Offered by: College of Environmental Design, Landscape Architecture Department
The Department of Landscape Architecture welcomes graduate students from a variety of academic disciplines who are concerned with the shaping of our physical environment. Students learn current and advanced methods for establishing strong, well-defined, and mutually life-sustaining and enhancing relationships between people and the land. The curriculum emphasizes case study projects at scales varying from the garden to the region. Our learn-by-doing education uses learning formats including but not limited to lectures, seminar session, studios, frequent jury reviews, discussion, and field trips. The program prepares students to be socially proactive, environmentally responsible, theoretically sophisticated, technically strong and thus become both scientifically rational and curiously critical in making decisions to protect and improve both environmental and social aspects of our society.
The Department of Landscape Architecture considers its location in southern California to be a unique advantage for the study of landscape and environment. The presence of sea coast, mountain and desert terrain as well as one of the major metropolitan centers in North America offers a unique opportunity for professional study. Project sites may range throughout the greater Southern California region. Field trips are core to the program and a variety of areas and locations throughout the state are a regular aspect of the graduate program. Applicants to the program should anticipate frequent field trips as an essential part of their studies. Students may also participate in courses and activities offered by the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies, an interdisciplinary laboratory for sustainable living, located on campus.
www.cpp.edu/~la
Andrew O. Wilcox, Chair
Weimin Li, Graduate Coordinator
The objectives of the graduate program encompass both a general professional educational background and advanced specialized study in Ecosystematic Landscape Design and Planning. This focus is featured with extensive research into the bio-physical and socio-cultural inventory of landscape systems and the interplay among them; in-depth analysis on the patterns, trends, and relations of highly relevant natural and social processes and other factors; considerate programming based on client, stakeholder, and community input collected via social surveys, public meetings, focus groups, and activities; rational systematic planning to create strong sustainability and connectivity; and creative site design solutions to construct vibrant, safe, and culturally friendly places.
In addition, the program embraces new directions reflecting the ever-changing issues and needs of the landscape and human society that calls for new theories, principles and methods. These new directions in the curriculum include but are not limited to:
- Climate change adaptation, which address knowledge on landscape mitigation strategies that if employed at mass scale, can help reduce GHG emissions (ASLA, 2016), adjust global and micro-climate, protect natural resources and wildlife habitats, promote local agriculture, and foster community resiliency against climate change;
- Participatory design and social practice, which seeks to create places that reflect and serve diverse cultural, ethnic and economic communities by involving users in the entire process of creating and improving their own landscape.
- Geodesign, which embraces and utilizes big data and the latest geospatial technologies to empower human capability in scientific rationalization to address complex and systematic landscape design challenges that are otherwise difficult to address; and
- Urban sustainable landscape design that brings in creative landscape strategies to sequester carbon, clean the air and water, increase energy efficiency, restore habitats, and create value through significant economic, social and, environmental benefits (ASLA, 2016).
Admission to the Program
The Master of Landscape Architecture program accepts students from varied academic backgrounds, including non-design disciplines, for a two- or three-year long program. Applicants with no previous study in landscape architecture will be considered for a General Standing (First Professional) plan; applicants holding an accredited Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in Landscape Architecture or a closely aligned design-based discipline, will be considered for the Advanced Standing (Post-Professional) plan within the MLA graduate program.
- General Standing (First Professional) plan is 87 units.
- Advanced Standing (Post-Professional) plan is 63 units.
All applicants will be admitted as General Standing (First Professional) students. Applicants interested in Advanced Standing (Post-Professional) are required to undergo transcript evaluation and portfolio review in order to qualify for Advanced Standing. Unofficial transcripts can be used for this review process. Contact the MLA Graduate Coordinator for Advanced Standing consideration.
For admission to the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program, an applicant must have received a baccalaureate degree and have attained an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5; the MLA program recommends a GPA of 3.0 or better.
In addition to the standard university application forms, official transcripts and English requirement (for international applicants), which must be submitted to the university Admissions Office, the Department of Landscape Architecture requires supplementary materials as noted below. See the department website for submission guidelines.
- Statement of intent addressing relevant experience, fit to the program, and scholarly potential.
- Two letters of recommendation
- Evidence of writing (writing sample) and creative potential (portfolio)
February 1 is the usual application deadline with support materials due March 1st. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Department of Landscape Architecture and the University Admissions Office for the critical dates in the admission process.
Program Requirements
In order to earn the Master of Landscape Architecture degree, the student must: (1) satisfy the Graduation Writing Test; (2) with the graduate advisor, develop and file a program of study and have it approved by the Graduate Studies Analyst, and by the graduate coordinator for Landscape Architecture; (3) complete all curricular requirements including the culminating experience.
Curricular Requirements
The General Standing (First Professional) plan requires a minimum of 87 semester units of graduate work to be completed in the graduate degree program. The Advanced Standing (Post-Professional) plan requires a minimum of 63 semester units of graduate work completed in the MLA program.
Upper division elective courses should be approved by the student’s advisor if they are outside the department or outside of the MLA list of suggested electives. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained in all course work to satisfy degree requirements as well as in all graded course work attempted while in graduate standing at this university.
MLA students may elect to participate in study abroad programs that fit within the developed and approved program of study an in consultation with the graduate coordinator for Landscape Architecture.
Both plans must complete the culminating experience LA 6071L , LA 6081L , LA 6941 , and LA 6951 . The culminating experience is a project-based experience; there is no thesis option.
The candidate must be enrolled in the university during the semester of graduation.
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