Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]


Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) (non-baccalaureate track)



Click here to view the Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning  graduate program page.

Landscape planning and design have been part of the curriculum at Kansas State University since 1871, being part of the required curriculum of all students in the early days of the institution. The first MLA student graduated in 1968. The degree is offered through two tracks:

  • The non-baccalaureate track for students without a previous degree allows students to enter as freshmen and progress through the professional graduate degree in landscape architecture
  • The post-baccalaureate track for students with a previous degree allows completion of a first professional degree in landscape architecture.

 

The MLA program is fully accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Program definition

Our definition of advanced landscape architecture education includes development of a strong foundation of traditional knowledge and skills as well as self-motivated and defined scholarship. Throughout the program, we are committed to research as a means of learning and serving communities and individuals.

Graduates of our program practice in a wide variety of natural and built environments including urban, suburban, rural, wilderness, domestic, and international. Their practice takes place in small and large firms, multidisciplinary firms, design/build, land development, facility management, public practice, academic settings, and within other fields. Kansas State University MLA graduates provide leadership in and advocacy for stewardship of the land and the interface of people with the land. They seek longterm solutions concerning land health, human dignity, and aesthetic quality.

Program mission and objectives

We prepare graduates to be leaders in the field of landscape architecture by integrating student learning with faculty research and creative pursuits and engaging with partners in communities and other disciplines. Through these activities we significantly advance the discipline of landscape architecture. We blend our understanding of ecological and societal needs to design, plan and manage the interface between humans and nature to shape environments in ways that benefit both through critical thinking, design processes and implementation. Focused on preparation for professional practice, we are highly skilled, diligent, passionate people dedicated and working together in vertically integrated studios that are collaborative and energetic.

The MLA program and curriculum


There are two track offerings to the Master of Landscape Architecture, non-baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate degrees, both of which result in a master’s degree.

MLA program Master’s Report Option


First semester (17 credit hours)


  • COMM 105 Public Speaking 1A (2)
  • ENVD 201 Environmental Design Studio I (4)
  • ENVD 203 Survey of Design Professions (1)
  • ENVD 204 Studio Seminar (1)
  • ENVD 250 History of the Designed Environment I (3)
  • MATH 100 College Algebra (3)
  • *General Elective (3)

Second semester (15 credit hours)


  • ENVD 202 Environmental Design Studio II (4)
  • PHYS 115 Descriptive Physics (5)
  • ENVD 251 History of Designed Environment II (3)
  • ENGL 100 Expository Writing I (3)

Third semester (14 credit hours)


  • LAR 220 - Drawing Landscapes Studio (5)
  • LAR 230 - Modeling Landscapes Studio (5)
  • LAR 101 - Introduction to Landscape Arch (3)
  • LAR 350 - Introduction to Plants (1)
  • LAR 010 - Travel: Regional 1 (0)

Fourth semester (17 credit hours)


  • LAR 020 - Travel: Regional 2 (0)
  • LAR 322 - Environmental Issues and Ethics (3)
  • LAR 351 - Plant Patterns and Use (1)
  • LAR 420 - Socio-Ecological Systems Studio (5)
  • LAR 433 - Landscape History & Design Studio (5)
  • ENGL 200 - Expository Writing II (3)

Summer Study


  • LAR 030 - Travel: Narratives and Placemaking
  • LAR 352 - Landscape Performance Lab (3)
  • LAR 425 - Narratives and Placemaking Seminar (2)
  • LAR 430 - Narratives and Placemaking Studio (4)

Fifth semester (16 credit hours)


  • LAR 040 - Travel: Major City 1 (0)
  • LAR 353 - Plant Selection (1)
  • LAR 438 - Site Design Implementation (5)
  • LAR 442 - Site Research & Design Studio (5)
  • LAR 444 - Career and Academic Planning (2)
  • PLAN 315 - Introduction to City Planning (3)

Sixth semester (15 credit hours)


  • LAR 050 - Travel: Major City 2 (0)
  • LAR 354 - Landscape Restoration (1)
  • LAR 439 - Master Plan Design & Implementation (5)
  • LAR 445 - Pro Prac: Career Development Comm (1)
  • LAR 646 - Community Engagement Studio (5)
  • *General Elective (3)

Seventh semester (14 credit hours)


Eighth semester (12-14 credit hours)


KCDC or Study Abroad Option:

Ninth semester (11 credit hours)


Tenth semester (11 credit hours)


MLA program Master’s Thesis Option


First Semester (17 credit hours)


  • COMM 105 Public Speaking 1A (2)
  • ENVD 201 Environmental Design Studio I (4)
  • ENVD 203 Survey of Design Professions (1)
  • ENVD 204 Studio Seminar (1)
  • ENVD 250 History of the Designed Environment I (3)
  • MATH 100 College Algebra (3)
  • *General Elective (3)

Second semester (15 credit hours)


  • ENGL 100 Expository Writing I (3)
  • ENVD 202 Environmental Design Studio II (4)
  • ENVD 251 History of the Designed Environment II (3)
  • PHYS 115 Descriptive Physics (5)

Third semester (14 credit hours)


  • LAR 220 Drawing Landscapes Studio (5)
  • LAR 230 Modeling Landscapes Studio (5)
  • LAR 101 Introduction to Landscape Arch (3)
  • LAR 350 Introduction to Plants (1)
  • LAR 010 Travel: Regional 1 (0)

Fourth semester (17 credit hours)


  • LAR 433 Landscape History & Design Studio (5)
  • LAR 420 Socio-Ecological Systems Studio (5)
  • LAR 322 Ethics and Environmental Dilemmas (3)
  • LAR 351 Plant Patters and Use (1)
  • LAR 020 Travel: Regional 2 (0)
  • ENGL 200 Expository Writing II (3)

Summer Study (9 credit hours)


  • LAR 430 Narratives and Placemaking Studio (4)
  • LAR 425 Narratives and Placemaking Seminar (2)
  • LAR 352 Landscape Performance Lab (3)
  • LAR 030 Travel: Narratives and Placemaking (0)

Fifth semester (16 credit hours)


  • LAR 442 Site Research & Design Studio (5)
  • LAR 438 Site Design Implementation (5)
  • LAR 353 Plant Selection (1)
  • LAR 040 Travel: Major City 1 (0)
  • LAR 444 Career and Academic Planning (2)
  • PLAN 315 Introduction to City Planning (3)

Sixth semester (15 credit hours)


  • Credits: 5
  • LAR 439 Master Plan Design & Implementation (5)
  • LAR 354 Landscape Restoration (1)
  • LAR 050 Travel: Major City 2 (0)
  • LAR 445 Pro Prac: Career Development Comm. (1)
  • *General Elective (3)

Seventh semester (12-14 credit hours)


Eight semester (15 credit hours)


Tenth semester (10 credit hours)


Notes


Undergraduate Hours: 118
Graduate Hours: 32
Total (MLA( Degree Requirement: 152

The K-State 8 General Education areas are covered by courses required in the Landscape Architecture curriculum. Information about the K-State 8 is available on the web and in the university catalog.

All required courses taught in the landscape architecture and regional & community planning programs that are counted toward the degree must be passed with a grade of C or better. Graduate School admission is contingent upon completion of all required courses in the 3rd - 6th semesters.

*A minimum of six (6) general elective credits must be taken. General elective may be taken in pursuit of a minor. They may be taken any time prior to or during the Landscape Architecture program and may include KSU approved AP, IB, CLEP and transfer credit. Students may not count more than 3 total hours of recreation credits toward graduation. 

**Off-campus semester: Two distinct study opportunities are offered, each requiring 14 credit hours. The study abroad and the internship options have course requirements that substitute for the 9 professional elective credit requirements. If the internship option is not selected during the seventh or eighth semester, a summer internship is required before graduation.

*** Six (6) credit hours of the required graduate level professional electives must be LAR courses. Students may petition for an exception to this policy if there is a demonstrated academic benefit.