Landscape Architecture: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 25 college programs, at a typical net price.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
What Landscape Architecture pays
Career outlook for Landscape Architecture graduates
The job market for the occupations Landscape Architecture graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | 212,500 | +3.8% | $167,740 | Bachelor's degree |
| Landscape architects | 21,800 | +3.5% | $79,660 | Bachelor's degree |
| Architecture teachers, postsecondary | 11,600 | +2.0% | $101,480 | Doctoral or professional degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Landscape Architecture vs similar majors
How Landscape Architecture stacks up against the closest fields in Architecture on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Landscape Architecture Architecture · this major | Real Estate Development | City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Architectural Sciences and Technology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 59 C | 80 A | 75 B | 71 B |
| ROI verdict | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $67,504 | $138,981 | $76,705 | $73,875 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $54,675 | $98,810 | $56,633 | $53,845 |
| ROI vs cost | +171% | +851% | +273% | +239% |
| Typical debt | $30,231 | $73,699 | $35,890 | $36,519 |
| Colleges offering it | 25 | 4 | 55 | 14 |
Landscape Architecture earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Landscape Architecture
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA | Associate's | $74,877 | $18,500 | +903% | Strong return |
| 2 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | Associate's | $73,277 | — | +859% | Strong return |
| 3 | Ball State University Muncie, IN | Associate's | $69,909 | — | +734% | Strong return |
| 4 | Utah State University Logan, UT | Associate's | $69,469 | — | +719% | Strong return |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Certificate | $84,291 | — | +629% | Strong return |
| 6 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA | Associate's | $72,031 | — | +606% | Strong return |
| 7 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV | Associate's | $64,964 | — | +539% | Strong return |
| 8 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Associate's | $66,685 | $21,250 | +509% | Strong return |
| 9 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Associate's | $73,880 | $23,734 | +463% | Strong return |
| 10 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY | Associate's | $65,124 | — | +431% | Strong return |
| 11 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | Associate's | $70,575 | — | +413% | Strong return |
| 12 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | Associate's | $66,377 | — | +402% | Strong return |
| 13 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | Associate's | $82,300 | $29,966 | +387% | Strong return |
| 14 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | Associate's | $67,991 | $27,000 | +379% | Strong return |
| 15 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI | Associate's | $64,541 | — | +356% | Strong return |
| 16 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA | Certificate | $79,176 | — | +348% | Strong return |
| 17 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ | Associate's | $60,959 | $21,751 | +322% | Strong return |
| 18 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Associate's | $61,334 | $22,583 | +293% | Strong return |
| 19 | Iowa State University Ames, IA | Associate's | $62,093 | $29,400 | +257% | Strong return |
| 20 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | Associate's | $60,051 | $21,000 | +256% | Strong return |
| 21 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | Associate's | $63,416 | $27,000 | +239% | Strong return |
| 22 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO | Certificate | $70,047 | $90,353 | +211% | Strong return |
| 23 | University of Oregon Eugene, OR | Certificate | $61,275 | — | +83% | Strong return |
| 24 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA | Associate's | $52,793 | — | +38% | Break-even |
| 25 | University of Oregon Eugene, OR | Associate's | $50,164 | — | +16% | Break-even |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.