The profession has to keep up and get through the challenges it is facing. The field needs increasing numbers of students coming into this profession. One of the problems this field is facing is university cost. The escalating cost of landscape education is a potential limiting factor for new generations of students entering the profession.
Becoming a landscape designer requires a lot of education as well as training. Schooling for this field should start in high school. Applying one's self in geometric drawing, art, botany, and mathematics are helpful. Knowledge of computer applications of all kinds, including computer-aided design and drafting is becoming more and more necessary. College courses required in this field usually include technical subjects such as surveying, landscape design and construction, landscape ecology, structural design, and city and regional planning. Other courses include history of landscape architecture, geology, design and color theory, and general management. In addition, most students at the undergraduate level take a year of prerequisite courses such as English, mathematics, and social and physical science. The design studio is an important aspect of many landscape architecture curriculums. Students are then assigned real projects to work on, providing valuable hands on experience. While working on these projects, students become more proficient in the use of technologies such as CAD, geographic information systems and video simulation. A bachelor's or master's degree in landscape architecture is usually necessary for entry into the profession. The bachelor's degree in landscape architecture takes four to five years to complete. There are two types of accredited master's degree programs. The master's degree as a first professional degree is a three-year program designed for students with an undergraduate degree in another discipline. This is the most common type of master's degree.