BS Landscape Architecture

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a four-year, 124-credit professional degree that develops the creative, technical, and problem-solving skills needed to design healthier, sustainable places while addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. It suits students interested in landscape design, environmental systems, plants, urban spaces, and site planning, with coursework spanning design studios, visual communication, environmental site analysis, construction, planting design, landscape history, and professional practice.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students establish the foundations of landscape architecture through LA 101 – Introduction to Landscape Arch, LA 280 – Design Communications I, and LA 281 – Design Communications II. The year introduces contemporary landscape architecture and develops both analog and digital visual-communication methods alongside general education and science coursework.

Second Year: Students move into hands-on design development through LA 233 – Foundation Design Studio and LA 234 – Site Design Studio, while LA 241 – Landform Design & Construction and LA 250 – Environmental Site Analysis introduce technical approaches to understanding and shaping sites. The combination builds a systematic approach to landscape problems and connects design decisions with landform, environmental conditions, and site processes.

Third Year: Students work with more complex social and physical contexts through LA 335 – Community & Open Space Studio and LA 336 – Design Workshop Studio I, supported by LA 342 – Site Engineering, LA 343 – Landscape Construction, and LA 346 – Professional Practice. The curriculum increasingly connects studio projects with real people and places while developing construction, engineering, professional, and collaborative skills.

Fourth Year: Students undertake advanced regional and comprehensive design work through LA 437 – Regional Design Studio and LA 438 – Design Workshop Studio II, alongside LA 452 – Planting Design and focused electives. These final-year experiences allow students to integrate design, planting, technical knowledge, research, and professional preparation into increasingly sophisticated landscape proposals.

Focus Areas

Landscape design, site design, community and open-space design, regional design, environmental site analysis, landform and construction, site engineering, planting design, design communication, landscape history, sustainability, urban planning, horticulture, and professional practice.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop interdisciplinary knowledge and reasoning, apply knowledge of the natural world to design decisions, understand social and cultural influences on land-use decisions, use creative inquiry and analytical skills to develop design proposals, and demonstrate responsible leadership when working with land and communities.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

LAAB accreditation: The BLA is fully accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB), and the program states that it meets educational requirements for landscape architecture licensure eligibility throughout the United States.

Professional preparation: Students can earn credit through LA 345 – Professional Internship, while professional preparation also includes portfolio reviews, design charrettes, the annual Career and Networking Fair, networking opportunities, and the University of Illinois student chapter of ASLA.

Reputation (Employability / Outcomes)

Program history: Illinois describes its BLA as one of the oldest landscape architecture programs in the nation and the only professionally accredited undergraduate landscape architecture program in Illinois.

Graduate outcomes: In the university's 2023–24 Illini Success data, Landscape Architecture reported a 71% secured destination and knowledge rate, with 57% employed and 14% continuing education among the reported first destinations; the cohort included 18 graduates.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign gain practical experience through progressively advanced design studios, technical courses, site analysis, construction, planting design, and professional practice. The program connects students with real sites and communities through field trips, collaborative studio projects, design competitions, internships, and professional networking, while facilities such as Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, campus fabrication resources, print/plotter facilities, and Illinois AnyWare provide tools for both physical and digital production. Students also work with professional landscape architecture software and can participate in department activities such as the Campus RainWorks Challenge, Student Sustainable Farm, Red Oak Rain Garden, and Illinois Solar Decathlon.

Design Studios: Students progress through LA 233 Foundation Design Studio, LA 234 Site Design Studio, LA 335 Community & Open Space Studio, LA 336 Design Workshop Studio I, LA 437 Regional Design Studio, and LA 438 Design Workshop Studio II, with projects increasing in scale and complexity and later studios connecting students with real people and places.
Digital Software: BLA students use industry-relevant platforms including AutoCAD, GIS, Rhino, Grasshopper, and Adobe Creative Suite for contemporary landscape architecture workflows.
Digital Access: Illinois AnyWare provides access to a suite of software applications through a virtual desktop that students can use both on and off campus.
Design Communication: LA 280 Design Communications I and LA 281 Design Communications II develop both analog and digital methods for communicating landscape designs.
Site Analysis: LA 250 Environmental Site Analysis gives students practical experience understanding environmental conditions and applying site-based analysis to design decisions.
Construction Experience: LA 241 Landform Design & Construction, LA 342 Site Engineering, and LA 343 Landscape Construction develop technical knowledge related to landform, engineering, and construction.
Field Trips: Field trips and site visits are integrated into studio and technical courses, with departmental support available to cover travel costs for these activities.
Professional Internship: LA 345 Professional Internship provides supervised field experience in landscape architecture design offices and public agencies, allowing students to work with an approved firm or agency and earn academic credit.
Internship Destinations: Recent BLA students have completed internships with organizations and firms including Urbana Park District, EDSA, Nikken Sekei, SmithGroup, Turenscape, Scott Byron & Co., and Heritage Museums and Gardens.
Professional Practice: LA 346 Professional Practice introduces students to professional practice, office procedures, project management, organizational structures, career development, and professional ethics; the course includes a required field trip.
Real-World Workshops: Advanced BLA students participate in Design Workshop Studios connected to faculty research and outreach. The 2026 Depave Un-Design Workshop, for example, involved studying Chicago asphalt sites, vacant lots, streets, and industrial corridors and developing depaving and planning interventions.
Environmental Technology: The Shaping Comfort workshop uses ENVI-met for microclimate design simulations together with detecting instruments for collecting real-world environmental data.
Fabrication Facilities: Students have access to a print/plotter lab in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall and nearby 2D/3D printing and fabrication resources, including the Siebel Center for Design, School of Art and Design labs, Illinois School of Architecture Woodshop and DigiFab Shop, and Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab.
Studio Facilities: The department's administrative offices, upper-level studios, faculty offices, and classrooms are located in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, with an additional studio in Mumford Hall.
Collaborative Projects: Students work collaboratively on design workshops, studios, competitions, and community-focused projects, developing research-based and team-oriented approaches to landscape design.
Campus Projects: Students can participate in applied initiatives including the Illinois Solar Decathlon, Campus RainWorks Challenge, Student Sustainable Farm, and Red Oak Rain Garden, providing opportunities to connect landscape design with sustainability and environmental practice.
Design Competitions: BLA students participate in and have won design competitions and awards programs, giving them opportunities to test their work against professional and academic standards.
Professional Networking: Students can participate in the Career and Networking Fair, Speed Networking Mixer, Job Shadow Day, portfolio reviews, design charrettes, and the University of Illinois Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
International Experience: Students have opportunities to travel internationally through fellowships and semester-long study abroad, extending their understanding of landscape architecture across different geographic and cultural contexts.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The BLA in Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign prepares graduates for professional landscape architecture and related careers through an accredited, STEM-designated professional degree. Graduates can work across design firms, public agencies, parks, community development, planning, and environmental practice, while the degree also provides a direct foundation for advanced study in landscape architecture and related fields.

Career roles: Landscape Architect, Landscape Designer, Environmental Planner, Urban/Regional Planner.

Career support and professional exposure:

Career services: Students receive regular academic advising, career fairs, targeted employment assistance, portfolio reviews, design charrettes, and networking opportunities through the Department of Landscape Architecture.
Professional internships: Students can earn academic credit through LA 345 Professional Internship, with recent placements including EDSA, SmithGroup, Urbana Park District, Turenscape, Scott Byron & Co., Nikken Sekei, and other landscape architecture and planning organizations.
Professional networking: The annual Career and Networking Fair, portfolio reviews, design charrettes, and the University of Illinois Student Chapter of ASLA help students connect with practitioners and prospective employers.
Industry connections: The department maintains an opportunities channel for employers to distribute job and internship postings directly to Landscape Architecture students.
Employment destinations: Department graduates work in design firms, urban park districts, community development organizations, government and nonprofit agencies, education, and the arts, with some progressing into planning, architecture, and heritage management.

Employment outcomes and salary: The university's latest 2024–25 Illini Success data reports that the Environmental Design category, which includes Landscape Architecture and Sustainable Design, recorded 82% employed and 18% continuing education among graduates with known outcomes; the reported median salary was $57,000, based on 12 salary respondents combined with the previous year's cohort for privacy protection. The university's separate 2023–24 Landscape Architecture data reported 57% employed and 14% continuing education, with salary data suppressed because of the small number of respondents.

Professional accreditation: The BLA is an LAAB-accredited professional degree. Illinois notes that because the BLA is accredited, graduates can become eligible for professional licensure with the additional study and supervised experience required by the applicable jurisdiction, giving the degree long-term professional value.

International career pathway: The BLA is STEM-classified. For eligible F-1 students, Illinois states that the STEM classification permits CPT and OPT employment for up to three years and two months after graduation, subject to applicable immigration requirements.

Graduation outcomes: Illinois' 2024–25 reporting shows strong first-destination results across the College of Fine and Applied Arts, while the Environmental Design category specifically recorded an 82% employment rate and 18% continuing-education rate.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BLA, students can progress to Illinois' Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA). Because the BLA is an LAAB-accredited degree, graduates can enter the 2-year post-professional MLA, rather than the longer first-professional route; the department also offers a Master of Sustainable Urban Design (MSUD), a joint MLA/Master of Urban Planning (MUP), and a PhD in Landscape Architecture for students pursuing advanced research or academic careers.