Please check this section if you have questions about ASLA membership, programs, or the profession of landscape architecture.
About Becoming a Landscape Architect
How does one study to become a landscape architect?
Seventy universities currently offer 52 graduate degree (MLA) and 44 undergraduate degree (BLA/BSLA) programs accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board. LAAB is a specialized agency that accredits educational programs leading to first professional degrees at the bachelor's and master's levels.
There are two undergraduate professional degrees. These usually require four or five years of study in design, construction techniques, art, history, and natural and social sciences:
- Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA-eligible for accreditation)
- Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA-eligible for accreditation)
There are two types of accredited graduate-degree programs:
- The three-year Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) option is for those who hold an undergraduate degree in a field other than landscape architecture and intend to become landscape architecture practitioners.
- A five or five-plus Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) is for those who do not have an undergraduate degree.
Other, non-accredited programs are also offered, such as the MA/MS in Landscape Architecture for those who want to conduct research in landscape architecture but do not seek to be registered professionals; programs by schools that are candidates for accreditation; and certificate programs.
How does a landscape architect become licensed?
Landscape architects are licensed in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Each state sets its own requirements for licensure and the licensing process is administered by the state licensing board. All states require candidates to pass the Landscape Architect Registration Examination, or LARE, which is administered by the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards (CLARB).