Landscape Architecture

The seamless Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) provides the professional knowledge, technical design skills, rich studio experiences, and important credentials required to practice as a licensed landscape architect.

Students who are pursuing the pre-professional Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (B.S.L.A.) have the option to seamlessly transition into the professional M.L.A. program during their senior year, earning both the undergraduate degree and master’s degree in five and one half years.

A three-year M.L.A. program is available for students who hold an undergraduate degree in a field other than landscape architecture.

The design studio is the heart of the professional landscape architecture program. Studio projects challenge you to apply theory, technology, history and science to create viable design solutions that address actual problems facing communities throughout the state of Idaho.

Studios also provide many enriching opportunities to collaborate with students and faculty from related disciplines, including architecture, natural resources, horticulture, art, geography, and bioregional and community planning. This valuable interdisciplinary experience is essential to the successful practice of landscape architecture in today’s integrated design world.

The University of Idaho’s scenic bioregional area between the Columbia Plateau and the Palouse watershed provides a unique setting to study landscape architecture. Here, you form an understanding of the important relationship between the bioregion and landscape architecture, and you learn to factor the bioregion, watershed, ecosystems, history, and culture into your landscape planning and design decisions.

Students in the landscape architecture program come to Idaho from all corners of the world. This diversity, combined with excellent study abroad programs, helps you gain internationally competitive skills and develop a professional network that spans the globe.

During your final year in the program, you will also have the opportunity to study and practice urban design at the Idaho Urban Research and Design Center (IURDC) in Boise.

Prepare for Success

Students generally apply to the professional M.L.A. program after successful completion of the third year in the pre-professional B.S.L.A. program. If accepted, you may qualify for graduate status during the fourth year of the B.S.L.A.

The University of Idaho Faculty of Landscape Architecture has an articulation agreement with several community colleges that enables graduates of two-year landscape horticulture and landscape technology programs to transfer seamlessly into the B.S.L.A. program at Idaho and, eventually, into the professional program.

If you hold a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than landscape architecture, you may pursue an M.L.A. through the three-year program option.

Your First Year

As a student in the professional program, you will pursue advanced studies that enhance your understanding of the built and natural environment in a variety of contexts. Through classes and studios, you will explore:

• Interdisciplinary planning and design
• Geography, geology, hydrology and landscape ecology
• Visualization and 3D modeling of the landscape
• Art and design history and theory
• Bioregional planning and design
• Green infrastructure and water conservation technology
• Geographic information systems (GIS)
• Landscape architecture research methodology
• Urban design and community planning
• Landscape architecture history and theory
• Site engineering process and technology
• Urban and landscape theory

What You Can Do

The Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) is the professional degree required to practice as a licensed landscape architect.

Opportunities

There is a high demand for professional landscape architects. Our graduates have chosen a variety of career paths, including:

• Urban and regional planning
• Community planning
• Landscape design
• Landscape architecture history
• Landscape conservation and restoration
• Urban ecology
• Landscape development and management
• Park and recreation management
• Urban design
• Transportation systems design
• Site engineering
• Geographic information science
• 3D visualization and modeling
• Landscape construction
• Advanced specialization and scholarship
• Teaching in higher education
• Careers with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Park Service

Current Research

The Faculty of Landscape Architecture, in partnership with the Department of Conservation Social Sciences, is leading the University of Idaho’s Building Sustainable Communities Initiative. The collaborative project is funded by a five-year, $1.6 million grant to establish an academic program in bioregional planning and community design, provide community outreach, and develop professional training to promote sustainable futures.

Other landscape architecture faculty research interests include:

• GIS applications in land planning
• Green infrastructure and storm water design standards
• Bioregionalism and site design
• Water conservation and harvesting
• Sustainable sites best practices
• Standards for open space planning in community development

Activities

Get involved with Student Organizations by checking out clubs like the American Society of Landscape Architects, Student Chapter.

See all of the college's Student Organizations by looking here.

Hands-On Experience

You have many opportunities to explore and practice landscape architecture firsthand.

• Design Studios/Service-Learning: Collaborate with your classmates and with faculty and students from related disciplines on projects that address real-world design problems facing communities throughout Idaho.

• Summer Study Abroad: Explore landscape architecture by participating in a six-week, 11-credit hour study abroad program in Italy or other potential locations abroad.

• Thesis or Final Project (fifth or sixth year): Choose between developing a written master’s thesis and completing a regional or urban landscape architecture project within the state of Idaho.

• Field Trips: Take part in three- to five- day field trips to Northwest cities such as Portland, Seattle, or San Francisco to tour nationally significant landscape architectural sites and visit the offices of some of the finest landscape architecture firms in the world. You may also have the chance to attend the American Society of Landscape Architects national conference if the meeting is held in the Western region of the country.

• Internships: Gain important practical experience with a quality summer internships at a public agency, private firm, or other organization.

• Idaho Urban Research and Design Center (IURDC): Take part in potential collaborative urban design projects in Boise.