Landscape Architecture

Head of the Department: James Wescoat, Jr.
Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program: Dianne Harris
Coordinator of the MLA Program: Carol Emmerling-DiNovo
101 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall
611 East Taft Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-0176
E-mail: LADept@uiuc.edu
Web page: www.landarch.uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Landscape Architecture offers work leading to the Master of Landscape Architecture degree and the Ph.D. The programs enable students to gain fresh insights and to experiment with new applications pertaining to land and its use by people. Courses and faculty research activities range from on-site to regional scales, and include land resources planning and design as well as behavioral and cultural factors in design. The M.L.A. program offers areas of concentration in ecological design and technology, community and urban landscape design, and cultural heritage design. A joint M.L.A./M.U.P program is available. The Ph.D. program is jointly administered with the School of Architecture and emphasizes both interdisciplinary study and cross-disciplinary inquiry. It provides a rigorous education for students intending a career in research and scholarship. Areas of concentration include history and theory, and behavioral and cultural factors in design. Before submitting an application, students should obtain a departmental pamphlet that describes the specific areas of study and the time needed to complete the requirements. The doctoral program provides a rigorous education for students intending a career in research and scholarship, offering concentrations in history and theory, and behavioral and cultural factors in design.

Several faculty members in the department also participate in the regional planning doctoral program administered by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. See the program description under the Department of Urban and Regional Planning for more information.

Admission

The Graduate College admission requirements apply, except that higher Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores are required for international students. All students are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test. Students are admitted on an individual basis according to a review of their prior accomplishments with an emphasis on academic achievement. Candidates from undergraduate design programs must submit samples of their design work with their applications. Candidates without undergraduate preparation in landscape architecture will be admitted on limited status and must complete undergraduate prerequisite courses in addition to graduate work. Students must begin their studies in the fall semester.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.

Master of Landscape Architecture

A student must complete a minimum of 48 graduate hours, with at least 24 graduate hours taken within the department and at least 18 graduate hours of the 48 in 500-level courses. Specific courses to be taken are determined in consultation with an adviser. These courses culminate in a master’s thesis (L A 599) that permits the student, under the approval and supervision of a faculty committee, to pursue independently an in-depth work of particular relevance for landscape architecture.

Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture

Please consult the department website for additional information.

Financial Aid

Students compete for fellowships, tuition and service fee waivers, and assistantships. Selection is based on the academic achievement and qualifications of the student.