Diploma of Landscape Design

The Diploma of Landscape Design at the Australian College of Agriculture & Horticulture (ACAH) is a one-year qualification for people who want to design outdoor spaces, gardens, parks, courtyards, streetscapes and the planted areas around buildings. You learn how to read a site, work out what a client needs, choose plants that will actually survive in that spot, and draw up plans that a landscaper can build from. Expect a lot of practical work: drafting by hand and on computer, plant identification, soil and drainage basics, and costing a job so the design stays within budget.

The diploma sits at the diploma level of the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree. It is delivered over one year of full-time study, usually across two semesters or trimesters, and is made up of units of study, each carrying credit points. Assessment is mostly competency-based and practical, site reports, planting plans, project work, rather than long written exams. ACAH is an agriculture and horticulture college, so the teaching leans on the nursery, the glasshouse and real garden sites rather than a lecture theatre alone. If you later want to go on to a bachelor degree, credit for your completed units is often available, though how much you get depends on the receiving institution, ask them directly.

Skills you come away with include site analysis, planting design, landscape drafting and documentation, an understanding of Australian native and exotic plant selection, irrigation and drainage principles, and the ability to prepare a design brief and present it to a client. You also pick up the workplace habits the industry expects: safe use of tools, working to a brief, and coordinating with trades. The course suits school leavers who want a hands-on start in horticulture, career changers from building, drafting or gardening backgrounds, and people already working in landscaping who want to move from doing the work to designing it.

International students should check the English requirement carefully. IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate and coursework standard at Australian institutions, with higher scores needed for teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the college's own English programmes may be accepted as equivalents. Note that the Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself, so meeting the college's requirement does not automatically satisfy the visa one. While studying, a Student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight during term. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 109048A. Confirm entry requirements, intake dates and fees on the official page before applying.

• Landscape designer, residential and commercial garden design for landscape firms, design-build companies and nurseries.
• Landscape draftsperson, preparing planting plans, site plans and documentation for builders, councils and landscape architects.
• Horticulturist, nurseries, botanic gardens, turf management and wholesale plant suppliers.
• Parks and gardens officer, local councils and state government agencies managing public open space.
• Irrigation or garden maintenance supervisor, landscaping contractors and grounds maintenance companies.
• Self-employed garden designer, running your own design practice, often alongside a landscaping crew.

Australian industries that hire diploma graduates include landscape construction and maintenance, nursery and propagation, local government parks and gardens, golf and sports turf, aged care and school grounds, and residential property development. Many graduates start on a crew and move into design or supervisory roles as they build a portfolio.