Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Clemson University has one of the best landscape architecture programs in the United States. Founded in 1987, our STEM-designated Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) program is one of the most exciting and satisfying college majors at Clemson. The program is led by an internationally renowned faculty with broad expertise in areas like urban and community design, health and design, ecology and sustainability, and design implementation. Landscape architects are designers and planners that use art and science to help create, manage, and nurture the built and natural environments. Like other design and construction professionals, landscape architects are licensed, well paid, and highly respected. But unlike others, landscape architects are changing the world by enhancing and connecting “in-between spaces.” This means that landscape architects plan and design everything in-between buildings such as streets, parks, amphitheaters, greenways, gardens, trails, zoos, outdoor recreation facilities, extreme sports parks, riverfronts, wetlands, and communities of all sizes.
Alumni Awards Long-range Plan Donate
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Plan of Study
The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture is a four-year nationally accredited, STEM designated, professional degree program. The program covers significant areas of practice and building from design basics to the advanced design studio experience, such as large-scale landscape planning; parks, recreation and open space planning; and regional, urban and community design. The landscape architecture design studio experience is at the program’s center with 45 required studio hours. Studio is supported by other courses inside and outside the landscape architecture curriculum that provide grounding in landscape history, design, horticulture and social, cultural and environmental issues.
Click here to review our curriculum and program requirements.
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Experiences Beyond the Classroom
- Our Fluid Campus offers study in Charleston, SC; Genoa, Italy; and Barcelona, Spain cultivating the understanding of diverse urban environments and cultures.
- You will work closely with faculty and communities as you engage in service learning projects. Recent projects include a playground design for the Greenville Zoo, a mill village revitalization project and a neighborhood park design.
- You will have access to our Digital Design Shop and Materials Lab, which is the hub for student and faculty design investigations and experimentation with digital fabrications, cad/cam, and rapid prototyping.
- The Clemson School of Architecture’s reputation assures employers that our graduates are prepared and ready to hit the ground running.
- Our Fluid Campus offers study in Charleston, SC; Genoa, Italy; and Barcelona, Spain cultivating the understanding of diverse urban environments and cultures.
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After Graduation
Your college decision isn't really about the next four years. We get it. It's about what doors are opened by your degree and whether those opportunities are what you had envisioned for yourself. Here's a snapshot of what life after graduation looks like for some of our most recent students.
Recent Employers and Job Titles
- Designer - Kimley-Horn
- Urban Designer - Metropolitan Nashville Planning Department
- Park Planner - Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
- Landscape Architect - HGOR
- Landscape Designer - Norris Design
Recent Graduate Schools and Sought Degree Types
- Master of Landscape Architecture - University of Colorado
- Master of Science in Real Estate - Johns Hopkins University
- Master of Urban Design - Harvard University
- Master of Landscape Architecture - University of Illinois
- Master of Landscape Architecture - University of Texas
- Private Sector
- Small Landscape Architecture Practice
- Design and Build Firms
- Land Management and Regional Planning
- Small to Medium Interdisciplinary Firms
- Large Multidisciplinary Firms
- Real Estate Developers
- Public Sector
- National Park Service
- U.S. Forest Service
- Department of Natural Resources
- Local and State Planning Offices
- Public Works
- Local and State Parks and Recreation Offices
- County and State Park Service
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Design and Management
- Community Design
- Landscape Design
- Institutional Landscapes and Campus Planning
- Project Management
- Natural Resources Conservation
- Cultural Landscapes and Historic Preservation
- Ecological Restoration
- Real Estate Development
- Research
- Memorial and Cemetery Design
- Brownfields and Industrial Site Reclamation
- Wilderness Areas and Trails
- Recreational and Regional Open Space Systems
- Residential Garden Design
- Resort Design
- Theme Parks
- Urban Design
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Student Organization
Clemson University student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (CUASLA)
The Clemson University Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (CUASLA) is an organization geared towards bringing together students studying the discipline of Landscape Architecture. The purpose of our organization is to facilitate meeting new people, both Clemson students as well as professionals, offer educational opportunities to our members through workshops, volunteering opportunities, and extracurricular trips, and to provide fun activities for its members.
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Accreditation
PUBLIC INFORMATION POLICY LAAB
Programs that are accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) are required to provide reliable information to the public. Programs must report on accreditation status and its performance. This information is to help potential students make informed application decisions.
Clemson University offers two landscape architecture degrees. The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA).
The BLA received its initial accreditation in 1994. The BLA and MLA program was most recently awarded re-accreditation for six years in April 2019.
Click here for access to Clemson University's Public information. -
Service Learning
Service learning, or experiential learning that is applied and provides benefits for communities or the common good, is central to the teaching strategy of Clemson’s landscape architecture program. Learn more about our ongoing programs below:
World Design Studio (WDS)
The WDS is a collaboration between the Landscape Architecture Program at Clemson University, the Department of Architecture, the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University (ASU) in Egypt, and the Department of Landscape Architecture at Huazhong Agricultural University (HAU) in China. The studio engages undergraduate and graduate students to address globally important architectural and environmental issues that enrich design education through cross-cultural, interdisciplinary collaboration. Project-based coursework broadly focuses on contemporary urban design, community engagement, economic development, innovation, sustainability, resiliency, advanced manufacturing and materials, energy, and transportation.Landscape Architecture Collaborative Studio (LA-Co-Lab)
The LA-Co-Lab, focuses on service learning engagements to build capacity for community groups and various stakeholders within the region. Through design studios and specialized research and application, students participating with the LA-Co-Lab can team with local municipalities, state and local government agencies, and non-profit groups to help them realize the potential of cultural and natural resources. The LA-Co-Lab enables groups to identify a nd leverage assets and resources through open discussion and exchange of ideas. Fruitful collaborations result in a reciprocal learning environment where students can design and engage in a “real world” setting, and constituents become better-informed participants as they learn and experience how the power of design can catalyze positive social, cultural, and environmental change within communities.
The Field Lab
Located within the University’s 17,000-acre Experimental Forest, the Field Lab is a space where Landscape Architecture students can explore the diversity of ecotones, topographies, and ecological systems at work. Through studio projects and special topic research, students explore and experiment within the lab to make more robust and fluid connections between the research and application of traditional design disciplines. Through collaborative experimentation, students embrace the rigor and innovation typical of the ‘design process’ while embracing an interdisciplinary spirit critical for innovation and discovery. Research, design, and application testing in the Field Lab ranges from green infrastructure systems, ecological landscape management, innovative construction technologies, and stormwater mitigation strategies. -
Contact Information
Landscape Architecture
3-112 Lee Hall, Box 340512
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634-0512
Phone: 864-656-3926
General Inquiries: cula@clemson.eduHala Nassar
Director of Landscape Architecture and Graduate Programs
Email: hnassar@clemson.edu
Office: Lee 3-104Lara Browning
Director of Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Programs
Email: lara2@clemson.edu
Office: Lee 3-108Michelle Marchesse
Administrative Coordinator I , Landscape Architecture
Email: marches@clemson.edu
Office: Lee 3-112
Phone: 864-656-3926Who signs forms?
- Study abroad form, course to be taken elsewhere form or course substitution form, change of major form: Lara Browning
- Grade change form: Please see the professor teaching the class to initiate the grade change process.
Who schedules classes (including drop/add)?
Who are the advisors for undergraduate majors?
- Students are advised by the Director of Landscare Undergraduate Architecture, Lara Browning and the Student Administrative Coordinator, Michelle Marchesse.
Who are the advisors for graduate programs?
- All new MLA students are advised by the Director of Landscape Architecture Graduate Programs, Hala Nassar.
Who is the SC ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) Student Chapter Advisor?
“I really enjoy how the BLA program is taught because it allows me to be creative and learn new things about myself. My favorite part about the program is the close knit and collaborative environment. I'm able to work closely with my peers and professors and learn new and exciting views that enhance my projects.”
Sam BostBachelor of Landscape ArchitectureSchool of Architecture
Lara Browning, MLA
Director of Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Programs
Email: lara2@clemson.edu
About Lara Browning
