USC
University of Southern California
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USC School of Architecture

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

By pursuing a degree in landscape architecture, students develop their ability to critically examine and creatively respond to a wide array of environmental problems. The development of young professionals who can take on the challenge of working in interdisciplinary fields, mediating between the goals and desires of diverse groups while soliciting their participation and pressing for creative solutions, requires certain fundamental skills. The program will encourage and develop the following skills and abilities in students so that they can flourish in a professional setting:

  • Knowledge of the physical world and the interrelationships between humans and the biological systems of which they are part.
  • The ability to delineate the critical issues affecting a site through an inventory and analysis of physical, social and cultural factors; and recognition of the hidden trade-offs inherent in such an evaluation.
  • The ability to use their knowledge and experience to creatively respond to the problems that confront them and to have the determination to make their ideas a reality.
  • The ability to effectively communicate with peoples of diverse backgrounds through both words and images.
  • The ability to deal with individuals, community groups, public agencies or large corporations, and to work in concert and manage conflict through development.
  • Familiarity with new technologies, their impacts and their potential for the profession of landscape architecture and land planning.
  • Awareness of the constant evolution of knowledge and a commitment to continually reexamine assumptions.

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture is a four-year program of lectures, seminars and studio courses. Through academic research, personal participation and group endeavor, the program will introduce students to historic and contemporary issues in landscape architecture. Projects will concentrate on the design of spaces in the urban landscape. This emphasis derives from our location in Southern California, at the very heart of an exuberant and dynamic metropolitan area.

Each semester, the design studio will be paired with courses that develop technical skills, expand the students' working knowledge of plant materials and natural systems, and explore the history and theory of design. A component of each studio project will be performed collaboratively to develop the students' ability to work collectively.

Curriculum

First Year, First SemesterUnits
ARCH 102aLArchitectural Design I4
ARCH 105LFundamentals of Design Communication2
ARCH 114Architecture: Culture and Community2
General Education*Social Issues4
WRIT 140*Writing and Critical Reasoning4
16
*Taken concurrently

First Year, Second SemesterUnits
ARCH 102bLArchitectural Design I4
ARCH 211Materials and Methods of Building Construction3
General Education8
15

Second Year, First SemesterUnits
ARCH 202aLArchitectural Design II6
ARCH 304xIntensive Survey: Pre-History to the Present4
ARCH 361LEcological Factors in Design3
General Education4
17

Second Year, Second SemesterUnits
ARCH 260LLandscape Architecture Design I6
ARCH 362Landscape Architecture Construction3
ARCH 363Plant Material Identification: Horticulture4
ARCH 465History of Landscape Architecture4
17

Third Year, First SemesterUnits
ARCH 360aLLandscape Architecture Design II6
ARCH 364Materials and Methods of Landscape Architecture3
GEOG 345Conservation of Natural Resources, or
GEOG 477Water Resources4
WRIT 340Advanced Writing4
17

Third Year, Second SemesterUnits
ARCH 207aComputer Applications in Architecture2
ARCH 360bLLandscape Architecture Design II6
ARCH 463Plant Material Identification: California Plant Communities4
General Education4
16

Fourth Year, First SemesterUnits
ARCH 460LLandscape Planning Studio6
ARCH 466Nature Landscapes and Gardens in Non-Western Cultures4
PPD 100Los Angeles, The Enduring Pueblo4
General Education4
18

Fourth Year, Second SemesterUnits
ARCH 461LLandscape Architecture Comprehensive Project6
ARCH 525Professional Practice: Pre-Design, Project and Office Administration3
Electives5
14
Total units required:130