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Landscape designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a landscape designer. Landscape designers usually study landscape architecture, applied horticulture, or plant sciences. 63% of landscape designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,609 real landscape designer resumes to see exactly what landscape designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for landscape designers are the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia.
There are also many online landscape designer courses to help get the education required to be a landscape designer.
There are certain landscape designer certifications that you should consider. These landscape designer certifications include Certified Landscape Architect (CLARB) and Landscape Industry Certified Horticultural Technician (LICHT).
What education do you need to become a landscape designer?
What degree do you need to be a landscape designer?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Associate, 17%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a landscape designer?
- Applied Horticulture, 16%
- Plant Sciences, 11%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 30%
Most common colleges for landscape designers
| Landscape designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Georgia | 8.55% |
| Ohio State University | 7.62% |
| West Virginia University | 6.93% |
| Purdue University | 6.93% |
| Michigan State University | 6.47% |
Best majors for landscape designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landscape Architecture | 35.9% |
| 2 | Applied Horticulture | 15.8% |
| 3 | Plant Sciences | 10.7% |
| 4 | Business | 7.0% |
| 5 | Architecture | 3.8% |
Best colleges for landscape designers
The best colleges for landscape designers are Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Berkeley.
A landscape designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for landscape designers. 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 landscape designers.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
2. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Enrollment
23,708
3. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
In-state tuition
$15,374
Enrollment
19,564
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
5. University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$15,887
Enrollment
23,202
6. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,816
Enrollment
21,047
7. Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$9,080
Enrollment
30,795
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$14,460
Enrollment
39,208
20 best online courses for landscape designers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for landscape designers
The most affordable schools for landscape designers are University of Florida, suny farmingdale, and purdue university.
If the best universities for landscape designers 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 landscape designers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
9. North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$9,101
Cost of attendance
23,600
10. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus
San Juan, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
11,299
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for landscape designers
The hardest universities for landscape designers to get into are Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Berkeley.
Some great schools for landscape designers 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 landscape designers 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. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,337
6. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
Admissions rate
30%
SAT average
1,339
7. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
Admissions rate
49%
SAT average
1,347
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,362
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for landscape designers
The easiest schools for landscape designers to get into are North Dakota State University, washington state university, and south dakota state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a landscape designer 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 landscape designers.
1. North Dakota State University
Fargo, ND • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,170
2. Washington State University
Pullman, WA • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,123
3. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
4. Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Ames, IA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,219
5. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville
Morrisville, NY • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
955
6. University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO • Private
Admissions rate
64%
SAT average
1,132
7. Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,224
8. Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,175
9. University of Idaho
Moscow, ID • Private
Admissions rate
77%
SAT average
1,125
10. Delaware Valley University
Doylestown, PA • Private
Admissions rate
66%
SAT average
1,080
Average landscape designer salary by education level
| Landscape designer education level | Landscape designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $57,235 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,542 |
| Doctorate Degree | $56,241 |
Landscape designer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025