Landscape Architects: Overview, Education & Career Opportunities

The field of landscape architecture opens doors of success to those who have a keen interest in environmental designing and conservation. To make it simple, let's say that good landscaping makes parks, gardens, playgrounds and residential areas look beautiful. That's exactly what a landscape architect has got to do. Landscape architects have the duty of making outdoor areas appear eye catching with the use of designs, both useful and beautiful. It is the responsibility of the landscape architect to enhance the functional as well as the aesthetic value of the landscape. Those who are considering a career as landscape architect should be aware that the profession is quite demanding. Those who have interest in nature can find the career quite fulfilling.

Landscape architects spend most of their working hours in offices creating plans, estimating costs and preparing models for specific projects. Extensive research is a part of the job of a landscape architect. When they are not in office, the landscape architect might be having a meeting with the client or inspecting the area where the designing or the landscaping will be done. At the initial stage, the landscape architect may work on a variety of projects. However, with the passage of time and gaining expertise, they can specialize in a particular field of landscaping. Usually, landscape architecture can do landscaping for gardens, shopping centres, residential areas, urban plazas, zoo, golf courses and mountain resorts among others.

As part of their job, landscape architects regularly interact with engineers, architects and surveyors. The career demands a lot of dedication and commitment. Landscape architecture professionals not only design places and do the landscaping, they also make sure that their architectural plans are in harmony with nature. Before work starts on a project, the analysis of natural elements like soil, drainage, climate and vegetation should be done. To provide clients with the project preview, landscape architects also make use of different technology tools like Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Geographic Information System (GIS).

The draft design prepared by the landscape architect should be in compliance with the rules and regulations of the belonging state. These designs also need to acquire the approval of various regulatory agencies depending on the location where the landscaping needs to be done. After the initial designing process is complete, the landscape architect prepares sketches and produces models and photographs. Work proceeds to the next step only when these are approved by the client as well as regulatory agencies. After getting the approval, the architect prepares the working drawings to be used by the landscape contractor.

Educational Background of Landscape Architects

Students can easily find educational institutions and universities that offer numerous degree programs in landscape architecture. These courses are available both at graduate and undergraduate levels. Graduate level land architecture degree programs include first degree Master of Landscape Architecture, second degree Master of Landscape Architecture and MA in Landscape Architecture or MS in Landscape Architecture. Love for nature, creativity and excellent communication skills are some of the prerequisites for the professionals of landscape architecture.

Career Opportunities in Landscape Architecture

The field of landscape architecture leaves candidates with abundant career options. The field is really vast and offers you to take up careers like landscape planner, landscape manager, landscape scientist and garden designer among others. Government organizations and real estate companies hire landscape architecture professionals on a regular basis. During their career, landscape architecture might also get an opportunity to be involved in historic preservation works. Professionals of landscape architecture always work with a view to benefiting the present as well as the future generations. Historical garden conservation is a good career option for landscape architects who want to become garden designers.

Usually, landscape architects need to work regular hours. However, the working hours depend on the duration and the deadline of the project. They might also need to work some extra hours or over time so as to complete the project within the required timeframe. It is interesting to note that almost 20% of all landscape architect remain self employed. With the required business tactics and marketing expertise, landscape architects can always start a business of their own. The earning potential of self employed landscape architects increases as their client base expands.

Job Outlook
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment growth rate in this field will grow much faster than the average of other occupations. The growth rate will be 20% from the year 2008 through to the year 2018. With the increase in the planning and development of new structures, the demand for landscape architects will also increase creating more job openings.

Annual Salary
The median annual salary of landscape architects in the year 2008 was $58,960. Industries like architecture and engineering employed the majority of landscape architects. Those who were employed with these industries earned a median annual wage of around $59,610 in 2008. With the increase in the years of experience and skill sets, the annual salary of these professionals can be as high as $97,303 or beyond.