Program Overview

Landscape Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.)

Three-Year First Professional Degree Curriculum

The Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in landscape architecture. The three-year first professional degree curriculum requires students to complete a minimum of 41 credits, with an additional 27 credits of leveling courses unless waived by the MLA program chair.

• Course List:
  • LARC641: Graduate Studio II (5 credits)
  • LARC642: Graduate Studio III (5 credits)
  • LARC648: Graduate Studio IV (5 credits)
  • LARC748: Advanced Special Topics Studio (5 credits)
  • LARC670: Landscape Architecture Theory and Criticism (3 credits)
  • LARC671: Landscape Architecture Research Methods (3 credits)
  • LARC799: Master's Thesis Research (6 credits)
  • Electives (9 credits)
• Leveling Courses (can be waived by program chair based on previous coursework):
  • LARC411: Construction Technology I: Principles of Site Engineering (4 credits)
  • LARC412: Construction Technology II: Materials and Structures (4 credits)
  • LARC413: Construction Technology III: Water Soil-Centric Practices (4 credits)
  • LARC420: Professional Practice (3 credits)
  • LARC421: Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD): Urban Construction (3 credits)
  • LARC620: Graphic Tools for Landscape Representation (3 credits)
  • LARC640: Graduate Studio I (5 credits)
  • LARC661: Seminar in Landscape Architecture (1 credit)
• Total Credits: 68

Two-Year Post-Professional Degree Curriculum

The two-year post-professional degree curriculum is designed for students with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture or other approved environmental design degree. This curriculum requires students to complete 36 credits.

• Course List:
  • LARC670: Landscape Architecture Theory and Criticism (3 credits)
  • LARC671: Landscape Architecture Research Methods (3 credits)
  • LARC642: Graduate Studio III (5 credits)
  • LARC648: Graduate Studio IV (5 credits)
  • LARC748: Advanced Special Topics Studio (5 credits)
  • LARC799: Master's Thesis Research (6 credits)
  • or Creative Project
  • Electives (9 credits)
• Total Credits: 36

The Master of Landscape Architecture program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in landscape architecture, preparing them for careers in this field. The program is accredited and meets the standards of the profession. Students are advised to take remedial courses prior to arrival or in the first year of study at Maryland, and to take additional courses in the second year of study. The program requires a minimum of 41 credits for the three-year first professional degree curriculum and 36 credits for the two-year post-professional degree curriculum.