70,000 or more. Partners and senior associates in large firms may earn considerably more, often exceeding $200,000.