Best Universities For Landscape Architecture In The World

The Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida is one of the best landscape architecture schools in the United States. It has been around since 1933 and it offers the only professionally accredited bachelor’s degree program in landscape architecture in Florida. The department’s mission is to conduct research that enhances both the practice and understanding of landscape architecture as a profession and that helps address societal challenges. The faculty members who work there have diverse research interests that cover a wide spectrum of both theory and practice. This post explores the facts of best universities for landscape architecture in the world, best landscape architecture schools in europe, best country to study landscape architecture, cornell university landscape architecture and cornell landscape architecture acceptance rate.

There are also study abroad programs for students that take place over the course of an entire semester or last just a few weeks during the summer. Some of these programs take place in places like Nantucket, Mexico, Prague, and China. The Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida is fully accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board. Read on to know more about best universities for landscape architecture in the world, best landscape architecture schools in europe, best country to study landscape architecture, cornell university landscape architecture and cornell landscape architecture acceptance rate.

The University of Florida offers a five-year bachelor of landscape architecture program that combines classroom instruction and studio work. Fifth-year students are required to complete an independent capstone project that will showcase the culmination of their academic work. Internships are also encouraged after students’ third year of study. At the graduate level, the university offers a first professional master of landscape architecture program, a post-professional master of landscape architecture program, and a interdisciplinary program leading to the doctor of philosophy degree in design, construction, and planning. Master’s students may either produce a thesis or a terminal project, which allows for greater flexibility in formatting.

best universities for landscape architecture in the world

We begin with best universities for landscape architecture in the world, then best landscape architecture schools in europe, best country to study landscape architecture, cornell university landscape architecture and cornell landscape architecture acceptance rate.

#1. University of Florida – USA

Program: Bachelor of landscape Architecture Program

Scholarships: 30 and above

The University of Florida’s (UF) Bachelor of Landscape Architectural program is the only of its kind in the whole of Florida. It is also one of the best landscape design schools in the world. Its program curriculum gives students a comprehensive knowledge of a broad range of issues and activities in the field.

The University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction & Planning offers UF’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Program, which is a 5-year program. One feature that makes UF’s program for Landscape Designers and Architect stand out is the Internship Program that students can participate in during the summer and fall of their third year.

#2. The University of Greenwich – The UK

Program: Landscape Architecture, BA Hons

Scholarships: 13

The University of Greenwich in London, the UK is one of the best universities in the UK and the world to get a degree in Landscape Architecture. With this degree, you can start up a career comfortably in Landscape design as the program focuses on building professionals with the skills to design future parks and cities.

With accreditation by Landscape Institute, Greenwich’s program stands out from most landscape programs in the UK. Another beautiful aspect of this landscape program at Greenwich is that the school provides students the opportunity to visits projects and learn practices in London and abroad – from the Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum to Barcelona and New York City. The bachelor’s program takes three (3) years to complete.

Meanwhile, Greenwich has the Research & Enterprise Training Institute (RETI) that offers support, advice, development and mentoring to help researchers develop their skills. It also advances research in the landscape field.

#3. University of New South Wales – Australia

Program: Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)

Scholarships: 8 and above

When you mention schools in Australia and the world for Landscape design, you can’t help but mention the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The Australian school’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honors) provides a sure path for Landscape designers to start a rewarding career in the field.

The program is a 4-year program that the school teaches as a powerful way of thinking and as a vocation. Thus, it goes beyond learning to becoming. You will become a creative problem solver, while the vocation aspect equips you with the theoretical and practical knowledge you need to implement landscape design at sites as well as at urban and regional scales.

Of course, the program coursework for the BLA program at UNSW involves studio and lab work to give you practical experience that will build you into a competent professional. What is more interesting is that the program allows for 90 days of work experience, giving you industry contacts and experience, and boosting your employability.

#4. Cornell University – USA

Program: Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA)

Scholarships: Unknown

Cornell University at Ithaca, New York just has to be on this list of best schools in the world for landscape design. Cornell is an Ivy League university, and that spells quality in most if not all of its programs. So, through Cornell’s Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA), landscape designers can get one of the best degrees to begin their Landscape career.

Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life science, Department of Landscape Architecture, offers its BSLA program. The program has accreditation by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) and provides you with the skills necessary to practice as a professional with a license. Some of the highlights of Cornell’s Landscape Architecture program that makes it standout include field trips, guest presentations, one-on-one instruction, and the option to study abroad at partner universities.

Meanwhile, Cornell’s BSLA program is a four-year program, and there are need-based scholarships that you can apply to finance your fees.

#5. Purdue University, West Lafayette – USA

Program: Landscape Architecture, BLA

Scholarships: N/A

Studying Landscape Architecture at Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA to become a landscape designer promises a lot. You will be blended with art and engineering to become a leader in Design. You will also learn to incorporate sustainable systems into urban environments.

Purdue University also grants its students the opportunity to complete a 40-week paid internship and gain work experience on real projects. Also, this prestigious American University records 86% of its students returning for their final year at the university with job offers from their co-op firm. If these don’t place Purdue University, West Lafayette as one of the best colleges in the world for landscape design, what will?

best landscape architecture schools in europe

Next, we consider best landscape architecture schools in europe, best country to study landscape architecture, cornell university landscape architecture and cornell landscape architecture acceptance rate.

A brief guide to notable places to study landscape architecture in Europe. The history of landscape architecture has its roots in Europe, with historical greats such as Andrew Jackson Downing and Gilbert Laing Meason, so why not go to the place where the greats had their origins? Today, Europe is home to over a hundred schools that offer courses in landscape architecture and below are some of the best. In no particular order here are 10 great places to study landscape architecture in Europe: 

10. The University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) – Department of Landscape 

One of the largest schools for landscape architecture, the department is home to approximately 200 undergraduate and 150 postgraduate students, all there to obtain an education that uses both science and art to teach large scale planning and detailed design. On their website they boast, “At Sheffield, we aim to develop graduates with outstanding skills, who will be able to take leading roles in multidisciplinary projects and will have an ethic of care for the landscape and the people who live within it. This blend of attributes ensures that you will be highly employable, ready for professional practice and a committed lifelong learner.” 

WATCH: Architecture and Landscape at the University of Sheffield 

7. Leibniz Universitat Hannover (Germany), Fakultät für Architektur und Landschaft Since 2006, this school has offered three accredited degrees: “Bachelor in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning,” “Masters in Environmental Planning,” and a “Masters in Landscape Architecture.” Student projects take into account current developments in culture and socio-economic planning and use both scientific and artistic solutions to reach their final designs. In addition, the school is home to the Das Zentrum für Gartenkunst und Landschaftsarchitektur (CGL), led by the LA faculty, their studies focus on the history of garden art, the care of memorials and contemporary landscape architecture, and their findings are used by the master’s program in their modules.

Main building Leibniz Universität Hannover. Credit: Firefeichti, CC 3.0

6. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain) – The School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB) While the ETSAB was founded in 1875, the landscape architecture program is still young having only been started in 1983. Their master’s program graduates 35 international students each year and is a partnership between the ETSAB and the School of Agriculture (ESAB). According to the EMiLA, “ETSAB’s Masters educational specificity is on one hand the integration of the local urban design tradition to the contemporary trends of landscape architecture and sustainability as well as their application to Mediterranean-specific climate and ecological specificity. On the other, we find emphasis on the detailing of the project and its good implementation.”

5. Amsterdam Academy of Architecture (The Netherlands) – Department of Landscape When a country is a leader in innovation and design in the field of landscape architecture, it makes perfect sense that they are also going to be leaders in regards to training landscape architects. At the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture’s Department of Landscape Architecture students are placed in interdisciplinary teams supervised by practicing professionals and follow a course of study that follows the current trends in the Netherlands. This is one of the five schools that offer the EMiLA, European Masters in Landscape Architecture. 

4. École Nationale Supérieur de Paysage Versailles (France) – The Potager du Roi in Versailles Since 1974 this school has been training students in urban, suburban and agrarian modernization, and graduates 75 students each year with an internationally recognized Landscape Architecture Diploma DPLG (Diplômé par le Gouvernement Français). Studios focus on the physical, geographical, and human uses of the landscape and teach students to search out the opportunities in a site rather than the constraints. The school’s website describes their mission as this, “We strive to develop our thinking by understanding a ‘sense of place’ and this approach is fundamental to our ethos as we conceptualize and select projects.” Finally, ENSP is the only school in France with a research lab housing 15 multi-disciplinary researchers working on landscape dynamics and suburban agriculture themes.

Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts. Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 by KoS

3. ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) (Switzerland) – Department of Architecture – Institute for Landscape Architecture The Institute of Landscape Architecture (ILA) combines disciplinary research and teaching and follow three topics: landscape design, digital media, as well as theory and history. Courses are offered at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate levels, and all of the courses provide the knowledge needed to enter the public sector. The department falls under the Network City and Landscape program, which, according to their website,“aims to lay the foundations for a design of our environment that meets human needs, is sustainable, and has high aesthetic and cultural qualities, while finding a means to make this design available to the public.”WATCH: Visual Tour: Studying at ETH Zurich 

Sculpture Court in the Edinburgh College of Art Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 by Kim Traynor

1. Leeds Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) – The Leeds School of Art, Architecture, & Design Students graduate with a BA in landscape architecture and while in school spend their time in a new award-winning building located in the heart of Leeds. Courses consist of design-based modules that focus on relevant issues such as climate change and sustainable communities. The program benefits from their state-of-the-art library as well as, a unique Landscape Resource Centre and Experimental Gardens. WATCH: Hannah Murton takes about her experience studying 00 Landscape Architecture in Leeds Metropolitan University