Comparison of LA programs? Anyone have insight into Virginia Tech vs Cal Poly SLO vs Penn State vs Minnesota (Twin Cities)?
@CTteacher , I don’t have any insider information about landscape programs. Have you seen the Design Intelligence rankings?
https://di-rankings.com/landscape-architecture-schools.html#mostAdmired
The most important point of differentiation is cost.
Secondly, consider where you would most likely want to live and work after graduation as internships (which lead to after graduation jobs) tend to be local.
After that, you’ll want to look at the profiles of the professors and visiting lecturers, internship and job placement for students, study abroad opportunities, thesis and summer session requirements, and possible joint-degree programs.
I would initially rank them as you listed
VT. Temperate
Cal Poly. Warm
Penn State. Cold
Minnesota. Freezing
momrath, thank you for your response. My S was admitted to all and will visit Cal Poly soon. He has been to VT and to Penn State and liked them both. We have seen the DI rankings which places them Penn State, Cal Poly, VT and Minnesota but each seems to have “strengths” and “weaknesses” that differ from the others. The point you made about internships is a good one, thx. Cost is all close enough except that it’s possible to do the degree at Penn State in less than 5 years while the other top two are 5 years programs leading to BA LARCH with licensure (provided you pass the exam). For us they are all about 39-42k/year. I think privatebanker’s note about MN being freezing can’t be overlooked! Thx again.
momrath: Are you a professional in the LA field or have a similar background?
I would look at:
Net Cost
Where you want to live when you graduate
Based on the strength of their general architecture programs, Penn State and Virginia Tech might also be good schools to consider for landscape architecture.
@CTteacher, No, I’m just the parent of an architect. Architecture from applying to studying to working to licensing is very complex and I’ve learned a lot observing the process.
I don’t know much about landscape architecture except what I’ve gleaned from my son’s school and work colleagues.
Another issue that your son might want to consider is the overall culture of the parent university, what his classmates outside of architecture will be studying and doing when they they’re not in class. I can’t speak for landscape but the fall out rate for the BArch is quite high so it’s good to have a Plan B in case his interests change.