Landscape Architecture Career Services Information

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Favorite MLA Job Search Websites

American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) Joblink
Archinect
Environmental Career Opportunities (Please go to eRecruiter to obtain the password for the job subscription)
Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Career Board 
Environmental Jobs
eRecruiter
govtjobs.com
Green Careers Journal (Please go to eRecruiter to obtain the password for the job subscription)
indeed Landscape Architecture Job Search (also try searching similar websites like Monster, SimplyHired, etc)
Landscape Architect Jobs.com
SNRE Job Posting Websites
State of Michigan Vacancy Posting Page
USA JOBS
Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture Job Board

Employers of SNRE Graduates and Interns* and Employers who have hosted MLA Job Shadowing Students

Check out the Professional Network on eRecruiter for a listing of MLA students and alumni who have professional experience in the MLA field.

Ayers/ Saint /Gross (ASG)
Beckett & Raeder, Inc.
Biohabitats
Carol R Johnson Associates
Carroll University
CBA, Inc.
Conservation Design Forum
Deardorff Design Resources, Inc.
Design Workshop
EDAW Inc
EnergyScapes, Inc.
Environmental Resources Management
Genesee Institute
Growing Hope
Hitchcock Design Group
Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects
Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
Jacobs/Ryan Associates
Jerry Pate Golf Design
JJR
King & MacGregor Environmental, Inc.
Land Architects
Landscape Architecture Bureau
Landscape Development
Manlius Greenspace Coalition
MFRA
MTR Landscape Architects
New York State Department of Transportation
Oehme van Sweden
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Poyang Lake Ecological Environment and Resource Development Program
Quality Behavioral Health, Inc. (incorporated Horticultural Therapy as an important element of a drug Rehabilitation program)
R.A. Smith & Associates
saa synergies
San Francisco Parks Trust
Schirmer, Schlesinger & Associates
Texas A&M University
The Council on the Environment of NYC
The Greenway Collaborative
University of British Columbia
University of Illinois
University of Michigan
US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Washtenaw Engineering Company
Wolff Landscape Architecture

Job Titles and Employment Sector of SNRE Alumni*

Please note that some positions may require a PhD.

Private (Consulting and Industry)

Associate Landscape Designer
Design Associate
Director of Planning
Ecological Designer
Graduate Architect
Landscape Architect
Landscape Designer
Planner
Project Director
Project Manager Assistant
Project Scientist
Site Designer

Academic

Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Lecturer
Post Doctoral Research Scientist
Professor

Government

Associate Chief
Junior Landscape Architect
Land Use Planner

Click here for some sample MLA Career Opportunities

Other Employers of Interest

These are just a handful that have been suggested by faculty, students, or are registered employers on eRecruiter...many more are out there! Check out eRecruiter for a complete listing of MLA employers that are registered with SNRE. Also check out the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Firm Finder to find a firm in your area of interest or specified location.

AKRF, Inc.
Andropogon Associates Ltd.
Anne Thorne Architects Partnership
Ash Sakula Architects
Callander Associates
Copley Wolff Design Group
Design Concepts
Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. (FTC&H)
Gibbs Planning Group
Greening of Detroit
Hamilton Anderson
HDR, Inc.
JMC Landscaping
LandDesign, Inc.
Mithun
Nature and Nurture, LLC
New Directions in the American Landscape
Norris Design
Peter Walker and Partners
Portico Group
RBF Consulting
Rolling Landscapes, Inc.
Sasaki Associates, Inc.
Stantec Consulting Services Inc. (Stantec Internships)
SWA Group
The Land Institute
The Morton Arboretum
United Nations Environment Program
Urban Ecology
Urban Neighborhood Initiatives
US Department of Agriculture Forest Service (students recommend checking for opportunities available)
US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management  (students recommend checking for opportunities available)
Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department
Verzone Woods Architectes
Walama Restoration Project
Yestermorrow Design / Build School

Also check with state, county, and local governments for landscape architecture opportunities.  Many government entities have planning departments.    

MLA Focused Master’s Projects

Boyne Mountain Resort Environmental Sustainability Management Plan Master's Project: "I worked on a multi-disciplinary masters project designing a sustainable management plan for a four-season resort located in Northern Michigan.  Being the only landscape architecture student on the team proved to be a challenge at first, but forced me to learn to explain my discipline to other students who did not have any experience with landscape architecture.  I also had to learn to work with business students and sustainable systems students, where each of us had a very different focus and understanding of the project.  Since I have graduated, this experience has proven invaluable as not a single project team I have been on has consisted of purely landscape architects, and the ability to communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines has been imperative."

--Lauren Hoffman, SNRE MLA Alum

MLA Students and Master’s Projects

Interested in MLA Focused Internships?

Go to the SNRE Internship Website to view MLA student internship reports.

eRecruiter MLA Highlights

  • Search for MLA related jobs/internships (employers can register for eRecruiter for free)
  • Network with fellow MLA alumni
  • Find career events on campus
  • Search for Employers who hire MLA students
  • Apply for MLA jobs/internship on-line
  • View our Document Library, full of helpful career related resources

What exactly is the Study of Landscape Architecture (MLA)?

The Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Michigan offers the ideal context for producing tomorrow’s leaders in ecological design. Students learn to be designers who authentically employ ecological principles in sustainable design of landscapes – from the center of redeveloping cities to changing rural landscapes. Aesthetic theory, cultural engagement, ecological function and environmental justice all figure prominently in the program.

Because the landscape architecture program is part of the School of Natural Resources and Environment, there are many opportunities for interaction and collaboration with faculty and students specializing in conservation biology, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, industrial ecology, environmental engineering, environmental justice, environmental psychology, environmental policy and environmental economics.

To help designers constantly bring new knowledge, technologies and policy frameworks into their work, the landscape architecture design curriculum is based on the practice of thoughtful discourse. It reexamines the comfort of old conventions, theories and methods to allow the foundation of professional practice to evolve and invite real innovation. It invites students to challenge hidden assumptions and handle questions that have no ready answers. The program produces students known for their ability to synthesize information about ecological processes, human behavior, institutions and urban patterns to create sustainable landscapes that work aesthetically, ecologically, socially and economically.

Why Should Employers Hire MLA Students?

MLA students are prepared to practice ecological design as part of urban design, brownfield redevelopment, historic preservation, land conservancy planning, landscape planning and site planning. Our graduates work for private architecture firms, government, or academic organizations.

Many opportunities are available in the public sector with employers such as the Environmental Protection Agency, US Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, US Bureau of Land Management, state-level departments of natural resources, and city and county planning agencies. In these settings, graduates often work as park planners, forest planners, wildlife refuge planners or as community planners.

Some students also have the opportunity to work at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum and in the Landscape Ecology, Perception, and Design Lab.  Both are located in Ann Arbor, MI. 

MLA Coursework:

For a listing of MLA courses and course requirements, please visit our MLA Course Requirements page.

Students learn to look carefully at the landscape and its context, and to analyze its ecological and cultural dynamics. Our graduates understand the landscape as the starting point for design. Studio experience is at the heart of the curriculum. Studio content and pedagogy teach students to imagine and construct landscapes that seem entirely new and, at the same time, to protect irreplaceable aspects of landscape function and history.

Our students learn how design can respect communities, and actual work in the field is undertaken to experience urban and rural landscapes that pose a range of challenges. Many students take advantage of opportunities to learn from faculty working around the world, and to travel abroad to draw upon landscape design around the globe.

Students can also reach out to other schools and departments on campus to find faculty members interested in Landscape Architecture. Faculty members in the Geological Sciences, Taubman College of Architecture, Taubman College of Urban Design, and Taubman College of Urban Planning offer courses and conduct research in the field of Landscape Architecture.

Conferences of Interest

Conferences are great avenues for resource sharing, presenting papers/poster, networking, and meeting possible future employers!

Conference Alert (listing of upcoming environmental conferences)
Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference (search the internet for workforce, labor development, or other green job conferences)
National Brownfield Conference (11.16-18.2009 -- learn about cutting edge technical solutions, financial opportunities, state programs, and prominent design success stories in brownfield redevelopment)
The World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society (WSEAS) Conference (9.28-30.2009)
US Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) (25th Anniversary Symposium 4.5-9.2010) 2010 will be the 25th anniversary of this organization that is the link among practitioners in landscape ecology within the United States as well as the international community .  It promotes interdisciplinary research, design, and communication among scientists and landscape architects concerned with landscape ecology.
View the SNRE Conference Website
World Landscape Architect Conferences (Look under Upcoming Events)
Many of the Professional Organizations listed below (such as the American Society of Landscape Architects, Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE), and the Wildflower Association of Michigan) hold annual conferences, visit their websites for more information. There are also many state and local chapters that hold conferences in which you may have interest.  The benefits are that the conferences are close to home and usually are less crowded than national conferences.

Professional Organizations to Join

Air & Waste Management Association
Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation 
American Institute of Architects
American Planning Association (National Planning Conference 4.10-13.2010)
American Society of Landscape Architects, (Annual Meeting 9.10-13.2010)
Congress for New Urbanism
Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) CELA includes the academic programs of landscape architecture in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It began in 1920, and its annual meeting advances the quality of scholarship and teaching in landscape architecture programs worldwide.
Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) This international, interdisciplinary organization was founded in 1968 by design professionals, social scientists, students, educators, and facility managers. It advances and communicates environmental design research to improve understanding of the interrelationships between people, their built and natural surroundings, and helping to create environments responsive to human needs.
Michigan Green Industry Association
Michigan Invasive Plant Council
Michigan Natural Areas Council
Michigan Nature Association 
National Academy of Environmental Design (NAED)
National Association of Environmental Professionals
Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
The Stewardship Network, (Conference 1.22-23.2010)
Urban Land Institute
US Green Building Council
US Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) (25th Anniversary Symposium 4.5-9.2010)   This organization is the link among practitioners in landscape ecology within the United States as well as the international community.  It promotes interdisciplinary research, design, and communication among scientists and landscape architects concerned with landscape ecology.
Wildflower Association of Michigan (Conference 3.7-8.2010)

Need a help finding a job?

Email snre.careers@umich.edu to request an appointment with a SNRE Career Services staff member.

Lisa Yee-Litzenberg: Coordinator of Student Career Services
Room 1520 Dana Building
(734) 615-1633, yeeha@umich.edu

Need help finding an internship?

Email snre.careers@umich.edu to request an appointment with a SNRE Career Services staff member.

Kim LeClair: Student Services Specialist and Internship Coordinator
Room 1520 Dana Building
(734) 764-1402, kleclair@umich.edu

 

MLA Career Events

Job Shadowing

SNRE sponsors a one-week unpaid “internship” in February or early March of each year during the University of Michigan Winter Break.  This program is for 2nd and 3rd year MLA students. 

Typical activities that host firms can schedule for the student during the week:

  • Shadow a landscape architect
  • Sit in on staff and/ or client meetings
  • Go on site visits
  • Assist with working drawings or building models
  • Meet with different landscape architects to discuss the firm’s work and the profession

Past host firms include:

  • Andropogon (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Conservation Design Forum (Chicago, IL)
  • Design Workshop (Salt Lake City, UT)
  • EDAW (New York, NY)
  • EDAW (San Francisco, CA)
  • Gibbs Planning Group (Birmingham, MI)
  • Hitchcock Design Group (Chicago, IL)
  • Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects (Naperville, IL)
  • JJR (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • Land Architects (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • Landscape Architecture Bureau (Washington, DC)
  • LaQuatra Bonci Associates (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (Cambridge, MA)
  • Oehme van Sweden (Washington, D.C.)
  • Thomas Balsley Associates (New York, NY)
  • Urban Ecology (San Francisco, CA)

If you are a current MLA student at SNRE interested in the program or are a client wanting to host a student, please contact:
Lisa Yee-Litzenberg, Coordinator of Student Career Services
734-615-1633, yeeha@umich.edu

Portfolio Day

Each February, SNRE Career Staff organize MLA Portfolio Day.  This is an opportunity for students to meet with landscape architecture professionals for an informational interview and a portfolio critique.  Students meet one-on-one with landscape architecture professionals for 30 minutes.

If you are a current MLA student at SNRE interested in this event or are a landscape architecture professional interested in meeting with our students, please contact:

Kim LeClair: Student Services Specialist and Internship Coordinator
(734) 764-1402, kleclair@umich.edu 

Landscape Architecture Certifications 

Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) is required for licensure as a landscape architect in the 49 states.  The Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards (CLARB) includes licensure boards in 49 states.

Here is a helpful list of professional certifications for landscape architects.  Please check with the certification organizations for information on certification, costs and continuing education credits.

Adapted from an article in Landscape Architecture magazine. ("Are You Certified?" by Daniel Jost, July 2009)
Interested in learning more?  Visit their website at: http://archives.asla.org/nonmembers/lam.html 

 

*Data taken from 2006-2009 surveys of SNRE students/alumni and from our eRecruiter system