Professional accredited programs are available as a four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with Honours, or a two-year Master of Landscape Architecture. Some universities offer a 3-year Bachelor of Landscape Design or Built Environments - this is not an accredited Program, but provides a pathway to enrol in the Accredited Masters of Landscape Architecture Program. To become a professional Registered Landscape Architect, it is recommended you graduate from an accredited program.

As a landscape architecture student, you’ll learn about a wide range of subjects which represent the broad, foundational knowledge to become a landscape architect. Areas of the curriculum in accredited programs include:

• Design: Design is central to the practice of landscape architecture and operates across a range of scales—from individual sites to broader systems and regional contexts. The design studio is where you will develop ideas, collaborate with experienced design professionals, and work alongside fellow students who may become your future colleagues. In studio-based courses, you will respond to design briefs to produce conceptual designs, design development and detailing, construction documentation and specifications, as well as master planning and landscape planning proposals. Design processes incorporate both analogue and digital technologies and workflows, and typically include site visits, hand drawing, physical model making, and spatial recording to support site-specific responses.

• Environments: A suite of courses will build your understanding of natural and cultural environments, including plant and soil science, diverse geographies, local ecologies, and land management practices. You will develop a strong awareness of natural systems, their interactions and performance, and how they adapt in response to human-induced climate change.

• History and Theory: You will explore the historical foundations of landscape architecture and examine how human activity has shaped landscapes over millennia. This includes engagement with the established historical canon of the discipline, with reference to northern European and American traditions, as well as localised First Nations knowledge and protocols relevant to built environment professionals.

• Technology and Construction: These courses focus on the technical dimensions of landscape architecture, including landform manipulation (grading), materials and structures, site planning, and landscape performance. You will learn to produce documentation for construction and engage with digital technologies and software tools, including digital modelling and emerging opportunities such as AI integration in design workflows.

• Professional Practice: Professional practice courses introduce you to the ethical, legal, and cultural frameworks that shape the profession. You will learn about industry standards, project procurement and delivery processes, stewardship and advocacy, public policy and regulation, and may have the opportunity to undertake a work-integrated learning placement.

• Communication and Collaboration: In a fast-paced professional environment, effective communication is essential to your success. You will develop skills across a range of analogue and digital processes and applications, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. These courses will also support the development of key interpersonal skills—enhancing your verbal presentation abilities, collaboration with peers, leadership, adaptability, and capacity to respond to complex, real-world challenges.

Each university and Program has a unique way they deliver their curriculum in their local geography. If you are interested in studying landscape architecture reach out to your local university, and attend the annual open day.

If you would like to stay in touch with design-minded folk pre-university, contact the AILA FRESH groups.

AILA FRESH supports and develops students and recent graduates in the transition from university to finding their professional feet. It enables university and high school students to get a running start in the profession before they graduate.

There are lots of free and affordable events on each year, and our FRESH crew love to see new faces.

You can also become a free AILA student member, anytime.

This means you will get free or discounted rates to our ticketed events and regular updates straight to your inbox about landscape architectural happenings in Australia and further afield.