About our accreditation

Iowa State’s undergraduate Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) degree program is nationally accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The BLA program received a full six-year accreditation in Spring 2020 and will be reviewed again in Spring 2026. The Master of Landscape (MLA) degree also received a full accreditation in Spring 2020 and will be reviewed again in Spring 2026.

The first course related to landscape architecture was taught by the first president of Iowa State University (then called Iowa Agricultural College) in 1869.

A formal curriculum in landscape architecture was established in 1914, and the Department of Landscape Architecture was created in 1929. It became of part of the College of Design in 1978.

The Department of Landscape Architecture accepts up to 36 undergraduate students into the professional Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) program each year, and up to 15 graduate students into our Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program. We seek students from diverse backgrounds to join our programs. We are committed to helping our students graduate within the recommended times allotted for both degrees, and seek to accomplish this by providing appropriate advising.

Landscape Architecture by the Numbers – Fall 2019

Undergraduate enrollment: 108

Students in the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program are from six states (including Iowa) and four countries in addition to the US: China, Kuwait, Malawi and Puerto Rico.

Graduate enrollment: 16

Students in the landscape architecture graduate program are from four countries in addition to the US: Bangladesh, China, Iran and Nepal.

 

BLA student retention and graduation rates (PDF)

BLA degrees conferred (PDF)

MLA enrollments and degrees conferred (PDF)

Employment statistics (PDF)

The cost of education is of great concern to both students and parents. The following links to university-wide costs are provided to help you quickly estimate the cost of a degree in landscape architecture, by multiplying single-year costs by the number of years required to complete your education (five years for the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture/BLA).

Tuition, housing, and dining

View information on costs for undergraduate tuitionhousing and dining.

Please note that costs for housing and dining are university-provided options. Off-campus housing and meals may be higher or lower than university options.

Undergraduate

2023-2024 Academic Year Tuition Fees Total
In-state $10,497 $1,091 $11,588
Out-of-state $27,683 $1,091 $28,774
International $29,523 $1,091 $30,6

Undergraduate tuition 2023-2024

Books and materials

Costs for textbooks and reading materials varies widely between semesters; generally the lower years in the program require more textbooks, with associated higher costs. Studio classes often have fewer textbooks than seminars, lectures or general education courses. Prior to registration, textbooks and their associated costs are listed by department and course on the University Book Store textbook information page.

Roughly speaking, costs for new books each semester would be about $100-500; this price can be reduced somewhat by purchasing used books or renting books. A poll of current students indicates they usually plan to spend $100 on books each semester.

In addition to textbooks, studio classes usually require the purchase of drawing and modeling supplies. Students should plan on an initial outlay of about $200-400 in years one and two of the program for one-time purchases that will be used throughout the course of study (such as a portfolio, Mayline parallel ruler, engineer’s and architect’s scales, triangles, circle templates, rulers, pencil sets, sharpeners, etc). In addition, students should plan to spend approximately $200 each semester on expendable supplies such as sketchbooks, tracing paper, pencils, chipboard, clay, markers, etc. As students move up in the program, costs for expendable supplies generally are replaced by costs for large-format printing and laser cutting.

Computers

We recommend that students delay purchasing a computer until they enter the professional program (after the end of their first year at Iowa State). Computers usually require sufficient RAM and video capabilities to run software such as AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite. Students can either purchase their own computer or participate in the college’s laptop program.

Field trips/course fees

Field study is an important part of the landscape architecture program. We believe strongly in hands-on education and schedule trips to local and national sites in most studio classes. These trips are financed by course fees, which are published during the registration period of each semester.

In general, course fees for studios range between $25 and $750 per semester, but average around $250. Second-year students, however, participate in a semester-long field study course (Traveling Savanna Studio) with six weeks of travel that costs $2,100.

Tuition, housing, and dining

View information on costs for graduate tuitionhousing and dining.

Please note that costs for housing and dining are university-provided options. Off-campus housing and meals may be higher or lower than university options.

Graduate Program

2023-2024 Academic Year Tuition Fees Total
In-state $12,451 $1,091 $13,542
Out-of-state $29,303 $1,091 $30,394
International $31,141 $1,091 $32,232

Graduate tuition 2023-2024

Books and materials

Costs for textbooks and reading materials varies widely between semesters; generally the lower years in the program require more textbooks, with associated higher costs. Studio classes often have fewer textbooks than seminars, lectures or general education courses. Prior to registration, textbooks and their associated costs are listed by department and course on the University Book Store textbook information page.

Roughly speaking, costs for new books each semester would be about $100-500; this price can be reduced somewhat by purchasing used books or renting books. A poll of current students indicates they usually plan to spend $100 on books each semester.