landarch.design.umn.eduAbout Landscape Architecture | College of Design

Go to the U of M home page One Stop MyU Search FOR: Prospective Students Parents & Families Job Seekers Alumni Academics Programs Apparel Design Architecture Graphic Design Human Factors & Ergonomics Interior Design Landscape Architecture Product Design Retail Merchandising Explore All Programs Explore All Minors Explore All Certificates Admissions Apply Now Undergraduate Application Graduate Application Freshman Admissions Graduate Admissions Transfer Admissions International Admissions Costs & Financing Undergraduate Costs Graduate Costs About College Leadership College Directory About the College Design Justice Kusske Design Initiative News & Events Employment Contact Us Research Research, Creative Scholarship & Engagement College of Design Research Research Projects Gallery Research Resources Research News Centers Center for Retail Design & Innovation Center for Sustainable Building Research Digital Design Center Minnesota Design Center Wearable Product Design Center Labs Geosocial Visualization Lab Human Dimensioning Lab Wearable Technology Lab Libraries & Collections Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library Eicher Dress and Fashion Library Goldstein Museum of Design Collection University Libraries & Archives The Goldstein Museum of Design Students Undergraduate General Resources Advising Career Planning College of Design Dean’s List Forms, Policies & Procedures Four-Year Plans Funding Your Education Required Internships Research & Creative Scholarship Learning Abroad Graduate Funding Your Education Research Resources Architecture Resources Design Graduate Program Resources Human Factors & Ergonomics Resources Landscape Architecture Resources International Facilities & Maker Spaces Computer Labs & Printing Fabrication Shops Imaging Lab Letterpress Lab & Surface Design Studio Travelers Innovation Lab Commencement Groups & Organizations About Landscape Architecture Breadcrumb Academics Programs Landscape Architecture Quick Links News Events View Student Work Current Undergraduate Resources Current Graduate Resources Graduate Information Sessions HWS Cleveland Guest Critics Landscape architecture at the University of Minnesota prepares students for careers as engaged designers able to tackle the complex challenges facing urban, suburban, and rural environments. The diversity of landscapes you study in our programs are critically related to issues of ecology, climate change, and urban resilience and will provide you with a highly versatile and globally applicable background upon graduation. We utilize the incredible physical settings of the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, including the Mississippi River and Great Lakes Watersheds, to examine how problems like climate change and water quality, scarcity, and management affect our communities. Degree Options What Students Say Research and Creative Scholarship LAAB Accreditation Degree Options Our faculty will not only help you develop your personal focus, but connect you with the established practice community in the Twin Cities. We utilize a mix of adjunct and full-time instructors in both programs. Many of our adjunct instructors are alumni of our programs and current practitioners, who bring their first-hand practice experiences and direct connections with industry to the classroom. Landscape Architecture Degree Options Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Master of Landscape Architecture Master of Science in Landscape Architecture Minors and Graduate Certificates Landscape Design and Planning Undergraduate Minor Landscape Architecture Graduate Minor Ecological Restoration Graduate Minor What Students Say "My experience in the Masters of Landscape Architecture program has been engaging, eye-opening, and thoroughly enjoyable. With a variety of professors and classes, we have the opportunity to explore the exciting field of Landscape Architecture in our own ways; using our ranging backgrounds to support ourselves and our peers." —Nicole Delpizzo (MLA) Through the Masters of Landscape Architecture program I have begun to develop a deeper understanding of the land - its forms, systems, and social and political histories. For me, this is a key to future design thinking - a mode that shifts away from a human centered world to one of land-based protection and co-libration. —Torey Erin (MLA) The Landscape Architecture program has allowed me to discover my own passions and goals as a designer and as a nature lover. Their collaborations with other disciplines and with community groups have given me the ability to think critically and design creatively, preparing me for the unknown future ahead.” —Jordan Hedlund (BED, Landscape Planning; MLA) Image created by graduate student Jordan Hedlund (MLA, ’21) for the course LA 8297: Study Abroad - Madrid Studio. Career Possibilities Environmental designers GIS specialists Engineering technicians Landscape architects Landscape designers Landscape restorationists Park/urban planners Sustainability coordinators Watershed management professionals Research and Creative Scholarship The flexibility and breadth of our landscape architecture programs will allow you to pursue unique experiences and customize your degree to fit your specific career goals. Our faculty members represent a network of different focuses in academia as well as the public and private sectors and take pride in helping students find their own unique approach to the field. View student work We also have one of the largest student-practitioner mentoring programs of any North American design college, which underscores the strong ties between the college and talented local practitioners. Many firms based in Minneapolis and St. Paul employ or are run by alumni of our programs—some of whom also teach as adjunct faculty. This network extends globally to the international students we attract; the communities, sites, and initiatives we engage; and alumni we send out to create around the world. Image created by graduate student Sonali Devarajan (MLA, ’21) in a studio course with Professor Karen Lutsky. Related Labs and Centers Center for Sustainable Building Design Minnesota Design Center Great Lakes Design Lab Institute on the Environment LAAB Accreditation The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) accreditation process "evaluates each program on the basis of its stated objectives and compliance to externally mandated minimum standards," to ensure the quality of professional degree programs in landscape architecture ( American Society of Landscape Architects ). An accredited degree, like the Master of Landscape Architecture , is required to become a licensed landscape architect in the state of Minnesota. Image created by graduate student Tyler Smith (MLA, ’21) for the course LA 8206: Las Vegas Studio. Learn More LAAB Accreditation Public Information Landscape Architecture in the Twin Cities Industry connections and community The Twin Cities area and the State of Minnesota are amazing resources for personal and professional growth. We have a thriving professional landscape architecture community with many diverse models of practice, from traditional consulting to non-profit organization leadership to state and local government practice. We also have great examples of built landscapes, including one of the best public park systems in the world. Beyond the metro area, we connect with greater Minnesota and the region through studio courses and projects in other Great Lakes cities. Through our programming, you will have the opportunity to tackle pressing societal problems related to providing clean water, developing equitable societies, and more. Landscape Architecture Stories Adrienne Bockheim (MLA ‘10) discovered her passion for landscape architecture after the realization that it encompassed everything that fascinated her. Her work, first as a graduate student and then as a project coordinator, with the College of Design’s Minnesota Design Center laid the foundation for a career uniting...