Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

RMIT University

Program Overview

RMIT’s Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design is for students who want to shape outdoor spaces that are environmentally smart, socially meaningful, and visually compelling. You’ll learn how landscapes are designed, built, and sustained — from parks and urban streets to large-scale ecological systems — through studio-based, hands-on learning.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1
Your first year introduces you to landscape thinking through immersive studio work, where units like Landscape Architectural Design Studio 1 and Ecology of Landscape help you see how natural systems, people, and places interact. Alongside design fundamentals, History and Theory of Landscape Architecture builds context so your ideas are grounded, not abstract. You’ll start designing real spaces while learning how landscapes respond to climate, culture, and use.

Year 2
In second year, your projects grow more complex and urban-focused, with studios such as Landscape Architectural Design Studio 3 pushing you to respond to real sites and community needs. Units like Urban Ecology and Landscape Construction and Materials help you understand how designs actually work on the ground — from planting systems to materials and detailing. This is where your work starts to feel professional, not just conceptual.

Year 3
Your final year is about confidence, authorship, and industry readiness. Advanced studios like Landscape Architectural Design Studio 5 allow you to tackle large-scale, open-ended projects, while Professional Practice for Landscape Architecture prepares you for working with clients, consultants, and planning systems. By the end, you’ll graduate with a strong portfolio that reflects both creative vision and technical understanding.

Focus Areas
Landscape design, urban environments, ecology and sustainability, public space, environmental systems

Learning Outcomes
Design responsive landscapes, understand ecological systems, communicate ideas visually and verbally, develop buildable and sustainable design solutions

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)
This degree is professionally accredited by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, meaning it meets the standards required for graduates to move toward professional recognition in Australia and internationally.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)
RMIT is consistently recognised in global rankings such as QS and Times Higher Education for design, architecture, and built environment disciplines — a reputation that translates into strong graduate employability and industry respect worldwide.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design at RMIT is all about learning by doing — not just listening. From your very first semester, you’re immersed in design studios where you work on real places and real questions, thinking carefully about landscapes, people, ecology and culture as you shape and test your ideas. Instead of spending all your time in lectures, you’ll be sketching, modelling, mapping and collaborating with students across different year levels, using studio projects to tackle the kinds of challenges you’ll face in professional practice.

As you move through the degree, learning extends well beyond the studio. You’ll head out into landscapes through fieldwork and travelling studios, gaining a deeper understanding of place by observing, drawing and designing directly within it. You’ll also have opportunities to work alongside industry and community partners, helping you build practical experience, confidence and a strong sense of how landscape architecture operates in the real world.

What experiential learning looks like in practice:

Design studios every semester where you respond to real briefs, develop proposals and build your design thinking through hands-on projects that mirror professional practice.
Field-based activities and travelling studios that take you out of the classroom and into real landscapes, allowing you to design with context, culture and environment front of mind.
Knowledge Encounters studios, such as the Mt Dispersion project, which involve immersive field experiences — including camping, drawing, designing and engaging with communities on culturally significant sites.
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) subjects that formally connect what you’re learning at university with real-world practice across related disciplines.
Collaborative industry projects where you work on live briefs with councils and design firms, including public realm projects like the Chapel Street Activity Centres.
Opportunities to contribute to Kerb, one of the world’s leading landscape architecture journals, giving you hands-on experience in publishing, critical thinking and professional collaboration.
International exchange and internship options, offering the chance to study or work overseas and broaden your design perspective through global practice.

At its core, this program is about shaping you into a landscape designer who can think critically, work confidently and create meaningful outcomes in the real world — supported by experiences that build both your skills and your sense of purpose as a future professional.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduating from RMIT’s Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design puts you in a strong position to start doing meaningful, real-world work straight away. You’ll be prepared to contribute to projects that shape how people experience cities, parks and public spaces — from community landscapes to environmentally responsive design. Many graduates move into roles such as landscape architectural designer, landscape technician, urban designer, or other design-focused positions where creative thinking meets practical outcomes. And if you’re keen to keep studying, this degree gives you a smooth pathway into postgraduate study and long-term professional growth.

What this means for you

Career support that’s genuinely useful
RMIT’s Career Connect service is there to support you as an individual, not just another graduate. You’ll get help with job searching, resume writing, interview preparation and career planning, along with access to internships and work-integrated learning opportunities. Career events, workshops and mentoring also make it easier to connect with industry professionals before you even graduate — so you’re not figuring it all out on your own.

Industry experience built into your studies
Throughout the degree, many design studios are shaped by input from practicing landscape professionals. You’ll work on briefs that reflect real-world practice, gain insight into how the industry actually works, and receive feedback that helps sharpen both your design thinking and your portfolio.

A portfolio you can confidently graduate with
Your studio projects and electives are designed to give you hands-on, practical experience. By the time you finish the degree, you’ll have a strong body of design work that shows your skills, ideas and creative range — whether you’re heading straight into work or planning to continue your studies.

A clear path toward professional accreditation
This bachelor degree prepares you well for design roles that don’t require professional registration. If your goal is to become a registered landscape architect, you can move seamlessly into RMIT’s Master of Landscape Architecture, which is professionally accredited and designed as the next step in your journey.

Further academic progression

Many students choose to build on their undergraduate studies by enrolling in RMIT’s Master of Landscape Architecture. This postgraduate program deepens your design expertise and meets the academic requirements for professional accreditation. It’s ideal if you’re aiming for leadership or specialist roles in areas like urban design, ecological planning or large-scale landscape projects. With advanced studio work, research opportunities and strong industry connections, it’s a natural progression for anyone serious about becoming a fully accredited landscape architect.