Landscape architecture is a dynamic, broad-spectrum profession devoted to the design of outdoor environments. Geology, ecology and horticulture, architecture and engineering, geography, the social sciences and the fine arts are a few of the contributors to these “architects of the land.” The function and aesthetics of parks, housing developments, transportation corridors, urban plazas, zoos and campuses all reflect the acquired skill of landscape architects using both “hard” (built) and “soft” (planted) materials to both sustain and manipulate the natural environment. Landscape architects design exterior spaces with sketches, detail models, and working drawings for their clients as well as the companies and contractors that will use these specifications to bring life to the practitioner’s vision. The unique challenges for landscape architects span everything from small residential landscapes and large-scale urban developments to regional watersheds. Collaborating with architects, planners, artists, and engineers, landscape architects create compelling and memorable exterior spaces that affect the lives of people who inhabit them.
Landscape Architecture at NDSU
As a connected community, we embrace diversity, and constantly seek an inclusive learning environment, where we rise to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. From our state of the art facilities, to our student organizations and familial studio culture, and the surrounding community culture, the NDSU Department of Architecture offers a distinctive experience for students and faculty members alike.
Mission
The Department of Landscape Architecture is committed to the University’s mission of a student-focused, land-grant, research university. We offer a teaching, learning, and research environment that is dedicated to two principles: design excellence and strong leadership. Graduates are dedicated to finding solutions to regional, national and global challenges. Our research, creative, and grant activity address a broad spectrum of design issues that hold currency with today’s students, professionals, and citizens. We serve our students with cutting-edge technology, innovative research and creative works, and professional advising in collaborative studio environments. Further, we meet or exceed the requirements of our accrediting body: The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB).
Download the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) Public Information Policy→
Program/Department Vision
The program seeks to create an environment that provides students challenging opportunities in a unique landscape where “earth and sky meet on the far horizon (Jens Jensen).” The development in our region provides an economic engine and laboratory for design innovation that balances a need for resources with the goals of sustainability. The guiding philosophy of the program is to approach design as a knowledge-based discipline that considers the prairie, the agrarian heritage and cultural landscapes of the plains, and the work of notable architects and landscape architects of the region. The rich and diverse resources of NDSU and Fargo-Moorhead provides students the opportunity to participate in community outreach projects, innovative park and place-making, urban design that is socially and environmentally just, reclamation of large-scale sites, environmental planning for the Great Plains region, and many travel opportunities to lead students to contemporary practices in landscape architecture across the country and beyond.
A message from the Chair, Dominic Fischer
Now is the time to study landscape architecture at NDSU. Learn, design, and play in a vibrant downtown studio setting steps away from premier works of Landscape Architecture like Fargo Broadway Square. You will also learn from the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library design and construction happening now until 2025!
