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Landscape Architecture

Is Landscape Architecture for you?

Energetic. Creative. Passionate. Professional. You can make a difference.

Landscape architecture is an integrative and wide-reaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) profession with a focus on art and design skills and knowledge. With our unique skill set, landscape architects plan and design parks, playgrounds, campuses, downtowns, streets, trails, plazas, homes and other projects all over the world to improve human and environmental health.

The South Dakota State University Landscape Architecture Program is nationally accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation board and delivers a four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree. Our students take classes ranging from art and design to horticulture and biological sciences to site planning and engineering. We excel in addressing social and environmental issues with creative and achievable solutions.

Is it for you?

This program will be a good fit if you:

  • Enjoy the outdoors.
  • Like to draw.
  • Are interested in the natural environment.
  • Are creative and imaginative.
  • Enjoy working with your hands.

A successful career in landscape architecture could include:

  • City and regional planning.
  • Residential design.
  • Urban design.
  • Landscape construction.
  • Natural resource planning.
  • Sustainability and environmental design.
  • Environmental nonprofit organizations.
  • Geographic information systems.
  • Federal, state and local park agencies.

Recent Employers

  • Confluence Landscape Architecture
  • Beck Engineering
  • Bluestone Landscape Company
  • National Park Service
  • State of South Dakota Conservation Forestry
  • United States Forestry Service
  • Lanoha Nurseries
  • DGR Engineering
  • Tallgrass Landscape Architecture

Internship Opportunities

  • TerraSite Design. Rapid City
  • Confluence. Sioux Falls
  • Studio Outside. Dallas, Texas
  • Bret-Mar Landscape, Homer Glen, Illinois
  • Vireo. Omaha, Nebraska
  • Ayers Saint Gross, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Waldrop Engineering, Fort Myers, Florida
  • Stantic. Minneapolis, Minnesota

At SDSU landscape architecture, we use creativity and problem-solving skills to become better stewards of the natural and built environments. We enjoy creative problem solving while working both indoors and outdoors. We are looking for students with a passion for creativity and the outdoors to join us and learn how to plan and design the parks, campuses, downtowns, streets, trails, plazas, homes and other places our communities are made of.

Our Mission

The Landscape Architecture Program at South Dakota State University transforms students and communities through creative and applied problem solving. We learn by doing.

Landscape Architecture News

See All Our News
Jeremiah Bergstrom, lecturer of landscape architecture in the South Dakota State University School of Design, has received a top award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for a collaborative project on rising floodwaters.

Bergstrom recognized by New Jersey Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects

Jeremiah Bergstrom, lecturer of landscape architecture in the South Dakota State University School of Design, has received a top award from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for a collaborative project on rising floodwaters.

When the water rises

In a project led by lecturer of landscape architecture Jeremiah Bergstrom, South Dakota State University's School of Design has developed a first of its kind guide for creating flood-resilient landscapes. The guide, which was developed in partnership with faculty at Rutgers University, is aimed at helping community officials and leaders turn vacant, flood-prone properties into usable community assets.