Hi, I’m currently a high school senior planning to major in landscape architecture, and am deciding whether to go to UC Berkeley or Cal Poly SLO for landscape architecture. From my understanding, it would take fewer years to get a professional degree and license at SLO, and for Berkeley, since the program is unaccredited, it would be better for me to get a master’s. The problem is I’m not 100% sure I want to be a landscape architect, and so Cal’s program is appealing to me since I feel like it will give me more opportunities to explore, and I have the overall prestige of the school to fall back on if I decide to switch majors. But I’m also thinking that it would probably be safer to go to Cal Poly’s accredited program. Any suggestions? How important is licensure and accreditation for future employment? And will getting a master’s in landscape architecture be beneficial for me or does it not really matter? Any insight into the programs at SLO or Cal would be greatly appreciated.
@1359aud, Have you already been accepted to both schools?
If you’re not 100% committed to landscape architecture then I wouldn’t recommend the Cal Poly’s Bachelor of Landscape architecture as it is mostly landscape-intensive.
The issue is not that UC Berkeley’s undergraduate degree is not accredited. The issue is that they don’t offer the BArch or BLA. Each state has its own licensing rules and in California, I believe that a BA in Landscape Architecture can be applied toward licensure. (Same with the BA Architecture). You’d have to check the details.
With a BA or BS from Berkeley in architecture, landscape architecture or ANY OTHER discipline you would be a candidate for a Masters of Landscape Architecture MLA (or Master of Architecture) at Berkeley or elsewhere, as long as you fulfill the program’s pre-requisites. The BA/BS+MLA/MArch route would probably take 6 or 7 years vs 5 years for a BLA or BArch, so of course there’s a financial element to your decision.
But again, since it doesn’t sound like you’re entirely landscape architecture I would choose the more flexible option.
I’m not that familiar with landscape architecture as a career, but I believe that having an MLA and ultimately becoming licensed would widen your horizons. This isn’t something you’d need to do immediately. During your undergraduate years and with your BA you’d be able to get summer jobs and internships in the field and verify that it’s the profession for you. Getting the MLA or MArch after a few years of work experience is quite common.
@momrath : Yes, I have been accepted to both schools. I’ll have to double check this like you mentioned, but I do think a BA in landscape architecture counts towards licensure. I think it requires more years of working experience for me to be eligible to take the test though.
Thank you for your response!