The international educational definitions and standards of landscape architecture as a profession-based academic discipline

Considering the establishment of the academic field of landscape architecture in the last two decades in Iran, it seems that revision and improvement of the academic education of this field is useful and even necessity at this point of time, both in terms of defining the boundaries of academic fields and helping the profession of landscape architecture nationwide. This article deals with the educational issues in landscape architecture as a profession-based academic field, taking into account the global definition and the areas required in its education as well as international educational standards, including the ones stated in the IFLA/UNESCO Charter for Landscape Architecture Education which was compiled jointly by the United Nations Scientific, Cultural and Educational Organization (UNESCO) and the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA). In this article, the necessities to relate the academic education to the profession and to obtain professional accreditations for training courses from the related professional body, in addition to the requirement to obtain professional certification, recognition and registration for landscape architects were investigated. The results of this study are concluded in the form of suggestions for improving the university education in the field of landscape architecture in Iran with expressing the necessity of collaboration between all stakeholders including universities, scientific and professional bodies and societies in accreditation of educational programs and registration/licensure procedures for the university graduates in Iran.