CCNY Master of Landscape Architecture students explore design, planning, and policy-making to promote civic engagement in complex urban landscape systems, and to advocate for social and environmental equity in response to globalizing economic forces and diminishing natural resources. The program prepares students to meet the challenges of future city design within the dynamic environmental scenario of climate change and the exploding growth of metropolitan areas around the nation and the globe. The program’s position within New York City’s flourishing design community offers students a unique vantage point to participate in socio-environmental design discourse. Our students and faculty are breaking new ground and winning awards.
The advanced-degree program (MLA II) is structured to support students in conceiving and executing a thesis project. This advanced degree demands the acquisition of proficiency in performing research and scholarly pursuit and not a perfection of professional design skills. Other than the required credits for research/ methodology coursework and the final thesis studio, advanced-degree students select electives that pertain to their research area of interest.
MLA II applicants should have an accredited professional degree in landscape architecture, professional practice experience, and a thesis proposal for submission as part of their personal statement.
Total Program Credits: 36
Per-semester courseload: 18 credits
Note: The program reserves the right to admit students with a higher credit requirement if more preparation is needed prior to the thesis studio.
Single Year
Fall Term 1
LAAR 64150: Design Research
LAAR 00000: History Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the school schedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
LAAR 00000: Natural Systems Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the school schedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
LAAR 00000: Planning Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the school schedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
LAAR 00000: History/Planning Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the school schedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
LAAR 00000: Planning Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the school schedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
Spring Term 2
LAAR 72100: Landscape Architecture Thesis Project
The objective of the final project is to build independent conceptual processes and design skills in future academic and professional practitioners. To be considered complete for review, each project must test, through design, the objectives and rationale of a written project statement. It is in this phase of the program that the key objective of the school: to prepare students to design environmentally and socially vibrant landscapes for twenty-first century cities that address issues of increasing globalization, expanding urbanization, environmental and social system sustainability, the promotion of social and environmental justice, the need for transformed land management practices in response to diminishing natural resources, and the mitigation and adaptation to climate change, is tested.
LAAR 00000: Urbanism Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the schoolschedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
LAAR 00000: Professional Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the schoolschedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
LAAR 00000: Professional Elective
Elective offerings change each semester. For a sampling of recent electives, refer to the school schedule. In addition to landscape architecture electives, certain classes within architecture, urban design, and sustainability may fulfill elective requirements.
