Career Path

Landscape Architect

Overview

In this career, your responsibilities may include:

Planning and designing the environments where people live and work, including parks, public spaces, and the outdoor spaces of residential complexes and campuses.
Deciding locations of buildings, roads, and other features within the landscaped environment.
Using computer-aided drafting (CAD) software to visually render design plans, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze reports on environmental conditions.

Job Titles

In your job search, you may find job listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.

Academic Requirements

Typically requires a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) or Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA) degree. Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) degrees are usually equivalent to a BLA, but for individuals whose bachelor’s degree is in a different field, and who want to switch to a landscape architecture career.

Certification

Certification is not required.
Licensure
Licensure is required in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, although requirements vary.

There are two types of landscape architecture licensing: “title acts” and “practice acts.”
- In states with “title acts,” no one without a license may call themselves a “landscape architect.” However, you may be able to find work as a landscape architect as long as you do not use the title of “landscape architect.”
- In states with “practice acts,” no one without a license may perform the work of a landscape architect at all, whether or not they use the title.
All states require candidates for licensure to pass the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE).

When you pass the LARE, you will receive a Council Record, which you can then use to apply for licensure in your state by arranging for a transmittal to your local licensing board.
Mutual Recognition Agreement
A Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) is an agreement between two or more countries to accept the educational or professional credentials granted in each other’s countries. This means that if you graduated with a specific degree or earned certain professional qualifications in a country covered under an MRA, your credentials may be automatically recognized here in the US. Several professions in the US participate in MRAs, including accounting, architecture, and engineering.
- MRAs are not legally binding, and some states may choose not to recognize credentials covered under an MRA. If your credential may be covered under an MRA, always check with your state licensing board to be sure that they accept the agreement.
If you are an architect with active licensure in Australia, Canada, Mexico, or New Zealand, you may be able to pursue architectural licensure in the U.S. through the appropriate mutual recognition agreement.

Through the Canberra Accord, certain professional degrees in architecture from accredited programs in Australia, Canada, China, Korea, Mexico, and members countries of the Commonwealth Association of Architects may qualify for accelerated EESA evaluation processing from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

In addition, NAAB has evaluated a number of international architecture degree programs outside the Canberra Accord for “substantial equivalency,” meaning that these programs have been found to be comparable to NAAB-accredited programs. If you hold an architecture degree from one of these programs with NAAB International Certification, you may also qualify for an accelerated EESA evaluation.

There is no MRA for Landscape Architecture.