Program Overview

Introduction to the Landscape Contracting and Management Program

The Landscape Contracting and Management degree program at Mississippi State University is accredited by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). This program requires three internships, which involve three semesters of experiential learning and field experience with an approved landscape contracting company or agency, under the supervision of a qualified supervisor and oversight of Mississippi State University faculty. Additionally, two departmental field trips are specific curriculum requirements for this degree.

Program Overview

A landscape contractor is a specialty contract professional who provides the expertise, materials, and services needed to make the landscape design project become a reality, and/or to provide the management expertise needed to keep the project in prime condition after construction implementation. Upon successful completion of curriculum requirements, a student receives a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Contracting and Management.

Program Requirements

• All students in Landscape Contracting and Management are required to have their own personal computer.
• Students should check with the department for equipment specification prior to purchasing.
• The Department of Landscape Architecture requires that a grade of "C" or better is required to fulfill a major core requirement.
• The department reserves the right to retain student work for the purpose of records, exhibition, instruction, industry review, etc.
• In addition to Mississippi State University policies, all students enrolled in this curriculum shall be required to abide by all approved departmental policies.

Concentrations

A Landscape Contracting and Management student can choose from two concentrations:

• Landscape Business Management
• Ecosystem Management

General Education Requirements

• English Composition:
  • EN 1103 English Composition I
  • EN 1104 Expanded English Composition I
  • EN 1113 English Composition II
  • EN 1173 Accelerated Composition II
• Creative Discovery: Select from General Education courses
• Humanities:
  • FLS 1113 Spanish I
  • FLS 1123 Spanish II
• Social/Behavioral Sciences (vary by concentration)
  • Required for Landscape Business Management concentration:
    • EC 2113 Principles of Macroeconomics
    • EC 2123 Principles of Microeconomics
    • AEC 2713 Introduction to Food and Resource Economics
  • Required for Ecosystem Management concentration:
    • SO 1003 Introduction to Sociology
    • EC 2123 Principles of Microeconomics
    • AEC 2713 Introduction to Food and Resource Economics
• Quantitative Reasoning:
  • ST 2113 Elementary Statistics
  • MA 2113 Introduction to Statistics
• Natural Sciences:
  • CH 1043 Survey of Chemistry I
  • PSS 3303 Soils
  • PSS 3301 Soils Laboratory

Degree Requirements

Major Core

• LA 1153 Introduction to Landscape Architecture
• LA 1223 Use of Computers in Landscape Architecture
• LA 1333 Landscape Systems and Plant Communities
• LA 1533 Presentation Methods and Media
• LA 1701 Landscape Professional Career Paths Seminar
• LA 1711 Landscape Contracting Internship I
• LA 2711 Landscape Contracting Internship II
• LA 2544 Landscape Architecture Construction I: Materials
• LA 2644 Construction II: Grading
• LA 3653 Planting Design Fundamentals in Landscape Architecture
• LA 3701 Landscape Contracting Seminar II
• LA 3711 Landscape Contracting Internship III
• LA 3721 Landscape Contracting Field Trip I
• LA 4344 Landscape Architecture Construction IV
• LA 4701 Landscape Contracting Seminar III
• LA 4721 Landscape Contracting Field Trip II
• LA 4724 Landscape Contracting II
• LA 4753 Sustainable Landscape Management
• EPP 3423 Ornamental and Turfgrass Insects
• PSS 2113 Introduction to Turfgrass Science
• PSS 2423 Plant Materials I
• PSS 3133 Introduction to Weed Science
• PSS 3473 Plant Materials II
• PSS 4353 Arboriculture and Landscape Maintenance
• ACC 2013 Principles of Financial Accounting
• ACC 2023 Principles of Managerial Accounting

Oral Communication Requirement

• CO 1003 Fundamentals of Public Speaking
• CO 1013 Introduction to Communication

Writing Requirement

• LA 4723 Professional Practice of Landscape Architecture

Concentration Requirements

Landscape Business Management (LBM)

• Science Requirement (Natural Sciences Gen Ed):
  • BIO 1023 Plants and Humans
  • PSS 1313 Plant Science
• MGT 3323 Entrepreneurship
• MGT 3113 Principles of Management
• MGT 3513 Introduction to Human Resource Management
• MKT 3013 Principles of Marketing
• BL 3223 The Law of Commercial Transactions
• BL 2413 The Legal Environment of Business
• Free Electives: 6 hours

Ecosystem Management (EM)

• Science Requirement (Natural Sciences Gen Ed):
  • BIO 1134 Biology I
  • ENS 2103 Introduction to Environmental Science
  • ENS 2101 Introduction to Environmental Science Laboratory
• AEC 3233 Introduction to Environmental Economics and Policy
• AN 4173 Environment and Society
• SO 4173 Environment and Society
• BIO 3104 Ecology
• Free Electives: 3 hours

Total Hours for Degree

The total hours required for the degree in either concentration is 124 hours.