Facts and Figures

• Starting salary:

  The starting salary for a newly qualified landscape architect is £20,000 to £22,000

• Senior level salary:

  Fully qualified chartered landscape architects earn an average of £30,000-£40,000, and this rises with experience. Directors and partners in firms can expect to earn up to £100,000.

• Education:

  Landscape architecture courses are available at universities and colleges across the UK. A wide variety of courses is on offer, including landscape design, environmental conservation, landscape management and restoration, and combinations with planning and ecology. If you already have a degree and wish to re-qualify as a landscape architect, graduate entry courses usually last two years if you are planning to go into landscape design, or one year to specialise in management or science. Most landscape architects begin their career by completing an undergraduate or postgraduate entry course accredited by the Landscape Institute. Successful completion of the course leads to Associate Membership of the LI, the first step on the path towards becoming a chartered landscape architect. Graduates then undertake a period of mentored experience while working, as part of the Pathway to Chartership (P2C).

• Skills:

  Landscape architecture is a chartered profession like architecture, accountancy or surveying. That means for a career in the profession, you'll need at least a first degree and then to continue learning while you work in order to qualify fully as a chartered landscape architect.

• Likely employer type:

  Private practices, which range from small firms to larger companies with many landscape architects. Around half of landscape architects work for private companies. Other major employers include local authorities and government agencies such as the Environment Agency, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales and environmental charities such as Groundwork.

• Opportunities:

  Although it is a relatively small profession, landscape architecture is growing fast and the demand for new entrants is outstripping supply. Growing political emphasis on sustainability, liveability and environmental conservation means that landscape architects' skills are increasingly in demand

• Number of professionals:

  There are around 3,000 chartered landscape architects in the UK, according to the Landscape Institute