Master of Landscape Architecture Program Structure
The Master of Landscape Architecture is a first professional degree at the master's level. It is a course-based degree, which means no research thesis is required. The curriculum incorporates the breadth of Canadian Society of Landscape Architects accreditation requirements and is accredited.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Landscape Architecture program is structured around a sequence of core design studios, technology courses, and design theory and methods courses. Required courses and electives make up the remainder of the program. In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, successful completion of the MLA must include the following academic requirements:
Foundation Year (Qualifying Year) 30 units
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
- LAND600 - Landscape Architecture History and Theory
- LAND604 - Landscape Architecture Studio I – Foundation
- ACCT200 - ACCT 200
- PLAN600 - Landscape Ecology and Planning
- PLAN602 - Computer Modelling for Urban Design
- PLAN606 - Site Planning Studio
- PLAN608 - Geographic Information Systems for Environmental Design
- PLAN626 - Urban Design Theory
a) 54 units of core required courses:
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
- ARCH675 - Urban Systems
- LAND602 - Plants in the Landscape
- LAND608 - Landscape Responses to Climate Change, Energy and Water
- LAND610 - Green Infrastructure/Winter City Design
- LAND612 - Site Technology II: Construction and Materials
- LAND614 - Landscape Architecture Studio II – Intermediate
- LAND616 - Professional Practice and Project Management for Landscape Architecture
- LAND618 - Advanced Graphics in Landscape Architecture
- LAND620 - Synthesis Studio in Landscape Architecture
- LAND700 - Regional Landscape Systems Studio
- LAND702 - Landscape Architecture Studio III – Advanced
- PLAN612 - Urban Infrastructure and Land Use
- PLAN616 - Urban Design Studio
b) 3 units from:
Complete ANY of the following Courses:
- LAND670 - Experiential Learning in Landscape Architecture OR LAND672 - Experiential Learning in Landscape Architecture OR LAND674 - Experiential Learning in Landscape Architecture OR LAND676- Experiential Learning in Landscape Architecture
c) 6 units of elective credits from other courses offered by SAPL or the University of Calgary at the 500-level or higher that relate to individual interests in Landscape Architecture.
Curriculum Features
The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) is designed to engage with the critical sociocultural and ecological challenges of place-making, climate change, and resilience. Students are trained as leaders in becoming catalysts for positive local and global change. The program is structured around a sequence of core design studios, technology courses, and design theory and methods courses.
- Block Week Courses: Allow students to work with prominent practitioners and educators, architects, planners, and landscape architects from the local and international context in an intensive study. The courses are a vital and essential aspect of SAPL professional graduate programs. During Block Week, students participate in a variety of intensive workshops related to their fields of study and interests.
- Work Integrated Learning Studio: In the MLA Synthesis Studio, students are led by local firms’ landscape architecture practitioners to engage in a comprehensive project addressing emergent and real-world design topics.
- Study Abroad: A well-rounded design education includes practical, real-world engagement with ideas, systems, and precedents around the world. Study abroad opportunities range from one-week field study courses in cities like Los Angeles to semester-long programs in Switzerland, Japan, Spain, and Norway. The study abroad locations are recognized for their expertise areas like growth management, transit-oriented communities, district revitalization, sustainable infrastructure, public space design, and urban design.