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Are you interested in creating sustainable landscape design projects that help preserve built and natural landscapes? Our Certificate in Landscape Design and Climate Resilience provides the educational requirements for the Certified Landscape Designer (CLD) accreditation program offered by the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association through provincial landscape industry organizations.

The certificate, which automatically gives you membership with Landscape Ontario, can also be your first step to setting up your own business. As a student member of Landscape Ontario, you can attend member-only events, including monthly meetings of Landscape Ontario as well as receive discounts on some Landscape Ontario events.

Get Connected

Grow your expertise in this in-demand field. Learn to handle landscape design challenges with real-life solutions that are resilient, ecologically based, and socially inclusive.

Industry and Careers
Completion of this certificate can lead to roles within the following sectors:

  • Nonprofit nature conservancy agencies
  • Private sector: international and national construction and condominium companies, and landscaping businesses of all sizes
  • Public sector: government departments at the federal, provincial, state, municipal and local levels

This certificate can lead to a career in various roles. Here are some examples:

  • Industrial commercial landscape architectural technologist
  • Landscape designer
  • Landscape sustainability manager
  • Landscape technician
  • Landscaper
  • Landscaping supervisor
  • Nursery and grounds coordinator

Who Should Take This Certificate?

  • Individuals who want to gain the core educational requirements needed to become a Certified Landscape Designer (CLD) through provincial landscape industry organizations
  • Individuals with a non-landscape undergraduate degree who want to use this program as a stepping stone to a master’s program in landscape architecture
  • Architects, interior designers, or other environmental design professionals who are interested in expanding the scope of their professional work

What Will You Learn?

After completing this certificate, you will be able to do the following:

  • Assess and use digital design software (such as SketchUp Suite/LayOut, DynaScape, Vectorworks, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Autodesk Civil 3D) to produce different types of landscape drawings, including functional diagrams, concept drawings, master plans, detailed design development, and working drawings
  • Incorporate plant ecology knowledge into the development of planting design for climate resilience
  • Develop grading and drainage designs to address runoff on urban sites related to climate change
  • Generate landscape implementation and management strategies to enhance landscape resilience and sustainability
  • Produce societally inclusive and resilient landscapes by integrating cultural and ecological landscape restoration techniques
  • Enhance landscape inclusivity by integrating Indigenous teachings and perspectives into landscape design

Check out what these graduates are doing after completing their certificate.

Effective Fall 2021, the Certificate in Landscape Design has been revised.
Students who were formally registered in the certificate prior to July 2, 2021, must complete the curriculum requirements that were in effect at the time of their registration. For curriculum details, refer to the archived calendar for your year of registration. Please contact our Client Services team at ce@torontomu.ca if you have any questions.

Interested in transferring to the new four-course curriculum? Contact ce@torontomu.ca to find out how. 

Certificate Requirements

  • 3 required courses
  • 1 electives
  • Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 1.67+
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Admission Criteria

Recommended:

  • A post-secondary undergraduate education (university or college) in a relevant field of study (including programs related to architecture and/or environmental sciences)

OR

  • Mature student status with relevant work experience

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I complete the certificate if I can’t take a course every term?

Yes. Contact Sam Benvie, Academic Coordinator, for details about how to create a certificate completion sequence that suits you.

How long can I take to complete the certificate?

When you register in the certificate, you have three years from the term in which you register to complete all course requirements.

Does this certificate offer co-op placements?

No. However, there are numerous opportunities for students to meet with established landscape designers and landscape design/build firms.

Can I apply courses I took in another post-secondary program as credit towards courses in this certificate?

In some circumstances this is possible. Contact Sam Benvie, Academic Coordinator, for more information.

Can I complete the whole certificate in a single term?

No. However, if your goal is to apply to a graduate program in landscape architecture, an individual plan can be organized for you that will allow you to take two courses in each of the Fall and Winter terms.

Contact Sam Benvie, Academic Coordinator, for details.

What is the difference between this certificate and other programs in landscape technology, horticulture and garden design, etc.?

This certificate provides instruction in the comprehensive design of landscapes, not just gardens. It is also concerned with the development of optimal solutions to how landscapes are to be used, rather than the practical physical skills of constructing or maintaining a landscape design.

Is there a single course I can take that will teach me what I need to practise landscape design?

You are welcome to take a single course. However, none of the courses are designed to be a “one-stop” approach to landscape design. The content and sequence of the courses have been designed to progressively build knowledge and skills in important areas of landscape design, as well as landscape design as a whole.

Aside from course fees, what other expenses should I expect?

Some courses have required texts, which typically cost less than $100 each. Graphic equipment and student versions of digital design software are also required in some courses. In general, the incidental course costs are around $100 per course.

Can I get advice to help me decide if this certificate is right for me?

You are encouraged to speak with Sam Benvie, Academic Coordinator, to review your individual situation and goals.

Professional Designations and Accreditation

The Certificate provides the educational requirements for graduates to enter the Certified Landscape Designer (CLD) accreditation program offered by the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association through provincial landscape industry organizations.  More information can be found through provincial landscape industry organizations.

Please contact Sam Benvie, Academic Coordinator, at sbenvie@torontomu.ca, for the provincial landscape industry organization relevant to your location.

Awards and Financial Aid

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Contact Us

Questions? Contact Client Services.

Email: ce@torontomu.ca

Additional Details