Employers
There are about 25,800 landscape architects employed in the United States. Approximately 46 percent of landscape architects are employed in architectural, engineering, and related services. Seven percent work for federal, state, and local governments. Federal agencies that employing landscape architects include the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Transportation, Soil Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Veteran's Administration, among others. Landscape architects work in every state in the United States, in small towns and cities as well as heavily populated areas. Some work in rural areas, such as those who plan and design parks and recreational areas. However the majority of positions are found in suburban and urban areas.
Landscape architects work for a variety of different employers in both the public and private sectors. They may work with a school board planning a new elementary or high school, with manufacturers developing a new factory and its grounds, with homeowners improving the land surrounding their home, or with a city council planning a new suburban development.
In the private sector, most landscape architects do some residential work, though few limit themselves entirely to projects with individual homeowners. Larger commercial or community projects are usually more profitable. Workers in the public sector plan and design government buildings, parks, and public lands. They also may conduct studies on environmental issues and restore lands such as mines or landfills.
Starting Out
After graduating from a landscape architecture program, you can usually receive job assistance from your school's career placement service. Although these services do not guarantee a job, they can be of great help in making initial contacts. Many positions are posted by the American Society of Landscape Architects in its journal, Landscape Architecture (https://www.asla.org/lamsubscription.aspx), as well as on its Web site. Government positions are normally filled through civil service examinations. Information regarding vacancies may be obtained through the local, state, or federal civil service commissions.
Most new hires are often referred to as interns or apprentices until they have gained initial experience in the field and have passed the necessary examinations. Apprentices' duties vary by employer; some handle background project research, others are directly involved in planning and design. Whatever their involvement, all new hires work under the direct supervision of a licensed landscape architect. All drawings and plans must be signed and sealed by the licensed supervisor for legal purposes.
- Agricultural Scientists
- Air Quality Engineers
- Aquarists
- Arborists
- Architects
- Asbestos Abatement Technicians
- Assessors and Appraisers
- Automotive Designers
- Biochemists
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biologists
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Botanists
- Bricklayers and Stonemasons
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Building Automation Systems Engineers
- Building Automation Systems Technicians
- Building Performance Diagnosticians
- Carpenters
- Cement Masons
- Chemists
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Civil Engineering Technicians
- Civil Engineers
- Climate Scientists
- Computer and Video Game Designers
- Computer-Aided Design Drafters and Technicians
- Construction Inspectors
- Construction Laborers
- Construction Managers
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Cost Estimators
- Costume Designers
- Digital Designers
- Drafters
- Drywall Installers and Finishers
- Ecologists
- Electricians
- Elevator Installers and Repairers
- Energy Conservation Technicians
- Energy Consultants
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Economists
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Lawyers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Environmental Planners
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Environmental Scientists
- Environmental Technicians
- EPA Special Agents
- Ergonomists
- Exhibit Designers
- Fabric Designers
- Fashion Designers
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Floor Covering Installers
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Foresters
- Forestry Technicians
- Furniture Designers
- General Maintenance Mechanics
- Geodetic Surveyors
- Geological Technicians
- Geologists
- Geophysicists
- Geotechnical Engineers
- Glaziers
- Graphic Designers
- Green Builders
- Green Hotel/Resort Ecomanagers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Green Transportation Careers
- Greeting Card Designers and Writers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Hazardous Waste Management Specialists
- Hazardous Waste Management Technicians
- Heating and Cooling Technicians
- Home Stagers
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Horticultural Technicians
- Hydropower and Marine Energy Industry Workers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Industrial Designers
- Industrial Ecologists
- Insulators/Insulation Workers
- Interior Designers and Decorators
- Jewelers and Jewelry Repairers
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Lathers
- Learning Innovations Designers
- Marble Setters, Tile Setters, and Terrazzo Workers
- Marine Biologists
- Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators
- Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians
- Microbiologists
- Millwrights
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Motion Graphics Artists
- National Park Service Employees
- Naturalists
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Oceanographers
- Operating Engineers
- Painters and Paperhangers
- Park Rangers
- Plasterers
- Plumbers and Pipefitters
- Product Designers
- Production Designers and Art Directors
- Range Managers
- Real Estate Developers
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Remote Health Care Engineers
- Renewable Energy Careers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Renewable Energy Site Assessors
- Rewilders
- Roofers
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Silverware Artisans and Workers
- Smart Building Systems Designers
- Software Designers
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Stationary Engineers
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians
- Surveyors
- Swimming Pool Designers
- Tattoo Artists
- Urban and Regional Planners
- Visual Interaction Designers
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and Technicians
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
- Welders and Welding Technicians
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
- Zoologists