Skip to main content
College of Environment and Design

BLA ADMISSIONS


Put a top-ranked BLA on your resume!

 Photo of Admissions building

 

Current UGA Students

If you are already enrolled at UGA and you want to change your major to landscape architecture, please email thebla@uga.edu to make an appointment. We want to meet with you, discuss everything about the BLA at UGA, and answer any questions you may have to help you make a responsible decision.

Please note that if you request to change your major to Landscape Architecture on Athena, you will need to visit our office in-person before the major change is approved. If we do not hear from you first, we will email for an appointment upon receiving the major change.


Future First-Years

If you have been/are accepted to the University of Georgia and are interested in Landscape Architecture, we look forward to meeting you! There are no additional requirements for admission to the Landscape Architecture major.

All admissions and transfer credit decisions are made by

UGA Office of Admissions

Terrell Hall
Phone: 706-542-8776

Beginning in FALL 2022, there is an OPTIONAL PORTFOLIO that you may submit with your UGA application. While a portfolio is not required, we believe in CREATIVITY, and by submitting a portfolio, your upcoming faculty can provide feedback to Admissions about your creative strengths and design skills – qualities that aren’t always evident in test scores alone. Admissions will strongly consider our portfolio evaluation along with your academic and co-curricular factors.

 

FAQ’s for Incoming Freshmen

Read More ▼

Question: What courses should I take in high school to prepare for landscape architecture?

Answer: To have the best chance of admission, you should take honors/AP/IB courses (if available), and take all Advanced Placement (A.P.) exams. Take high school art, drawing and design courses to help develop your visual thinking skills and get you more comfortable with the design process. Take biology, geology, geography, and horticulture courses for a better understanding of the natural environment.

Question: How do I prepare intellectually for the CED BLA program?

Answer: Get into the habit of reading about, drawing, and looking at the natural world as well as the built environment, design, and landscape architecture. Notice what spaces or places mean to you – what feelings do they invoke? How do you see them affecting you, others or the general society?

Question: What supplies will I need?

Answer: First year students will be given a list of necessary materials in the entry semester. You’ll need additional funds for art paper, model materials, and printing/plotting. In general, plan to budget $500 each semester for supplies. Your expenses may be less, but it’s good to be prepared!

Question: Should I purchase a computer before entering the BLA at UGA? Should I get a Mac or a PC?

Answer: Computer-aided design is introduced in the first year of study. It is recommended that you wait until then to purchase your computer, so that you have the most up-to-date and powerful system possible. Computer specifications and required software is always available on the CED Tech website here. Some of the applications taught in upper level classes only run on Windows and all instruction is based on the Windows version of applications. For these reasons we recommend students have a Windows based PC.

Question: Is it true that BLA students are in studio a LOT? How will I get everything done?

Answer: How much time you spend in studio is up to you. Developing strong time-management skills and balancing academic work with all of your other college activities will take practice. You may not be perfect at it right from the start. Sometimes you will pull all-nighters but more often, you will learn from the first few experiences what your strengths and weaknesses are. Just remember – you will do your best design when everything is in balance – sleep, eating habits, extracurricular activities, personal relationships, etc.


Future Transfer Students

  • Effective Fall 2019, we are pleased to offer both fall and spring entry plans. Please see our Major Requirements page for more details.
  • You will be admitted through the UGA Office of Undergraduate Admissions and not the BLA program office.
  • We do not have any control over what classes transfer in or count for UGA core credit.

Please use the following resources:


For Parents

The BLA at UGA takes pride in our close relationship with each and every student in the major. We have approximately 200 students and get to know each student by name to make the personal connection. They work with us from their first day at Orientation on campus until we celebrate with them at graduation. We help cultivate student success and engagement, not only in the BLA, but across their college career. We use our considerable history at UGA and resources across campus to help them get connected with any other services they may need.

We do strive for the quickest learning experience for our students and, therefore, ask that they be the ones to call or email us with questions about the BLA, UGA, Athens, etc. Getting used to contacting professors and other personnel is a great way to truly integrate themselves into campus life. Due to UGA and FERPA policies, we may be unable to speak with you directly about your students' college experience. From the time they get here until the day they walk across that stage, we are here to help!


Optional Portfolio

Why a Portfolio?

Landscape Architects are creative people. And while we will be teaching and training you in all the skills necessary to be a Landscape Architect, having previous experience in creative media can give you a distinct advantage. Sharing examples of your creative endeavors with us will allow our faculty to provide feedback to Admissions that could help you in the admissions process.

What Should I Include in My Portfolio?

Creative works can include all kinds of things, but of particular importance to landscape architecture are examples of 2D visual arts (drawings, paintings, design sketches, photographs) and 3D creations (models, sculptures, built items). Share your best work! Don’t add things to the portfolio just to have more things, but a variety of media and subjects is stronger than all one media and a single subject type.

Portfolio: Helpful Hints

For each image, provide a brief caption with the following information:

  • A title or brief statement identifying the item
  • The medium used: pencil, watercolor, etc.
  • The original/actual size of the work
  • An approximate date for the work (year)
  • Production notes: “by hand,” “digital”, “drawn from life”, “drawn from a photo,” etc.
How and When Should I Submit My Portfolio?

When you send in your application to the University of Georgia indicating Landscape Architecture as your intended program, Admissions will send you an email with instructions about the portfolio, including file size and type.

The portfolio can be a series of separate image files uploaded to the site, or it can be a multi-page portfolio submitted as a single PDF. This is entirely up to you.

If you upload separate image files, caption information can be placed on each image directly, or a separate page providing caption information for all images can be used – just be sure to include a page number or similar reference on each image so the information can be easily linked.


© University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
706‑542‑3000