Master's Degree Requirements

Both master’s degree programs are structured so that persons with a variety of backgrounds can qualify for admission. The length of the program will vary with the student’s background. For instance, a person with no background in landscape architecture would spend a minimum of six semesters while a person who graduated from a five-year accredited B.L.A. program might spend as little as three semesters in the M.L.A. program. Most candidates for the M.R.P. degree can expect to complete the requirements in two years. Both programs have a required core, but all students must meet with their academic advisers prior to the start of classes to design a feasible and suitable program.

The degree is conferred upon those graduate students who have satisfactorily met the following basic requirements:

  1. Work covering four semesters in residence, unless otherwise arranged.
  2. The earning of not fewer than 48 credits (or 36 credits for a dual-degree or accelerated degree with the MRP), 30 of which must consist of graduate level courses given within the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, unless otherwise approved.
  3. The preparation of a satisfactory thesis or master’s project and satisfactory completion of an oral examination on the same.  A project tends to use existing knowledge on a particular problem, while a thesis includes the development of new knowledge.  In some cases a 3-course option can substitute for the thesis or project.
  4. Fulfillment of the requirements indicated in the appropriate curriculum guidelines that were in effect at the time of the student’s first semester in the graduate program.
  5. See additional requirements under the Policies and Regulations section of the Bulletin.