About The Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Overview
The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) program at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) is the first academic program in Landscape Architecture in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East established in 1976 (1396 AH). The BLA program is accredited (with condition) by the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment. The BLA is a four-year program consisting of total of 155 credit-hour. The curriculum focuses on enhancing students' practical skills and knowledge of the art and science of landscape architecture through discipline-specific courses and studios, electives, and general education courses required by the university.
The foundation of the BLA curriculum is a series of eight intensive design studios. The selection of topics, sites, contexts, and landscape-scale of each design studio builds on the previous studio in an ever-increasing level of difficulty and consideration to details and ideas.
In the first two years, the studios focus on the basic design principles, process, analysis, and details in Landscape Architecture. The third-year studios cover urban design and landscape planning topics—the final-year studios designated for the professional practice and graduation project.
The studio format involves various teaching techniques, including lectures, demonstrations, field trips, readings, one-on-one instruction, and group discussion. The studio typically consists of a small group of students that provide an engaging and personalized environment for students and faculty.
The BLA curriculum also contains courses in various subjects of Landscape Architecture such as landscape and garden history, site planning, planting design, soil and hydrology, construction and technology, graphic representation. These courses are designed to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge that will be integrated into the design studios to support the design process and solutions.
Moreover, the BLA program requires students to fulfill university requirements and take particular compulsory coursework within the faculty of Architecture and Planning. These courses complement the landscape architecture curriculum and allow students to explore other areas of specific interest.
Program Mission
To provide an outstanding comprehensive application of scientific knowledge combined with technical, creative and critical thinking skills to produce graduates who will become responsible, ethical, and contributing leaders within the field of landscape architecture with the lifelong learning skills necessary to address the complex and continuous challenges of the 21st-century society and environment.
Program Objectives
In its pursuit for academic excellence and to become a leading instrument in the science and art of landscape architecture, the graduates of the BLA program are expected to achieve the following objectives:
- 1- Demonstrate technical competency in applying their knowledge and skills to undertake research and perform professional landscape architecture design and planning projects.
- 2- Engage in professional societies, non-government agencies and local communities to promote the profession and to provide the best practices in Landscape Architecture to the natural, human, and built environments.
- 3- Pursue higher education in the field of Landscape Architecture and multidisciplinary areas to emerge as successful researcher, entrepreneurs and educators
- 4- Practice and inspire high ethical and professional standards
Graduate Attributes
The Landscape Architecture department is known for its excellence in teaching, research, creative design work and community involvement that are all geared to produced competitive graduates with the following attributes:
- 1. Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
- 2. Teamwork and communication skills
- 3. Professionalism and leadership readiness
- 4. Digital and technical capabilities
- 5. Valuing Diversity
- 6. Confidence and adaptability
Figure1 : Consistency of the Landscape Architecture undergraduate program mission with the FAP and KAU mission
| LAP Mission | LAD Mission | FAP- Mission | KAU-Mission | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Research | Creative Work | Community Engagement | Leadership | Enriching educational and research aspects in environmental design sciences | Achieving excellence in academic programs and research fields | Providing the labor market with qualified professional cadres characterized by creative and leadership capabilities | Enriching the sciences and arts of environmental design through the development of educational programs and scientific research | Knowledge development | Research | Innovation | Entrepreneurship | Community Responsibility | |
| Outstanding comprehensive application of scientific knowledge | * | * | - | - | - | * | * | - | * | * | * | - | - | - |
| Technical, creative and critical thinking skills | * | - | * | - | - | * | * | * | * | * | - | * | - | - |
| Produce graduates who will become responsible, ethical, and contributing leaders | - | - | - | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | - | * | - | - |
| Lifelong learning skills | * | * | - | - | - | - | * | * | - | - | * | - | - | - |
| Community Involvement | - | - | - | * | - | - | - | * | - | - | - | - | - | * |
Figure 2: Consistency of the undergraduate program goals with the LAD and FAP mission.
| LAP Goals | LAP Mission | LAD Mission | FAP- Mission | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding comprehensive application of scientific knowledge | Scientific knowledge | Technical, creative and critical thinking skills | Produce graduates who will become responsible, ethical, and contributing leaders | Lifelong learning skills | Community Involvement | Education | Research | Creative Work | Community Engagement | Leadership | Enriching educational and research aspects in environmental design sciences | Achieving excellence in academic programs and research fields | Providing the labor market with qualified professional cadres characterized by creative and leadership capabilities | Enriching the sciences and arts of environmental design through the development of educational programs and scientific research | |
| Demonstrate technical competency in applying their knowledge and skills to undertake research and perform professional landscape architecture design and planning projects | * | * | * | - | - | - | * | * | * | - | - | * | * | * | * |
| Engage in professional societies, non-government agencies and local communities to promote the profession and to provide the best practices in Landscape Architecture to the natural, human, and built environments | * | - | * | * | - | * | - | - | - | * | * | * | - | * | - |
| Pursue higher education in the field of Landscape Architecture and multidisciplinary areas to emerge as successful researcher, entrepreneurs and educators. | - | * | * | - | * | * | - | * | - | - | - | * | * | * | * |
Figure 3: Consistency of the LAD graduate attributes with KAU graduate attributes
| KAU graduate attributes | LA Program graduate attributes |
|---|---|
| Creative and critical thinking | Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving |
| Team workin Communication English Proficiency |
Teamwork and communication skills |
| Leadership and professionalism Discipline Excellence Lifelong learning |
Professionalism and leadership readiness |
| Technological learning | Digital capabilities |
| Cultural competency | Valuing Diversity |
| Resilience and adaptation Independency and proclivity |
Confidence and adaptability |
BLA Program Learning Outcome
Knowledge
- 1. Recognize landscape architecture history and theory
- 2. Define landscape architecture design
- 3. Distinguish the basic construction technology and its relevance to landscape architecture.
- 4. Outline the scientific information related to the landscape architecture field.
Skills
- 1. Develop strategic and creative thinking for problem-solving.
- 2. Design academic research and reports.
- 3. Plan various techniques of collecting data and analysis.
- 4. Prepare verbal and nonverbal presentation
- 5. Develop calculation performance
- 6. Produce landscape architecture design construction, illustrative drawings and models.
Values
- 1. Work effectively in groups
- 2. Perform constant time management, decision making, working under pressure and adherence to deadlines.
