Landscape Architecture is the design and planning profession that applies both art and science to achieve the best use of the land. Landscape architects design the setting for a variety of land uses ranging from residential to industrial development while providing stewardship for the natural environment. The profession has a special commitment to improving the quality of urban and rural life. The study of Landscape Architecture focuses on the design studio experience, where students acquire skills in drafting, graphics, and computer-aided design. Students apply these skills to individual and team design projects. Supplementary courses provide an understanding of design implementation and the potential effect on the environment and those who live in it. The program offers experienced faculty, small classes of 25 or fewer students in each studio, and individual attention from instructors. As part of the design studio courses, students assist communities in developing plans for parks, main street beautification, and other projects. Majors in the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences Agribusiness Management & Rural Development B Agricultural & Extension Education B, M Agricultural & Resource Economics M Agriculture Education M Agriculture, Forestry, & Consumer Sciences M Agronomy B, M Animal & Food Sciences D Animal & Veterinary Sciences B, M Basic Sciences B Biochemistry B Child Development & Family Studies B, M Entomology M Environmental Microbiology M Environmental & Natural Resource Economics B Environmental Protection B Family & Consumer Sciences M Forest Resources Management B Forest Resources Science D Forestry M Genetics & Developmental Biology M, D Horticulture B, M Human Nutrition & Foods B Interior Design B Landscape Architecture B Natural Resource Economics D Plant Pathology M Plant & Soil Sciences D Recreation, Parks, & Tourism Resources B, M Reproductive Physiology M, D Textiles, Apparel & Merchandising B Wildlife & Fisheries Resources B, M Wood Science & Technology B B = Bachelor's; M = Master's; D = Doctorate For more information, contact Steven McBride at 304-293-4832, ext. 4493 Steven.McBride@mail.wvu.edu Or visit the Web site at:www.cafcs.wvu.edu/resm/la/

WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Consumer Sciences
The Davis College has 18 undergraduate major fields of study that are divided into five academic divisions: Animal and Veterinary Sciences; Family and Consumer Sciences; Forestry; Plant and Soil Sciences; and Resource Management. The excellent instructional facilities of the Davis College offer many learning opportunities. The Agricultural Sciences Building contains most offices, classrooms, and laboratories for agricultural programs. Percival Hall houses the Division of Forestry’s offices, classrooms, and laboratories, including the wood processing facilities. In Allen Hall, Family and Consumer Science classes are held, and the laboratory nursery school is located on the Evansdale Campus. Maintaining eight farms, two campus greenhouses, and more than 8,000 acres of forest land for teaching and research, the Davis College offers students a variety of educational opportunities with hands-on experiences.

Students are offered fields of study that complement various careers. The study of ecology is interwoven throughout courses to offer students the education necessary for careers emphasizing the protection of environmental quality and the management, utilization, and conservation of our soil, water, forests, wildlife, domestic animals, food, and fiber.

Admission
Students who meet University admission requirements may be accepted directly into the Davis College as Landscape Architecture majors. However, enrollment in the program is limited to 50 students in the first-year studio. All other eligible students who wish to enter the program are waitlisted and admitted prior to the beginning of classes, if the quota has not been met.

Curriculum
Students begin their professional studies in Landscape Architecture developing drafting, graphic, and computer skills applicable to a variety of design problems. Upon conclusion of the sophomore year, students are required to submit representative examples of their work as a condition for progressing into the final two years of the program. Study becomes more intense as students progress into the third year, developing planting design and site construction skills. Simultaneously, the design sequence introduces problems ranging from small-scale to regional contexts in recreation, housing, conservation, and urban development.

Course work consists of University-established requirements and specific Landscape Architecture requirements. The 136 total credit hours include four credit hours in land surveying, 63 credit hours of landscape architecture courses, 18 credit hours of free electives, and six credit hours of studio art.

Course Work

Accreditation
West Virginia University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. A nationally accredited program, Landscape Architecture is reaccredited every five years by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board.

Career Opportunities
Landscape architects hold about 19,000 jobs. Sixty percent work for firms that provide landscape architecture services. Many are employed by multidisciplinary planning and design firms. The federal government also employs graduates; most are found in the US
Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior. In the federal government, candidates for entry positions should have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture. The federal government does not require its landscape architects to be licensed. About one of every six landscape architects is self-employed.

Graduate School Opportunities
The master’s degree as a second professional degree is a two-year program for students who have a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and wish to demonstrate mastery or specialize in some aspect of landscape architecture. Forty-four states require landscape architects to be licensed. Licensing is based on the Landscape Architect Registration Examination, sponsored by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards.

Salary Range
According to the limited data available, graduates with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture start at about $31,000; those with a master’s start at $39,000. Although salaries for experienced landscape architects vary by location and experience, the median salary for all landscape architects is about $50,000. The average annual salary for all landscape architects in the federal government in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions is $55,500.