FAQs for Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Landscapes >

FAQs for Graduate Certificate Program

How long does it take to complete the certificate?

The program at our Virginia Campus will be in a cohort format, meaning that you will go through the entire program with your class of up to 15 students, taking courses together in a prescribed order. The cohort will take 2 courses at a time for the first year and a half, and then one advanced design course each term for the final year.

What percentage of your students are career changers?

100% of our students are career-changers. Our classes are particularly designed for the adult learner who has been out of school for years, works at least part-time and can only come to classes evenings and weekends.

Why do you have prerequisite classes?

We do not require our applicants to have a fine arts or design background. There is very little in a resume or even a GRE score that will tell us if you will be a good candidate for Landscape Design. Doing well in the prerequisite courses tells us that you have the interest, the motivation and the ability to do this kind of work, AND the prerequisites help you confirm that this is the career change that you wanted.

What kind of background are you looking for in your students?

We are looking for people who are ready to move into a highly visual and graphic field. Our students typically come to us with a passion for some aspect of our work, be it plants, design, construction, or history of gardens, and we help them broaden that interest into a professional career.

I don't have an undergrad degree. Can I still do the program?

Regrettably, no. You must have an undergraduate degree to be admitted to our program. It doesn't matter what field your degree is in.

How many hours can I expect to spend studying outside the classroom?

Design courses are particularly intense, with project drawings due just about every week. Plan on several hours of homework for each class hour - it varies with each individual of course.

I know nothing about drawing. Will I have difficulty with the landscape graphics class?

We do not expect our entering students to have any prior graphic experience. The course is structured to teach everyone how to draw, both freehand sketching and mechanical drawing - plans, elevations, cross-sections. It is not unusual for a new student to spend 20 hours per week on projects for the Landscape Graphics course. It does get faster with more practice!

Do you teach CAD in your classes?

We insist that our students learn to draw their ideas by hand, even if they eventually will use a CAD system. You will always need to be able to sketch out an idea - a computer can't do that. In addition, we offer an elective course called Digital Representation, where software such as AutoCAD, Photoshop and Sketch-UP are introduced with a critical look at the appropriate use of each for landscape design.

How big are your classes?

With only two exceptions, we limit our class size to 15 students. Introduction to Plants and History being more traditional lecture courses, they can accommodate a higher number.

Will I need to use math in the classes?

There is one simple mathematical formula that you will have to master, in the Site Engineering course.

Is there physical labor involved? Will I be doing the actual planting?

There is no practicum or physical component to our courses aside from field trips to see project sites. Our teaching focuses on graphic and written representation of a design project so others can build it.

I have a botany background. Do I still need to take the plants classes?

We do grant waivers for some courses based upon an applicant's background. With a botany background, you may well be able to get a waiver from the Introduction to Plants course. With a horticulture background, you may take a comprehensive waiver exam for all the plants courses.

Do the Woody Plants classes have to be taken in a certain order?

The Woody Plants classes build on each other in the sense that they are a string of pearls, adding information one pearl at a time to the string. Your cohort will most likely begin Woody Plants classes in the Spring I term, and will proceed through the five seasonal Woody Plants classes in turn. The number of hours spent outside of class is a function of your ease at memorization. You learn approximately 10-12 plants each week with their characteristics and cultural requirements; instructors usually require you to create and maintain a notebook with a page for each plant-a very helpful device for both memorization and future reference.

Will there be an opportunity to learn about native plants in this program?

We do not teach native plants as a specific list, separately from non-natives. They are included here and there as appropriate in our master list of plants. Often, a Planting Design instructor will assign a project that must use natives exclusively, so there are opportunities to work with natives.

Are there many job opportunities for landscape designers?

The job market in this area has seen no slowdown at all in recent years. In fact, we receive very frequent job announcements from the landscape design community, which we broadcast to our students.

What kinds of jobs do your alumni get?

Our alumni find jobs in many aspects of the field. Some will decide to do free-lance design work on a part-time basis, some get full-time jobs with large or small landscape companies in the area, some work for garden centers, focusing on plants, some go into business together, or into garden writing, etc.

What is the difference between landscape design and landscape architecture?

The difference is one of scale and complexity.
A landscape architect (5 -year undergraduate or 3-year graduate degree) is trained to work on large projects and developments, dealing with multiple uses, multiple consultants or inter-disciplinary teams. The landscape designer is trained for the small-scale landscape, such as residential or small commercial properties, with more emphasis on simple construction issues and plantings.

When do I have to decide if I want to apply to Virginia Tech to go on to a Master's degree?

You do not have to make your decision until your last spring semester. Va. Tech's application deadline is in March of each year for admission in Fall. If you know already that that's what you'd like to do, you may apply simultaneously to both programs.

If these graduate credits are transferable anywhere, what is the benefit of going to Virginia Tech?

Our credits are transferable to any graduate school within their limits on transfer credit. The benefits of picking Virginia Tech include the fact that they know us well, will accept substantially all of our coursework, and they are located in the metro area.

What is the difference between your program and the landscape programs at the community colleges or USDA?

We all train different professionals; The community colleges (NOVA, Montgomery College and others) train the landscape technician, with courses in horticulture, plant propagation, cost estimating, operating heavy equipment, and have a lesser focus on design. The USDA Graduate School has a little design, but is still more focused towards horticulture and gardening than we are. We train the designer to produce the design drawings that the technicians will implement.