Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Texas Tech University

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at Texas Tech University is a four-year, 120-credit professional program focused on creating resilient, sustainable, and meaningful environments, with particular attention to semi-arid landscapes, environmental stewardship, and the challenges of growing communities. It suits students who want to combine creative design with landscape systems, horticulture, planning, construction, digital modeling, research, and professional practice.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their foundation through LARC 1302 – Introduction to Landscape Architecture, LARC 1411 – LA Design Studio I, and LARC 1321 – LA Modeling and Communication I, developing an understanding of the profession alongside design and visual communication skills. They progress into LARC 1412 – LA Design Studio II, LARC 1322 – LA Modeling and Communication II, and PSS 1411 – Principles of Horticulture, connecting design development with plant knowledge and landscape systems.

Year 2: Students deepen their understanding through LARC 2302 – History of Landscape Architecture, LARC 2413 – LA Design Studio III, and LARC 2223 – LA Modeling and Communication III, while LARC 2331 – LA Materials, Methods and Details I introduces materials and construction-related knowledge. LARC 2414 – LA Design Studio IV, LARC 2224 – LA Modeling and Communication IV, and LARC 2332 – LA Construction and Administration II further develop urban and community planning, landscape systems, design development, and construction documentation skills.

Year 3: The program moves into regional planning, advanced design, and professional construction through LARC 3415 – LA Design Studio V, LARC 3225 – LA Modeling and Communication V, and LARC 3333 – LA Construction and Administration III. Students also undertake LARC 4000 – LA Internship, with the program requiring an extended off-campus internship or a combination of study abroad and a three-month internship during the spring and summer of the third year.

Year 4: Students consolidate their professional and research capabilities through LARC 4416 – LA Design Studio VI, LARC 4226 – LA Modeling and Communication VI, LARC 4351 – Environmental Planning for Sustainable Development, and LARC 4361 – Project Research Methods and Development. The final semester includes LARC 4417 – LA Design Studio VII and LARC 4371 – Professional Practice, bringing together advanced design, environmental planning, research, professional collaboration, and preparation for practice.

Focus Areas

Landscape design, semi-arid landscapes, sustainable development, environmental planning, urban and community design, landscape systems, horticulture, materials and construction, digital and analog modeling, regional planning, research, professional practice, resilience and environmental stewardship.

Learning Outcomes

Creative design leadership, landscape analysis and synthesis, digital and analog communication, landscape systems evaluation, sustainable environmental planning, construction documentation, project research, professional collaboration, and preparation for landscape architecture practice and licensure.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

LAAB accreditation: The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) as a first professional degree. Texas Tech states that the accredited BLA meets the educational requirement for professional licensure as a landscape architect in the United States.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

Official employment outcome: Texas Tech's published LAAB information reports that 86% of BLA graduates in the 2022–2023 reporting year were employed in landscape architecture or pursuing advanced degrees within one year of graduation. The department also reports student recognition through professional design competitions, including multiple Texas ASLA awards in 2025 and 2026.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at Texas Tech University combines studio-based design with digital and analog workflows, construction knowledge, environmental analysis, and real-world professional experience. Students work with CAD, BIM, GIS, graphics visualization, and modeling tools, while specialized facilities support fabrication, computing, research, and immersive technologies. A particularly distinctive feature is the required third-year off-campus experience, when students complete an extended internship or combine study abroad with an internship.

Students gain practical experience through the following program-specific opportunities:

Design Studios: LARC 1411 – LA Design Studio I introduces digital and analog workflows for site design, landscape inventory and analysis, vegetation, landform, hardscape, and landscape performance. Advanced studios continue to develop integrated landscape systems and design communication skills.
Professional Internship: During the spring and summer of the third year, students complete an extended internship from January through August, or combine study abroad with a three-month internship, providing direct experience in professional landscape architecture practice.
Digital Design Tools: Students use CAD, BIM, GIS, graphics visualization, and modeling tools as part of the program's integrated analog-digital workflow. Students are required to have a graphics workstation capable of supporting these tools throughout the four-year curriculum.
DoLA Computer Lab: The department provides a dedicated Landscape Architecture Computer Lab supporting students taking CAD courses and providing computing access for landscape architecture coursework.
Fabrication: The DoLA Fabrication Lab provides a dedicated environment for hands-on making and design development, complementing the program's digital modeling and visualization work. The department's facilities were relocated in 2026 to Doak Hall, alongside the DoLA Computer Lab and research labs.
Immersive Technologies: Students have access to facilities equipped with VR technologies, supporting research and learning in immersive visualization and landscape-related applications.
Research: Texas Tech's Landscape Architecture research explores resilient cities, sustainable water systems, and immersive technologies, connecting design, data, and community partnerships. Faculty research includes areas such as XR Lab work and geospatial simulation.
Professional Collaboration: WreckShop, an annual multi-day event organized with the student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, brings dozens of professional landscape architecture firms to campus for networking, professional development, and collaborative opportunities.
Plant & Environmental Learning: The Plant ID Team gives students opportunities to develop plant identification skills through weekly practices and preparation for competitions, while the Wildlife Society chapter provides hands-on opportunities connected with conservation projects.
Facilities: Landscape Architecture Pavilion, DoLA Computer Lab, DoLA Fabrication Lab, research labs, VR facilities, and dedicated studio/classroom spaces support the program's combination of design, technology, fabrication, and research.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture at Texas Tech University prepares graduates for professional practice in landscape architecture, with documented outcomes showing graduates entering landscape architecture-related employment or continuing into advanced study. The program also provides a direct pathway into Texas Tech’s accelerated Master of Landscape Architecture, allowing eligible students to complete the MLA one year after the BLA.

Typical career directions include Landscape Architect, Landscape Designer, Planner, and Project Manager, with Texas Tech alumni also progressing into leadership, environmental planning, and landscape architecture firms.

Career development and progression opportunities include:

Employment outcomes: The department’s latest published LAAB public-information data reports an 86% employment/advanced-study rate within one year of graduation for the BLA cohort reported for AY 2022–23 (12 of 14 graduates). The same report records a 91% four-year graduation rate and 95% student retention rate for the BLA.
Salary information: Texas Tech’s Red Raider GradStats reports an estimated average salary of $66,203 for Davis College alumni within its broader college-level dataset; the listed majors include Landscape Architecture, so this figure is not a BLA-specific salary. The same dataset identifies Landscape Designer, Project Manager and Business Owner among frequent job titles.
Career services: The University Career Center provides job boards for internships and full-time positions, career appointments, career-development resources and the College to Career internship-placement program.
Industry networking: WreckShop, the department’s annual multi-day conference, brings dozens of landscape architecture firms to campus and includes portfolio reviews, a firm expo, interviews, lectures, networking and professional-development activities.
Professional development: The student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (SASLA) provides academic, professional and social development opportunities, while WreckShop creates direct interaction with professional firms.
Industry-connected alumni: Texas Tech graduates include Christine Ten Eyck, founder of Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, and Tim Bargainer, Senior Vice President and Practice Leader for Planning and Landscape Architecture at Halff Associates.
Accreditation value: The BLA is LAAB accredited, with Texas Tech listing its BLA accreditation through 2029. LAAB accreditation is significant for professional progression because Texas Tech states that an LAAB-accredited first professional degree meets the educational requirement for landscape-architecture licensure; individual state licensing requirements still vary.
Graduate outcomes: Texas Tech alumni have progressed into landscape architecture, planning, environmental design and related leadership roles; for example, Kelly Cook became a founding partner and principal of KDC Associates, an environmental planning and landscape architecture firm.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BLA, students can continue into Texas Tech’s Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA). The university also offers an Accelerated MLA, enabling currently enrolled BLA students to complete the MLA one year after finishing the bachelor’s degree, with the program designed to streamline the transition into advanced professional study.