The School of Landscape Architecture is in the College of Art and Design. The five year, professional, undergraduate curriculum leads to a Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture degree (BLA) with a design concentration, and is accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
The required General Education courses (39 credit hours) are in the areas of English, analytical reasoning, arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Professional courses include design studios and lectures in landscape architecture, history, graphic representation, theory and methods, and construction (90 specified credit hours, 21 elective credit hours). Elective course work (27 credit hours) taken within the College of Art and Design complements the landscape architecture curriculum and allows students to explore other areas of special interest.
Students are admitted to the first two years of the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program (BLA) at LSU subject to space availability in courses. Students are required to have a laptop computer.
Landscape Architecture majors must pass all required courses and all approved electives with a grade of “C” or better. A student who earns less than a “C” in one of these courses must repeat the course.
Admission to the Third Year
Prior to admission to the third year of study (upper division) there will be a scholastic and portfolio review. Applications will be evaluated in terms of academic achievement, a portfolio of work and design potential. No more than 36 students will be admitted to the upper level of the program. The Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture reserves the right to deny admission to the third year of study based on this review.
The purpose of the review is to select the most qualified students to continue into the third-year studio. If you fail to gain acceptance to the third year of study, you may repeat the introductory courses and reapply to the third year, you may change to another major at LSU, or you may transfer to another university’s landscape architecture program.
Students who have completed the introductory courses outlined below with a minimum 2.5 GPA are eligible to apply for admission to the upper level of the undergraduate degree.
LA 1101, LA 1102, LA 2001, LA 2002, LA 2101, LA 2201, LA 2301, LA 2401, MATH 1021, MATH 1022, ENGL 1001, ENGL 2000, RNR 1001GEOG 2050, GEOG 2051, ARCH 3006
As a transfer student, if you desire credit for design studio courses, you will also be required to submit a portfolio for faculty evaluation.
Transfer Students and Admission to the School
If you are a transfer student, you will be considered for admission to the landscape architecture program and the beginning design courses on a space-available basis. Admission is competitive.
Transfer credit for landscape architecture courses as substitutions for required courses in the school’s curriculum will be considered only if these courses have been taken as part of a landscape architecture program accredited by LAAB. You will also be required to submit a portfolio for faculty evaluation.
Additional information about the School and the BLA curriculum can be found in the LSU General Catalog.