My son is applying to Landscape Architecture undergraduate programs and his top picks are Penn State, Cornell and UGA. He will be applying to the Penn State honors program and I feel he has a reasonable chance of getting in. But if Cornell is his top pick, I think he should apply ED to help his chances.
Does anyone have a perspective on what school is best for a bachelor’s in Landscape Architecture? Any thoughts/opinions are welcome!
I don’t have any info on the specific programs, but I agree that if Cornell is his first choice and you can afford it, then ED is definitely the way to go.
Are you in-state for PSU?
The thing is, Cornell’s undergrad LArch is a pre-professional BSLA; he’d still need a 2-year MLA program to become licensed. Penn State has a 5-year professional BLA program.
So, PSU could have him licensed and working a year sooner, without a whole application cycle for grad programs. Four years at Cornell plus grad school could get very expensive - is that acceptable for your family, both cost-wise and time-wise?
He should probably think about whether, in general, he prefers a BLA program or a pre-professional undergrad program plus MLA.
(UGA is a BLA program that only takes four years, but has required summer sessions.)
Edited to add: Looking more closely, I’m not 100% sure that students aren’t license-ready with Cornell’s BSLA. Maybe I’m wrong about that. But it’s a 4 year program with no summers and lots of elective time, so it still seems implausible to me that it’s equivalent to a BLA. Anyone have more definitive info on this?
Licensure requirements vary from state to state.
In many states both accredited BSLA and BLA degrees fulfill the education requirement for licensure. If you spend some time in the website of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (clarb.org) you can find the requirements by state.
Penn State’s BLA, UGA’s BLA and Cornell’s BSLA are all accredited by LAAB. You can find a list of accredited undergraduate programs on the website of the American Society of Landscape Architects (asla.org).
I would also note the relationship between the landscape architecture and “building” architecture programs. Penn State’s landscape program is situated in the College of Arts and Architecture. Cornell’s is in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, not in the College of Architecture Arts and Planning. UGA’s is in the College of Environment and Design. UGA doesn’t have a school of architecture.
All three are fine programs with excellent career opportunities, but a close look the individual curriculums will indicate differences in academic focus, especially in synergy between landscape architecture and building architecture. (Not that one is better than another; just different.)
I analyze usually the program reputation, curriculum, campus environment, networking opportunities, and financial considerations. Cornell has a prestigious program, while Penn State offers a reputable one too. It’s important for your son to research and VISIT campuses to make an informed decision. It is about him who will have to study there.
Thank you for all of your responses. We are PA residents. We have visited both Penn State and Cornell (will see UGA in September). We had a tour of the Penn State LA building by a rising senior in the program. She said Penn States focus was sustainability, which is big with my son.
We also saw Cornell’s facilities, led by a professor in the graduate program. Felt like Cornell’s focus is aesthetic design. However, he needs to reach out to someone in the undergraduate program to get more details on it.
I think he believes Penn State has the stronger LA program, while I think maybe Cornell does. Though I just might be biased towards Cornell? But has you have said, it just might be his preference on the individual program.
I have told him where ever he goes, he will get a top notch education, so he should choose where he wants to be for 4 years. Of course, Penn State would be much less expensive. It is not like money isn’t an issue, but we have been saving for college since he was young and have money for 4 years of college. Though money for graduate school would be nice.
Take note that Penn State would be five years, not four. So, while in-state tuition at PSU would certainly save you money, you would have to plan for five years of college costs, plus a year of “opportunity cost” relative to the other two programs, if indeed he could be gainfully employed after four years at Cornell or UGA, which seems to be the case. A fair financial comparison would need to look at a five-year timeline, comparing total college costs minus projected income, during that interval.
I debated whether to go back and edit my previous post after momrath’s input, but decided to leave it alone, to maintain clarity as to what momrath was responding to. It does indeed seem to be possible to seek licensure after the four-year Cornell program, without having to go to grad school for that purpose (although grad school could end up being desirable for other reasons).
What’s interesting to me is that the Cornell program appears a bit less dense, in terms of required studio classes, than the other two. Since all of these programs have great reputations, it would be a matter of preference whether a longer program with more studio time is desirable, or whether a four-year program that still has room for elective time sounds better. (Some of that elective time can be used for a concentration that adds grad-level studio time.) UGA occupies the middle ground of 4 years but more packed, including summers.
It’s interesting how landscape architecture programs have more variability than many other fields. Even between the two Cal Poly schools in my home state, Cal Poly SLO has a 5-year BLA and Cal Poly Pomona has a 4-year BLA.
And as you say, thematic emphases vary. My kid was particularly drawn to Northeastern’s pre-professional LArch major, which emphasizes urban planning and public spaces. Some programs cater a lot more to the “I want to have my own business designing people’s yards” type students. Finding a good fit is probably more important than small gradations in “name.”
If he needs a safety on his list (although maybe PSU in-state is a safety for him?) and prefers an environmental focus, SUNY’s School of Environmental Science & Forestry might be a good one to look at. They offer a “flagship match” rate to PA students, and it’s immediately adjacent to Syracuse University, where ESF students can use the facilities, cross-register for classes, and participate in extracurriculars. It’s a 5-year program that includes an off-campus semester. BLA in Landscape Architecture Since he’s considering going south, Clemson also has a top-notch reputation and emphasizes environmental design. Their “fluid campus” (which “offers study in Charleston, Italy and Spain, cultivating the understanding of diverse urban environments and cultures”) sounds pretty awesome! Clemson’s program is four years, like Cornell’s: Program: Landscape Architecture, BLA - Clemson University - Acalog ACMS™
Good luck to your son!!
Penn State, Cornell, and UGA are all excellent options for undergraduate degrees in landscape architecture. Depending on a person’s tastes and ambitions, there may be more than one “best” school, although each one has its own merits. If I’m correct The honours program at Penn State improves the educational experience, and UGA’s location can present an opportunity for local networking. Ultimately, it’s critical for your son to look into the curriculum, faculty, and alumni network of each program, as well as take into factors like cost, location, and campus culture. He can make an informed decision that fits with his goals for landscape architecture by carefully considering these factors. And all I can think about Cornell is its reputation and resources, which is also good. so from what I heard from my resources, I can suggest Penn and UGA as the first choice, again it’s you’re son’s preference. So, good luck. Choose wisely and ask him to enjoy his school. Don’t forget about browsing alumni responses, if there is any. That also helps to get an idea about the place.
Thank you everyone. This is all very helpful!
One last question for you all…do you have any idea what the acceptance rate is into some of these LA programs? I would think PSU is a safety since we are in-state, but I guess it depends on how competitive the program is. My son has a 4.0uw/4.6w GPA, 1500 SATs, fairly strong EC’s (regional level french horn, captain of cross country, and leadership position in music honor society, taken classes at our local Nature Conservancy and many volunteer hours there.) But PSU LA site says many of the students are also in Shreyer, so seems there could be tough competition. The programs are all pretty small, but then again, how many 17 year olds are into landscape architecture?
I’m curious to see others’ responses about how competitive those two landscape architecture programs are. Is there any indication that a portfolio is required, either to declare the major initially, or to pass a portfolio requirement after the first couple of courses? If there’s a portfolio component, an excellent portfolio with okay grades could well trump excellent grades with an okay portfolio. At least, I have read that to be true for regular architecture, and I know that entry into the landscape architecture program at my own state flagship can be quite competitive.
Cornell does require a portfolio, Penn State does not and UGA is optional. Cornell states that any medium is acceptable including photography.
I think the best way to get size and admission rate information from landscape programs within colleges or departments within larger universities is to contact the program directly. You may be able to get statistics from the parent school’s website, but in many (most?) cases this information won’t help much as the figures usually combine various disciplines and can therefore be misleading.
My son did his MArch at Cornell. I believe he was able to take landscape courses as electives, though I’m not sure if it works the other way.
I would say (at least for building architecture) that studio was an immense part of the experience, and that studio critiques wherein students defend and explain their work can be quite stressful. From their website, I would think the same would be true of Cornell’s LA program, even though it’s in CALS, not AAP.
I agree with @AustenNut that if a portfolio is required, then it will be pivotal in admissions. I would read “optional” as “preferred." If your son is proficient at freehand drawing, then I would definitely include that in the portfolio.
The objective of the portfolio is to demonstrate a facility with design, creativity and presentation across various media. It doesn’t necessarily have to include landscape design.
Like building architecture education, landscape education is a balance of creativity/design and science/tech. All schools will cover both the artistic side and the practice side of the profession, but the emphasis may vary. Sustainability — including preservation, ecology and environmentalism — is a key focus of every program today.
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