4 January 2004 Designs on your Future

Lincoln University has pioneered the development of qualifications in several different areas over the years, among them landscape architecture.

If you enjoy the surroundings of your local park, if you delight in the settings in which most contemporary buildings stand, if your children appreciate their school playground, if your town centre or shopping complex offers aesthetic pleasure then the chances are a professionally qualified landscape architect has been involved, and probably a Lincoln graduate.

In a nutshell, landscape architects aim to create places that provide stimulating, satisfying and uplifting experiences.

Lincoln launched Australasia's first fulltime postgraduate course in landscape architecture in 1969. A bachelor's degree, the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, was added in 1988, followed by a master's programme, and in 1998 the first PhD in landscape architecture was awarded.

The most important element of Lincoln's approach to landscape architecture is its focus on design, says professor of landscape architecture Simon Swaffield.

"Design is the creative application of theoretical understanding and technical skills. It addresses both cultural and physical elements of the environment and integrates them into an overall strategy for landscape development."

Landscape is therefore more than the physical realities of land and water, it also encompasses cultural beliefs, symbols and aspirations. Landscape planning, management and design express the culture of the landscape's inhabitants and aims to promote the growth of that culture.

It is therefore as much about people and culture as about places and spaces.

To enter the world of landscape architecture for the Lincoln University bachelor's degree, helpful and relevant school subjects include art and design, English, geography, economics, biology, mathematics and history.

Students do however come in from a variety of backgrounds including the arts, humanities and science, after being away from school for a while or engaged in other degree studies.

With undergraduate entry to the BLA the course is a four-year one but there is also a graduate entry option for graduates of related disciplines, in which case the course is two years.

A special feature of Lincoln's landscape architecture programme is that it is delivered in two locations – the University here in Canterbury or the Centre for Management Excellence in Singapore. This enables New Zealand students to complement their studies at Lincoln with study in Singapore gaining experience in a tropical urban environment that can be a gateway to career opportunities throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The international stature of Lincoln's landscape architecture degrees is important and it means that the university's graduates can work globally. There are in fact Lincoln graduates working in the profession in Europe, North America, the Middle East, China, South East Asia and Australia.

The BLA and MLA are recognised by the NZ Institute of Landscape Architects as meeting the requirements for graduate membership of the profession with reciprocal endorsement in Singapore and recognition worldwide through the International Federation of Landscape Architects.

"Lincoln University landscape students are very much 'out there' with their design work, entering competitions, presenting exhibitions and doing practical work in communities throughout the country," says Senior Lecturer Dr Jacky Bowring.

"It all prepares the students well for the 'real world' where career prospects for talented landscape architects are good with worldwide opportunities in consultancy, private practice, the landscape industry, local government and central government agencies," she says.