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Golf course architect education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a golf course architect. Golf course architects usually study landscape architecture, management, or nursing. 67% of golf course architects hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 23 real golf course architect resumes to see exactly what golf course architect education sections show.

The most common colleges for golf course architects are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.

There are also many online golf course architect courses to help get the education required to be a golf course architect.

What education do you need to become a golf course architect?

What degree do you need to be a golf course architect?

The most common degree for golf course architects is bachelor's degree, with 67% of golf course architects earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 11%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Diploma, 11%
  • Other Degrees, 11%

What should I major in to become a golf course architect?

You should major in landscape architecture to become a golf course architect. 27% of golf course architects major in landscape architecture. Other common majors for a golf course architect include management and nursing.

Most common colleges for golf course architects

Golf course architects often get their degrees at University of Maryland - College Park, Bacone College, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for golf course architects in the US based on their resumes.
Golf course architect common collegePercentages
University of Maryland - College Park18.18%
Bacone College9.09%
Florida State University9.09%
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania9.09%
Indian River State College9.09%

Best majors for golf course architects

RankMajorPercentages
1Landscape Architecture27.3%
2Management9.1%
3Nursing9.1%
4Business9.1%
5Environmental Science9.1%

Best colleges for golf course architects

The best colleges for golf course architects are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

A golf course architect with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for golf course architects. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become golf course architects.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for golf course architects

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1. Golf Course Management: Best Practices

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3. Enterprise Blockchain Architect Course

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4. MuleSoft Certified Integration Architect Course - MCIA

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5. AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate: Complete Course

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6. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems

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16. Google Cloud Professional Architect: Get Certified 2022

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17. Complete Web Designing Course Web-Development BootCamp

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18. The Perfect Golf Swing - Timeless Golf Instruction

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Absolutely the best golf videos ever made, period. 99% of golf instruction is utter nonsense...

19. AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02

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[NEW 2023] AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional Video Course incl. AWS Solutions Architect PRO Practice Test...

20. Pega CSSA Course

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PEGA Certified Senior System Architect(CSSA)...

Top 10 most affordable universities for golf course architects

The most affordable schools for golf course architects are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for golf course architects are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for golf course architects.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for golf course architects

The hardest universities for golf course architects to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for golf course architects are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for golf course architects based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for golf course architects

The easiest schools for golf course architects to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, kean university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a golf course architect without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for golf course architects.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

9. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average golf course architect salary by education level

According to our data, golf course architects with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $73,235 annually. Golf course architects with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $70,519.
Golf course architect education levelGolf course architect salary
Master's Degree$73,235
Bachelor's Degree$70,519
Doctorate Degree$69,361

Golf course architect education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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