Landscape Design Course
If you enjoy the outdoors, plants, landscapes and have an eye for design then a career in landscape design might be just what you are looking for. Imagine having specialized landscape design skills needed to work as a landscape designer for a large corporation or to launch your own landscape design business. You could start preparing now, with our convenient home study course in landscape design.
The landscape design distance learning course will help prepare you with solid, professional-level career knowledge and skills. This course will strive to nurture your creativity by teaching you practical design techniques. You can also learn how to select, grow, and maintain flowers, trees, shrubs, and ground covers. You could be ready to work for a full-service landscape company or start your own landscape design company. Whether you decide to work in a plant nursery, garden shop, open your own home-based landscape design service or work as a landscape designer for a large corporation we know that skills you learn in our course will help prepare your for success.
Find out more about our landscape design course today by request a free no obligation course information package.
Ashworth College 
Penn Foster Career School 
Overview
If you enjoy spending the majority of your work day outdoors and have a creative nature, landscaping may be the career for you. Landscapers are responsible for a wide variety of outdoor maintenance functions, from basic lawn care to the installation of hardscape features. Landscaping crews work at private homes as well as commercial properties. People may hire landscapers for their homes to increase the property value or just because they want their outdoor space to look attractive. For business owners, they realize that customers form first impressions based on what the exterior of their company looks like. It is therefore critical for them to make a good first impression.
As a landscaper, some of the specific duties you may complete include plant care, lawn maintenance, construction of walkways, installation of lighting systems, building decks and more. If you chose to advance your career to the level of landscape architect, you will be responsible for meeting with clients to determine their specific landscaping needs. You will then provide the client with a job estimate, hire a crew to complete the work and purchase all supplies needed for the project.
What Type of Education is Needed to Become a Landscaper?
The type of education you need to work in the field of landscaping depends on your ultimate career goals. There is no specific educational requirement to work as an entry-level landscaper, although you may wish to complete a few courses at a technical college if you have no previous background in landscaping. Most landscapers and groundskeepers are trained on the job.
If you want to become a landscape architect, you typically need a bachelor's or master's degree. You must also pass a licensing exam in the state where you plan to conduct business, which is called the Landscape Architect Registration Exam. The Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board has given its seal of approval to nearly 70 colleges to date. In order for employers to view your education as valid, you must graduate with a degree from an accredited college. Degree options typically include a four-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture or a five-year Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. A master's degree program is available to students who hold an undergraduate degree in landscape architecture or another field and takes an additional two years to complete. Regardless of your specific program, you can expect to complete coursework in soil and plant science, geology and general business practices.
What Kind of Job Outlook and Pay is Available to Landscapers?
The demand for landscapers and grounds maintenance workers is expected to increase by 20 percent a year through 2020, according to a 2010 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The primary reason for the increased demand is an aging population that will require more assistance with lawn care and outdoor maintenance tasks. Also, many cities throughout the country are expressing greater interest in planting trees and improving the aesthetic appearance of the community. This will require the services of landscape architects, who have an anticipated annual job growth rate of 16 percent. Both general landscapers and landscape architects will be needed to plan and carry out city beautification projects.
Landscapers with no education beyond high school earn an average annual wage of $23,000 a year. On the other hand, landscape architects with a bachelor's or master's degree had an average salary of $62,000 a year in 2010. Landscape architects with urban planning skills and detailed knowledge of environmental codes tend to be paid the highest salaries.
References:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Building-and-Grounds-Cleaning/Grounds-maintenance-workers.htm
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Architecture-and-Engineering/Landscape-architects.html
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