Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design
Student type:
Quick facts
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Entry score
Not applicable
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Duration
Full-time 3 years
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Location
Melbourne city campus
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Fees
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Next intake
February, July
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Entry score
IELTS 6.5
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Duration
Full-time 3 years
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Location
Melbourne city campus
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Fees
AU$33,600 (2018 annual)
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Next intake
February, July
Program brochure
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Overview
Landscape architecture is about spaces – natural, urban, private and public. It’s about investigating and proposing better ways of living in a complex, rapidly changing world.
Landscape architecture involves the design of outdoor public and private spaces. This multifaceted discipline blends design, art, science, nature and culture to achieve environmental, socio-cultural and aesthetic outcomes.
RMIT’s Landscape Architecture is a world-leading program, having previously won the International Schools Award at the European Biennial of Landscape Architecture held in Barcelona and taking first place ahead of more than 90 universities involved.
The judges declared that the work from RMIT showed our students’ ability to ’respond to modern challenges in society through critical analysis, innovative design and clever use of space’.
In this program, unlike in many generalist degrees, you will learn from staff that are current practitioners and actively engaged in the field, who will offer you invaluable and specialised knowledge and feedback. Studying in the heart of Melbourne will provide you with a stimulating urban laboratory with countless opportunities for research and design inspiration.
Details
Design studio typically makes up half the program each semester and is taught in small groups. You will focus on a particular theme and project each semester. After the first semester, you’ll select which design studio you wish to follow from approximately 15 on offer, completing 1 per semester during the course of your studies.
Supporting courses such as technology, communication and history comprise the remainder of your program and provide an understanding of the social and physical contexts of the built environment, as well as teaching you drawing skills.
In first semester you’ll complete a structured, foundational design and communications course. Subsequent semesters include 4 ’lower pool’ design studios. In the final semester of study, you will move into ’upper pool’ and complete an upper pool design studio working with Master of Landscape Architecture students. Study in the Master degree consists of 3 additional upper pool design studios, general elective courses and supporting courses such as professional practice.
Lower and upper pool studios are vertically integrated, i.e. grouped with students from various year levels.
Recent design studios include creating an innovative landscape installation for an indoor environment at the Grand Designs Live exhibition. The students received feedback and critiques from Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs UK) and Peter Maddison (Grand Designs Australia). Another design studio asked students to look at the future of farming in Victoria.
All programs are delivered in English. You will have access to online and digital resources through the myRMIT student portal.
Acclaimed and award winning international and Australian landscape architects, architects, urban designers and experts in related fields are consistently involved with the teaching and research projects undertaken within this program.
Industry-based projects occur throughout the design studios, such as working with Grand Designs Live and the award winning landscape architecture practice Oculus. Many public lectures are also held throughout the year, led by prominent local and international landscape architects and urban designers.
RMIT University is committed to providing you with an education that strongly links formal learning with professional or vocational practice.
The landscape program offers a huge range of international exchanges and design studios as well as internship opportunities. In recent years students have participated in design studios in Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, France, Spain, and Africa, been on exchange to universities in Berlin, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the USA, and participated in international internship programs in the USA and the Netherlands.
An internship elective is offered to selected students in both the Bachelor of Design and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees at a range of firms including the Karres en Brands office in the Netherlands and Stoss LU in Boston. Karres en Brands was the appointed landscape architect firm for Melbourne’s Federation Square.
This unique program forms part of a 5-year specialist degree, made up of the 3-year Bachelor of Design plus the 2-year Master of Landscape Architecture by coursework.
The first 3 years offer a range of opportunities to develop a strong knowledge base in the field and experience landscape architecture's design process.
Choose a program structure
| Title | Location | Duration | Plan code | CRICOS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design | City Campus |
3 Years Full-Time
|
3 Years Full-Time
|
BP256P15 | 066833B |
Choose a program structure
Program code: BP256
Career
The undergraduate program is a stand-alone award that provides employment options for those who seek to work in landscape design, or design more generally, in roles that do not require professional registration. Students must complete the Master of Landscape Architecture in order to be eligible to become accredited as a Landscape Architect.
Careers
- landscape architect
- urban designer
Admissions
Successful completion of an Australian Year 12 senior secondary certificate of education or equivalent.
RMIT is committed to admissions transparency. View the 2018 ATAR distribution information for our degrees and information about how admissions work at RMIT:
You must have successfully completed an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent senior secondary school qualification) with a minimum 70% average.
Equivalent qualifications may also include completion of the RMIT Foundation Studies program or a recognised post-secondary diploma in the relevant discipline with the required grades.
Meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee entry. Your application will still need to be assessed and accepted.
Entry requirements
You must:
- complete the Landscape Architecture pre-selection kit.
- VTAC applicants register and submit the selection kit here.
- RMIT current or recent students you will receive an email prompt to complete the selection kit when you submit your direct application.
- attend a folio presentation (short-listed and exempt applicants*).
*If you are shortlisted or exempt from the pre-selection kit you are required to attend a folio presentation. You will be contacted by email with details of the folio presentation.
Pre-selection kit
The pre-selection kit requires:
- An applicant statement outlining why you wish to study design. Consider elaborating on what interests you about design and what contributions you think design can make to our living environments (maximum 150 words).
- A creative exercise. Provide a single image of a key creative inspiration, influential creative work or an inspiring space. It can come from any field (e.g. landscape architecture, art, photography, architecture, etc.) or be an example from your own work.
- Creative exercise questions. You will be required to submit responses to the following questions in relation to your image:
- What is the key idea that you want to highlight in the work (maximum 100 words)?
- What about the image makes it inspiring to you (maximum 100 words)?
- Does it change the way you think about a particular issue, space, process or way of designing (maximum 100 words)?
- What is the most successful element of the work? What is not as successful (maximum 100 words)?
- What is the key idea that you want to highlight in the work (maximum 100 words)?
Art and Design application tips
View the following videos for some practical application advice:
Folio: You must supply evidence of your creativity in the form of a folio that contains a variety of your personal work in art, design or media relevant to the program/s you are applying for. The folio should demonstrate your interests and creative thinking as well as your conceptual, design, problem solving and technical skills. You should include evidence of how ideas were developed as well as finished works.
Examples of work to include in your folio are drawings, paintings, graphic designs, photographs, digital images, models, sculpture, video, scripting, short stories, and/or 2D and 3D Flash animation.
We recommend you explain each work to help the Selection Officer understand the purpose and background of that work.
Folios should be submitted electronically on a CD with files in PDF, JPEG, SWF, DCR or QuickTime format suitable to be read on Mac OSX or later, unless otherwise specified. Each electronic file should be no larger than 10MB.
You must present your folio at an assessment session (if you are living outside Melbourne, this can be conducted via email, phone or Skype).
To study this program you will need to complete one of the following English proficiency tests:
- IELTS (Academic): minimum overall band of 6.5 (with no individual band below 6.0)
- TOEFL (Paper Based Test): minimum score of 580 (TWE 4.5)
- TOEFL (Internet Based Test - IBT): minimum overall score of 92 (with minimum of 20 in all sections)
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) (PTE (A)): minimum score of 58 (with no communication band less than 50)
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE): minimum of 176 with no less than 169 in any component.
For detailed information on English language requirements and other proficiency tests recognised by RMIT, visit English language requirements and equivalency information.
Don't meet the English language test scores? Complete an Advanced Plus Certificate at RMIT English Worldwide.
Pathways
Bachelor of Design graduates can apply for entry to the Master of Landscape Architecture
by coursework.
A grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater will guarantee a place in the Master of Landscape Architecture
by coursework, while those students with a GPA of less than 2.5 may apply for a place in the Master of Landscape Architecture and undertake additional selection requirements (like a portfolio or interview). Selection via this route is competitive and not guaranteed.
When you successfully complete the Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design and achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5, you are guaranteed entry into the Master of Landscape Architecture. If you achieve below the minimum GPA, you may still apply and will need to submit a folio. Applicants will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
When you successfully complete this program, you may be eligible for entry into an RMIT Honours or Postgraduate program.
Fees
All undergraduate and honours degrees have Commonwealth supported places (CSP) available.
In a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP), your tuition fees are subsidised by the Australian Government. Your share of the fee (student contribution) is set each year by the government and is determined by the discipline areas (bands) of your individual enrolled courses, not the overall program.
As a CSP student, you may be eligible to apply for a HECS-HELP loan, which allows you to defer payment of up to 100% of your student contribution.
Learn more about fees for undergraduate study.
How much can I expect to pay for my Commonwealth supported place?
Courses (subjects) fall into one of three bands. The band determines the student contribution amount for the course.
Amounts listed in the table below are based on a standard, full-time study load (96 credit points per year) with all courses in the same band. A proportionate fee applies for more or less than the full-time study load or for enrolment in courses (subjects) from a combination of bands.
You can learn how to calculate your exact tuition fees for units from different bands at Fees for Commonwealth supported students.
Maximum student contribution amount for Commonwealth supported places in 2018
| Student contribution band by course (subject) | Maximum annual student contribution amount in 2018 |
|---|---|
| Band 1: humanities, behavioural science, social studies, clinical psychology, foreign languages, visual and performing arts, education, nursing | $6,444 per standard year $805 per standard (12 credit point) course |
| Band 2: mathematics, statistics, computing, built environment, other health, allied health, science, engineering, surveying, agriculture | $9,185 per standard year $1,148 per standard (12 credit point) course |
Band 3: law, accounting, administration, economics, commerce, dentistry, medicine, veterinary science |
$10,754 per standard year $1,344 per standard (12 credit point) course |
HECS-HELP
The Australian Government provides financial assistance via the HECS-HELP loan scheme, which allows eligible students (such as Australian citizens or holders of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa) to defer payment of up to 100% of their student contribution.
How does a HELP loan work?
If your HECS-HELP and/or SA-HELP loan application is successful, the Australian Government will pay RMIT, on your behalf, up to 100% of your fees. This amount will become part of your accumulated HELP debt.
You will only start repaying your accumulated HELP debt to the Australian Government once you earn above the minimum income threshold for repayment, which is set each year by the Australian Government (this also applies if you are still studying).
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your compulsory repayment for the year and include this on your income tax notice.
For more information about loan repayment options see Commonwealth assistance (HELP loans) or Study Assist.
In addition to tuition fees, you will be charged an annual student services and amenities fee (SSAF), which is used to maintain and enhance services and amenities that improve your experience as an RMIT student.
The SSAF is calculated based on your enrolment load and the maximum fee for 2018 is $298.
You may be eligible to apply to defer payment of the SSAF through the SA-HELP loan scheme. If you use SA‑HELP, the amount will be added to your accumulated HELP debt.
For more information about calculating your actual SSAF see Paying SSAF.
You may also be required to purchase other items related to your program, including field trips, textbooks and equipment. These additional fees and expenses vary from program to program.
The total indicative tuition fee for 2018 commencement is AU$108,480.
In addition to tuition fees you also need to pay for:
- Student services and amenities fee (SSAF) in each calendar year.
- Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) - Student visa holders must have cover for the total duration of their visa.
- Some programs incur additional expenses.
You also need to account for your living expenses. Estimate the cost of living in Melbourne.