12/10/2008

About the "Categories" in the field of Landscape Architecture

Many student ask me questions about the field of Landscape Architecture. Expecially when they are planning to go abroad to pursue their degree in another country. I always has a lot to say but always feel the difficulty of how to express this complexity issue into a more clear framework. Maybe there is no clear framework in my mind yet.
In order to uncover this problem. I try to depict the field of Landscape Architecture from floowing approaches:

Q1. Who can join this field?
Q2. Types of research Insitute of Landscape Architecture
Q3. Future practices with a background from Landscape Architecture

Ans1: Of course, everyone can join this field once you are interesting in the field's work. However, how do I know am I interesting in the field of Landscape Architecture or not. Unfortunately, in order to get the answer of this question you have to know the answers of all the above 3 questions.

However, following are a long list with my knowledge of the "cases" of people from different field (after their Bachelor degree) continuing their degree in the research institute of Landscape Architecture and/or finally work in this field:
Architecture, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Water and Soil Conservation, Tourism, Leisure, Park and Recreation, Geology, Agriculture Extension, Horticulture, Agronomy, Forestry, Botany, Animal Science, Biology, Entomology, Mass Communication, Rural Planning, Applied Arts, Land Economics, Psychology, English and American Landguage and Literature, Ecology, Natural Resources Management, Public Health...

All the above cases cound be a reference for the ones that are interesting to the field of Landscape Architecture but not sure whether his background is ok or not.

Ans2: Basically, before I answer this question, I have to define my answer is appraoch from the aspect of Taiwan with my own experience. On the basis of helping bachelor and /or master students to develop their next step in the field of Landscape Architecture. Different people will have different extent in regard to the definition of field of Landscape Architecture.
The most common research institute is:

Professional Degree:

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
Master of Design
Master of Environmental Design
Doctor of Design
Doctor of environmental Design

Scholarly Degree:

Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy

Ans3: Planning and design projects can come from different instututes. Private or public owned agencies. Landscape researches, planning, design, management programs are all possible projects.

Landscape architecture associations (private) - planning and design projects
Academic associations - planning, research, and program projects
Academic institutes - planning, research, and program projects
SOHO - design
Government agencies - management, research, program, planning, and design

Construction and Planning Agency
- National Parks
- Urban and Rural Parks and Greenery
Tourism Bureau
- National Scenic Areas
- Festival
Council of Agriculture
- Leisure Farm
- Bureau of Forestry
- National Forest Recreational Areas
- National Forest Trails
- Narional Conservation Areas
Bureau of Water and Soil Conservation
- Rural Planning


I think this paragraph will need more fix and comments. Please give me you ideas.

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