The two-year horticulture program at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) teaches students the fundamentals of botany, soil science and landscape design. The full-time professional training program, founded in 1932, combines 625 hours of classroom studies with work rotations and a mandatory second-year internship. Courses cover such topics as plant anatomy, weed identification, landscape design history, greenhouse and nursery management and site analysis. Because some 21 percent of landscape architects are self-employed (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), business management training is a required component of the NYBG horticulture program. Applicants must have 1,800 hours of horticulture work or volunteer experience, be able to do physical work outdoors and have at least a high school diploma.
The New York Botanical Garden
School of Professional Horticulture
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
718-817-8797
nybg.org
Cornell University's landscape architecture program has been ranked in the top 10 programs nationwide by Design Intelligence magazine and is the only Ivy League institution offering an undergraduate degree in the discipline. A portfolio is required for admission and should include 10 to 12 works, such as travel sketches, garden design plans or photos and pieces created with computer graphics software. Cornell's landscape architecture curriculum focuses on several design studios, each specializing in a different aspect of landscape, such as land, plants and water. Additionally, landscape architecture majors select a concentration, such as sustainable design, historic preservation or ecology, and complete 10 credits in that area as part of the degree requirements.
Cornell University
Department of Landscape Architecture
440 Kennedy Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-9552
landscape.cornell.edu
As part of the State University of New York system, the College of Environmental Science of Forestry (ESF) landscape architecture program is the second largest in the U.S. ESF shares its campus with Syracuse University (SU). Landscape architecture students are required to complete a semester abroad. For example, students interested in sustainable design can spend a summer at a Sustainable Futures Studio in Costa Rica. The landscape architecture undergraduate program takes five years to complete, and students take courses in areas such as biology, natural design processes, plant materials and landscape design studios. Portfolios are not required for incoming freshmen applicants but are encouraged as a way to demonstrate creative aptitude.
SUNY-ESF
1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY 13210
315-470-6500
esf.edu