Landscape architecture has the unique power to connect people across cultures, disciplines and communities – coming together with the common goal of creating spaces that have a positive impact on society and the world around us.
A career in landscape architecture could see you make your mark in the field as a design professional who can make a positive contribution to both environmental sustainability and human wellbeing.
What types of careers in the field can you get into?
With a qualification in landscape architecture, there is a diverse range of careers you can explore.
You will have an advanced portfolio of landscape skills, techniques and knowledge to enable you to embark on a career in landscape practice or landscape-related disciplines around the world.
Just some of the types of careers you can get into include:
- Environmental planning/consultancy
- Horticulture
- Garden design
- Landscape planning
- Landscape managing
- Urban design
If you want to work as a professional landscape architect in the UK specifically, just keep in mind you will probably need to gain chartered membership of the Landscape Institute – a UK body that qualifies landscape architects for professional membership and recognition.
For those transferring from outside the UK or another related discipline, this course can act as a solid first step on the path towards Landscape Institute chartered status via further specialised study.
What skills do you need to succeed?
Here are five skills you need to succeed in landscape architecture and related disciplines:
1. Creative skills
To be successful in any design field, you need to have creative skills first and foremost, and it’s no different when it comes to landscape architecture.
You will need the ability to both reimagine existing spaces and create innovative new ones. Whatever area of landscape architecture you choose to pursue, you will use your imagination to design spaces that are simultaneously fit for purpose, while presenting solutions to overcome challenges in areas such as sustainability.
2. Design/drawing skills
Design and drawing skills are crucial to conceptualising and planning creative spaces.
Digital technologies play a pivotal role in design in today’s world. Therefore, it is important to be digitally savvy so that you can make the most out of technologies such as 3D drawing, to bring out the best in your ideas and designs.
3. Communication skills
Since landscape architecture is largely a collaborative field, you will need strong communication skills to thrive and be successful.
Apart from the communication skills you will need to utilise while delivering your creative projects, you also need to be able to talk to a range of stakeholders about your designs, your creative practice, and your business, such as via debriefs, emails, funding bids, presentations and social media channels.
4. Collaborative skills
As landscape architecture connects people from different disciplines and communities, you need to have a team mindset and be able to collaborate with others to maximise your creative potential.
Working together towards a common goal of creating spaces that inspire and have a positive impact can be incredibly rewarding and will further boost your own creativity and productivity.
5. Project management skills
The end-to-end design process typically is not straightforward or a one-size-fits-all approach – it can be complex with multiple stakeholders, resources, risks and budgets involved.
This is why it is important for anyone working in landscape architecture to have strong project management skills.
Managing multiple aspects of a design project and using organisational and time-management skills will help you meet your project goals within deadlines and budgets.
How can an MA help you develop your skills and knowledge further?
An MA in Landscape Architecture Studies will equip you with the advanced knowledge and skills in the field you need to take your landscape practice to the next level, or to pursue landscape-related disciplines anywhere around the world.
As well as building further on your existing expertise to give you a solid foundation in landscape architecture, with an MA in Landscape Architecture, you will develop a range of valuable transferrable skills in areas such as project management and communication – enabling you to work in a diverse range of environmental areas and professions.
If you have a passion for landscape and creating spaces with a positive impact, discover how Arts University Bournemouth’s online MA Landscape Architecture Studies can empower you with the creativity, critical thinking, and landscape architectural skills you need to forge a rewarding career path:
Featured image credit: Charlotte Harvey