Landscape Architecture
Coordinator: William Sullivan
Department Office: 101 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, 611 East Lorado Taft Drive, Champaign, (217) 333-0176
Email: LADept@illinois.edu
101 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall
611 East Lorado Taft Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-0176
Fax: (217) 244-4568
The Department of Landscape Architecture offers a five-year undergraduate curriculum, leading to the professional degree of Bachelor of Landscape Architecture as well as a minor in Landscape Studies. The degree is accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB).
The curriculum is a balanced program of technical, design, and general education courses that prepare the student with the necessary skills for entry-level professional practice in private offices or public agencies. Program requirements include design studio courses and classes in construction, plants, history, and design communication. Following the third year, students complete a one-year professional internship, or combination of internship and study abroad, to further advance their knowledge of built landscapes and the practice of landscape architecture. The curriculum also includes a minimum of 15 hours of credit in supporting electives that are taken in related art and science courses. A total of 152 semester hours of credit are required for graduation.
A student must have and maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average and a 2.50 technical GPA based on grades in the following courses: LA 233, LA 234, LA 241, LA 250, LA280, LA 281, and LA 314.
Transfer applicants must have completed 30 or more semester hours of undergraduate course work with an earned GPA of at least 2.75 (A = 4.0) including prerequisite credits in composition, physical geography, plant biology, and pre-calculus.
The department's administrative office, upper-level studios, faculty offices, and classrooms are located in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall. The sophomore studio is located in Mumford Hall.
Curriculum in Landscape Architecture
For the Degree of Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
First year
| Hours | First Semester |
|---|---|
| 2 | LA 101—Intro to Landscape Architecture |
| 4 | GEOG 103—Earth’s Physical
Systems1 or GEOL 101—Intro to Physical Geology1 |
| 4 | RHET 105—Principles of Composition |
| 3 | MATH 115/Precalculus |
| 3 | General Education Elective |
| 16 | Total |
| Hours | Second Semester |
|---|---|
| 3 | Social/Cultural Factors in Design Elective3 |
| 3 | IB 1021, 103 or 105—Plant/Environmental Biology |
| 9 | General Education Electives2 |
| 15 | Total |
Second year
| Hours | First Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 233—Foundation Design Studio |
| 3 | LA 250—Environmental Site Analysis |
| 3 | LA 280—Design Communications I |
| 3 | UP 101—Planning of Cities and Regions |
| 3 | General Education Elective |
| 17 | Total |
| Hours | Second Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 234—Site Design Studio |
| 3 | LA 241—Landform Design & Construction |
| 3 | LA 281—Design Communications II (Advanced Composition) |
| 3 | LA 314—History of World Landscapes |
| 14 | Total |
Third year
| Hours | First Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 335—Community & Open Space Studio |
| 4 | LA 342—Site Engineering |
| 3 | HORT 301—Woody Landscape Plants I |
| 2 | LA 346—Professional Practice |
| 14 | Total |
| Hours | Second Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 336—Design Workshop Studio 1 |
| 4 | LA 343—Landscape Construction |
| 3 | General Education Elective |
| 3 | Supporting Elective4 |
| 15 | Total |
| Hours | Summer Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 345 - Professional Internship |
| 5 | Total |
Fourth year
| Hours | First Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 347—Regional Design Studio |
| 3 | LA 452—Natural Precedent in Planting |
| 3 | Supporting elective4 |
| 3 | Quantitative Reasoning II |
| 14 | Total |
| Hours | Second Semester |
|---|---|
| 5 | LA 438—Design Workshop Studio 2 |
| 6 | Supporting electives4 |
| 2 | Elective |
| 13 | Total |
1. IB 102, 103, or 105 and GEOG 103/GEOL 101 fulfill the natural sciences and technology general education requirement for this curriculum.
2.General Education: See current
University of Illinois General
Education requirements. Foreign Language Requirement 0 - 12
hours: Students entering the University of Illinois as freshmen
in fall 2000 or later need to complete the foreign language requirement
in order to graduate. To satisfy this requirement, students must
complete a third semester level college foreign language course.
This requirement may also be satisfied by three years of the same
foreign language in high school. Students entering the University
of Illinois without three years of the same foreign language in
high school must take a foreign language placement test to determine
the courses in which to enroll.
3. Social/Cultural factors elective course options are LA 212, LA 215, LA 218, LA 220, LA 222, LA 242, LA 270, and LA 470.
4. A minimum of 12 credit hours of professionally related courses
selected from the department's recommended list of supporting electives
is required, with a minimum of three credit hours in each of the
categories of history, communications, techniques, and environment.
Landscape Studies Minor
The Minor in Landscape Studies enables students to gain considerable knowledge of the ecological, social, cultural and historical factors that have shaped landscapes of the western and non-western world. Students interested in integrative studies of the natural, cultural and built environment, and those concerned with landscape as context for art and design, will develop a comprehensive theoretical framework for work in their major field of study.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 17 credit hours from the following three categories is required for completion of the minor:
| Hours | Studies of the Professions Engaged in Landscape Inquiry (2 hours) |
|---|---|
| 2 | LA 101 Landscape Experience, Inquiry Design |
| Hours | Studies of the Professions Engaged in Landscape Inquiry (minimum 6 hours) |
|---|---|
| 3 | LA 212 Water and Society |
| 3 | LA 250 Ecological Factors in Design |
| 3 | LA 270 Behavioral Factors in Design |
| Hours | Study of Historical and Cultural Landscapes (minimum of 9 hours, 6 hours at the 300 level) |
|---|---|
| 3 | LA 215 American Cultural Landscapes |
| 3 | LA 218 South Asian Cultural Landscapes |
| 3 | LA 220 African Architecture and Urbanism |
| 3 | LA 222 Islamic Gardens and Architecture |
| 3 | LA 242 Nature and American Culture |
| 3 | LA 314 History of World Landscapes |
| 3 | LA 315 History of Modern Landscape Architecture |
| 1-6 | LA 390 Independent Studies (check with Advisor for sections that credit to the Minor) |
Students would be permitted to substitute one course from category 3 for one of the courses in category 2. Students would also be permitted to substitute one course from a related department (e.g., Anthropology, Geography) upon the approval of the Undergraduate Studies Coordinator in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
Admission
Students with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and completion of the campus Composition I requirement are eligible for admission. Students must declare their intentions and be admitted to the program by the Undergraduate Studies Coordinator in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
Prerequisites
Students must comply with any prerequisite requirements of courses to be taken under this program.
Advising
Advising of students in the minor will be conducted by the Undergraduate Studies Coordinator in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
Certification of Successful Completion
Completion of the Minor in Landscape Studies will be certified by the student's home college office.