Become a Landscape Architect

The Challenge

Sources: U.S. Census Data (July 2021) and ASLA (Q4 2021)

ASLA recognizes the drastic need to increase racial diversity within the profession. According to U.S. Census and ASLA data, approximately 18.5 percent of the U.S. population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, while only 6 percent of ASLA members do. 13.4 percent of the U.S. population identifies as African American, but only 2.14 percent of ASLA members do. 1.3 percent of the U.S. population identifies as American Indian or Alaska Natives, but only 0.45 percent of ASLA members do. And 6.2 percent of the U.S. population identifies as Asian and Pacific Islander while 13.5 percent of ASLA members do, but ASLA doesn’t separate Asian from Asian American members in its data. 
 
The Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board (CLARB)’s Council Record data shows that women and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are highly underrepresented among the profession: Only 7 percent of landscape architects are non-white and only 30 percent of landscape architects are women.

According to the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board’s (LAAB) 2020 annual report, looking at diversity within the current student population, slightly over half (54 percent) of the total enrolled landscape architecture students identify as female. Additionally, for the combined undergraduate and graduate students, the racial and ethnic data make-up of students includes 3 percent Black, 14 percent Hispanic/Latino, and 18 percent Asian.

While there is a serious need to increase racial diversity within the profession, there are also significant expenses that can create barriers to becoming a licensed landscape architect. All fifty states and the District of Columbia require licensure for landscape architects. Aside from the cost of education, the greatest expenses to licensure pertain to the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE). These costs include successfully passing the four-part LARE examination, study preparation courses and materials, and creating a CLARB Council Record.