How To Become A Senior Landscape Architect: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior landscape architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Robin Puttock

The average senior landscape architect salary is $65,120. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an landscape architecture major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a senior landscape architect. Senior landscape architects with a Certified Landscape Architect (CLARB) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 0 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a senior landscape architect?

Robin Puttock

Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Visiting Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America

In addition to all of the above, I recommend students stay connected with their professors. Most of us have a vast network that we would love to invite you into. Often, an introduction is the pivotal component to a new opportunity. Relationships are key, especially when a recent graduate does not have significant professional experience. In addition, recent graduates should be sure to spend time on crafting their cover letters, their resumes, their work samples, and their portfolios. Make sure you are putting your best foot forward when an opportunity does arise.

ScoreSenior Landscape ArchitectUS Average

Salary

5.1

Avg. Salary $65,120

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 5.21%

Black or African American 0.40%

Hispanic or Latino 5.81%

Unknown 3.41%

White 84.96%

Gender

female 16.95%

male 83.05%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior landscape architect

Explore senior landscape architect education requirements

Most common senior landscape architect degrees

Bachelor's

76.9 %

Master's

12.2 %

Associate

3.4 %

Start to develop specific senior landscape architect skills

Skills	Percentages
Sketch	19.98%
Project Management	15.14%
Project Budget	7.61%
Business Development	7.60%
Leed	4.67%

Complete relevant senior landscape architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior landscape architects learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior landscape architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior landscape architect resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed senior landscape architect usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed senior landscape architect in most of states. 45 states require senior landscape architects to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Licensed Landscape Architect
Alaska	-	Third-party exam required	Architect
Arkansas	-	State exam required	Architect
California	-	Both state and third-party exams required	Landscape Architect, Licensed
Colorado	-	Third-party exam required	Landscape Architects

Research senior landscape architect duties and responsibilities

Manage technical architects for development and support of existing and new terminal platforms to support Walmart mobile and batch application infrastructure.
Introduce new technologies to the department using GIS.
Golf course clubhouse/new development community streetscape design.
Manage technical architects for development and support of existing and new terminal platforms to support Walmart mobile and batch application infrastructure.

Get senior landscape architect experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior landscape architect. The most common roles before becoming a senior landscape architect include landscape architect, landscape designer team lead and project landscape architect.

Prepare your senior landscape architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior landscape architect resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior landscape architect resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior landscape architect resume templates

Build a professional senior landscape architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior landscape architect resume.