Landscape drafter education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a landscape drafter. Landscape drafters usually study drafting and design, landscape architecture, or interior design. 46% of landscape drafters hold a associate degree, and 38% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 30 real landscape drafter resumes to see exactly what landscape drafter education sections show.

The most common colleges for landscape drafters are the California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and the California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.

There are also many online landscape drafter courses to help get the education required to be a landscape drafter.

What education do you need to become a landscape drafter?

What degree do you need to be a landscape drafter?

The most common degree for landscape drafters is associate degree, with 46% of landscape drafters earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 38% and bachelor's degree degree at 8%.

Associate, 46%

Bachelor's, 38%

High School Diploma, 8%

Master's, 8%

What should I major in to become a landscape drafter?

You should major in drafting and design to become a landscape drafter. 35% of landscape drafters major in drafting and design. Other common majors for a landscape drafter include landscape architecture and interior design.

Drafting And Design, 35%

Landscape Architecture, 26%

Interior Design, 9%

Computer Applications, 4%

Other Majors, 26%

Most common colleges for landscape drafters

Landscape drafters often get their degrees at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Arizona State University. Here are the most common colleges for landscape drafters in the US based on their resumes.

Landscape drafter common college	Percentages
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	20.00%
Virginia Commonwealth University	20.00%
Arizona State University	20.00%
Chatham University	20.00%
Colorado State University	20.00%

Best majors for landscape drafters

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Drafting And Design	34.8%
2	Landscape Architecture	26.1%
3	Interior Design	8.7%
4	Computer Applications	4.3%
5	Environmental Science	4.3%

Show more common landscape drafter majors

Best colleges for landscape drafters

The best colleges for landscape drafters are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Harvard University.

A landscape drafter 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 drafters. 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 drafters.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

3. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,620

Enrollment

27,730

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for landscape drafters

Advertising disclosure

1. Tropical Forest Landscapes 101: Conservation & Restoration

Conserving and restoring tropical forest landscapes offers an opportunity to address pressing environmental and social challenges. Effective conservation and restoration initiatives support multiple objectives, including ecosystem functioning, climate change mitigation and adaptation, food security, and economic growth. This seven-week course explores the technical, social, and funding aspects of this timely topic. You will learn: 1. The importance of tropical forest landscapes and the actors...

2. Business Model Innovation for Sustainable Landscape Restoration

Land degradation is a widespread problem across the globe with serious consequences for the environment and all of society. Worsening land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of two-fifths of humanity, driving species extinctions and intensifying climate change. But there’s a huge potential for restoring landscapes: around two billion hectares of land, about two times the size of China, can be restored. In this MOOC we focus on the potential of business model...

3. Unreal Engine: Open World Landscapes

4.8

(1,051)

Master Unreal Engine's Landscape editing tools to create massive environments like in Breath of the Wild...

4. Fundamentals of Residential Property Management

(490)

Understand the foundation of residential property management as a property manager or landlord...

5. Fundamentals of Garden Design

4.6

(3,787)

An Introduction to Landscape Architecture and Design...

6. Developing an Eye for Landscape Composition

4.8

(634)

Learn to successfully see a landscape when painting in oil, watercolor, or acrylic or in photographic compositions...

7. Landscape Photography & Nature Photography for Beginners

4.5

(856)

The complete landscape photography & nature photography course! Capture amazing landscape photos that truly impress!...

8. Landscape Photography: Creating Visual Eloquence

4.7

(293)

Using parallel thinking, composition, lighting and filters to create amazing landscape photographs...

9. Ultimate Guide to Landscape and Nature Photography

4.5

(851)

Learn how lighting, composition, and photography techniques help you create stunning landscape and nature photography...

10. Learn Landscape Photography

(1,629)

Get inspired Learn more Go places...

11. Construction Cost Estimating and Management

4.6

(642)

Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...

12. Build an SAP Hybris Clustered Landscape

4.3

(356)

Building a Productive Landscape with SAP Hybris...

13. U.S. Residential Real Estate, Property & Mortgage Business

4.6

(2,324)

Property & Mortgage Underwriting Loan Processing Financial Analysis Mortgage Operations Origination...

14. Adobe Lightroom CC: Landscape Photography Master Class

4.2

(636)

Edit landscape photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC like a Pro! ✓ all RAW files ✓ new Adobe Lightroom CC presets...

15. Adobe Lightroom CC: Landscape Photography Editing Course

4.5

(319)

Turn your landscape photos into beautiful works of art with this easy-to-follow Lightroom editing course!...

16. Low Poly Landscapes: Blender Bite Sized Course

4.9

(1,360)

Create a low poly landscape from start to finish...

17. Construction Project Scheduling

4.5

(346)

Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...

18. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

4.1

(1,381)

Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

19. Acrylic Abstract Painting Atmospheric Landscapes

4.5

(325)

Learn How You Can Create Stunning Abstract Paintings in the Atmospheric Landscape Style...

20. Paint Landscapes in Watercolor Part 1

4.6

(763)

Learn how to paint realistic landscapes in a loose and free style...

Top 10 most affordable universities for landscape drafters

The most affordable schools for landscape drafters are University of Florida, florida international university, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for landscape drafters 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 drafters.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for landscape drafters

The hardest universities for landscape drafters to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for landscape drafters 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 drafters 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,545

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for landscape drafters

The easiest schools for landscape drafters to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, the university of texas permian basin, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a landscape drafter 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 drafters.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

5. California University of Pennsylvania

California, PA • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,007

6. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

8. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average landscape drafter salary by education level

According to our data, landscape drafters with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,033 annually. Landscape drafters with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $57,283.

Landscape drafter education level	Landscape drafter salary
High School Diploma or Less	$56,086
Bachelor's Degree	$59,033
Some College/ Associate Degree	$57,283

Landscape drafter education FAQs

What is the best college for Landscape Drafters?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search for landscape drafter jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs