For more than a century, our programs have trained leading practitioners, scholars, and activists whose work has impacted the discipline in important ways, both nationally and throughout the world.
The Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois welcomes all kinds of students into its degree programs. Some students come from rural communities, while others come from large cities.
Many of our undergraduates students come to the University of Illinois as freshmen, while others transfer into our department as sophomores or juniors–from other colleges and universities or from other paths at Illinois.
Some students know that they want to major in landscape architecture before arriving on campus, while others join us after discovering landscape architecture here–for example, through elective courses, special events, independent experiences, or conversations with a student, faculty member, or academic advisor.
Some undergrads minor in Landscape Architecture while pursuing another major, and others pursue double majors in Landscape Architecture and related fields.
Among our graduate students, some have undergraduate degrees in landscape architecture and related fields–including architecture, urban planning, horticulture, and sustainable design–while others have backgrounds in a wider range of areas, such as the visual or performing arts, biology science, geography, engineering, literature, and history. Landscape architecture is a great field for generalists and specialists alike.
A substantial number of our students are international students, and they from all over the world. In fact, 14% of all undergraduate students and 33% of all graduate students at the University of Illinois are international.
Among our four degree programs and two minors, students range in age from their late teens to their fifties and beyond.
In short, there are many paths to Landscape Architecture at Illinois! Regardless of how you find your way to our programs, we welcome you!
If you are considering applying for one of our programs, we encourage you to come and visit. Our department is small and intimate. It is easy to feel like you belong. We’ll introduce you to faculty, staff, and students. We’ll show you our work spaces and let you experience the enthusiasm in our classes. We’ll describe the real-world problems our students are solving and show you examples of their impressive works.
We look forward to getting to know you and helping you find a home in our department!