Landscaping Design Associate Degree Program
Majors Overview April 14, 2013Students who want to pursue a career involving the creation and execution of horticulture and landscape designs can get a solid foundation of knowledge and skills they need by enrolling in an associate’s degree program in landscaping design. Coursework in the program focuses on gardening and landscape equipment, and students are taught to beautify outdoor spaces for residents and businesses.
Landscaping Design: Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree Program
Students admitted to the A.A.S. degree programs become adept at planning and implementing structural items, irrigation, paths, and plantings, in order to create functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces. They might also be taught about the properties of flowering plants, grasses, woody plants and herbaceous plants. They may get to explore design styles for Public Park, residential and commercial properties, as well as the business and technical aspects of landscape designing. Community colleges and technical schools are the ones that mainly offer these two-year programs. Admission criteria require applicants to hold general educational development (GED) certificates or high school diplomas.
Program Course Topics
Coursework combines studies in design principles and horticulture. Students learn through classroom instruction as well as hands-on experience. Course topics may include:
•Ornamental horticulture
•Insect pests
•Diseases and plant health
•Landscape architecture
•Computer-aided landscape design
•Soil fertility
•Plant identification
Career Options
Upon completion of an Associate of Applied Science degree program, students will be prepared to enter a career as a landscape design technician. A graduate can start his or her own business, or he or she may be employed by:
•Nurseries
•Public recreation departments
•Private organizations
•Landscape companies
Licensure Information and Continuing Education
Those who complete the associate’s degree program can either select to pursue an entry-level job or choose to enroll in a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture or Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree program, and go on to seek positions such as a landscape architect. These programs give admitted students real-world experience as they get to create landscape designs working closely with engineers and city planners. Coursework is likely to include issues such as social concerns, ecological conservation and sustainability. Students may seek further training by enrolling in a Master of Landscape Architecture program where they will have several majors to select from such as architecture, art, environmental science, and urban design.
As of 2009, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that all, but one state require licensure for landscape architectures (www.bls.gov). Applicants who complete the Landscape Architecture Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.) will be able to obtain licensure. Once students have successfully pass the examination that is sponsored by the Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Board (CLARB), students are required to periodically complete a particular number of hours of continuing education requirements to maintain licensure status (www.clarb.org).
