Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.)
The M.L.A. Program

The M.L.A. Program

This section provides more detailed information about program curriculum and research options, and stipulates requirements for graduation. The two-year curriculum comprises a minimum of 44 credits: a 3-credit research methods course, 19 credits of core studio/research, a graduate seminar each of the four semesters for four credits total, and electives totaling a minimum of 18 credits.

Overview of M.L.A. Course Requirements

A minimum of 44 credits is required for the Master of Landscape Architecture degree. The curriculum sequence shown in the table below recommends that 11 credits be taken during each of the four semesters, but this number will vary depending on course availability, teaching assistantship assignments, and any remedial professional course work we feel is required. At least 34 of these credits should be earned at the University Park campus. The majority of the course work must be above the 400 level. Only courses at or above the 400 level qualify for graduate program credit. See the Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin for further details.

The core curriculum consists of two main parts: graduate studios and graduate seminars. The 19-credit graduate studio sequence comprises LArch 520, 530, 540, and 550 for Independent Study and Center for Watershed Stewardship Option students; for Community and Urban Design Option students, the parallel course numbers are LArch 520, 531/532, 541/542, and 552. The content of the introductory studio taken by all M.L.A. students, LArch 520 varies depending on the student's background and program placement. In consultation with the coordinator, incoming students already holding a B.L.A. or B.S.L.A. may elect to use LArch 520 to begin focused research immediately upon entry into their first semester. Students with a baccalaureate degree in architecture are usually advised to take LArch 520 as an introductory graduate-level design studio. Subsequent studios then take on two forms: i) independent Master's Project research studios for Independent Study MLA students, or ii) advanced professional studios and corollary independent inquiry for Option students. These are described in further detail below.

All M.L.A. students are required to take the sequence of 4 one-credit graduate seminars (LArch 510). These courses are an opportunity to engage in a scholarly discourse on topics that span the breadth of the discipline. In addition all M.L.A. students take LArch 501, Research Methods in Landscape Architecture, to prepare for their independent inquiry component of the curriculum.

A minimum of 18 elective credits is required, selected in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinator and the students' primary advisor. The intent of these electives is to build knowledge and skills relevant to the student's chosen area of graduate specialization. Students with an undergraduate degree in Architecture may be advised to take extra elective credits for remedial professional course work (e.g. design implementation, landscape architecture history, planting design), with the understanding that these extra credits may somewhat prolong the length of the program.

Incoming international students who score below Penn State standards on the AEOCPT test may be required to take a designated ESL/Speech Communication course, in addition to the regular 44-credit program.

MLA "Tracks"

The Penn State M.L.A. offers three academic "tracks:" pursuit of an Option in Center for Watershed Stewardship (C.W.S.); pursuit of an Option in Community and Urban Design (C.U.D.); or Independent Study.

Option in Center for Watershed Stewardship

The graduate option in watershed stewardship is intended to provide advanced expertise to landscape architects interested in this niche area of professional work. The C.W.S. Option places students in an interdisciplinary context where they work with graduate students from disciplines including Forest Resources, Ecology, and Agricultural Economics to address specific community-based projects in watershed stewardship. A major sub-component of the M.L.A. degree program, the C.W.S. option comprises 19 of the total 44 credits. It includes breadth courses drawn from a range of watershed-relevant disciplines, specialized course work in watershed planning and management, and a year-long team practicum that addresses real watershed stewardship challenges in a select Pennsylvania community. This second-year "Keystone project" is conducted in partnership with government, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders in the project watershed.

For more information on the C.W.S. Option intentions and curriculum, see Option in Center for Watershed Stewardship.

Option in Community and Urban Design

Like the C.W.S. Option, the Community and Urban Design Option forms a major sub-component of the M.L.A. program, comprising 24 of the total 44 credits. This option provides students with in-depth inquiry into the theory and practice of community-based and urban design that responds to trends related to urban growth and change, the rise of the non-profit sector in community governance, and poverty and environmental degradation in urbanized and urbanizing areas. The intent of the C.U.D. Option is to introduce students to technical elements of professional practice, while fostering a critical perspective vis-à-vis the restructuring of urban and community space. Students undertake hands-on design work and research as well as coursework in methods and computer applications, planning and policy, and ethics and society. Exploration of relevant theories occurs throughout the curriculum. The goal is to produce a well-rounded and transdisciplinary practitioner able to work in a range of settings and across a variety of scales.

For more information on the C.W.S. Option intentions and curriculum, see Option in Community and Urban Design.

Independent Study

In this "traditional" approach to graduate work, a student identifies an area of independent study that provides the focus of his/her research activity for all or most of the academic curriculum. For maximum educational benefit, students should choose their topics based on Penn State 's strengths- activity within one of our Centers, the research of a faculty member, etc.

Independent Study M.L.A. students identify a topic, a primary advisor, and a project committee early in their curriculum. Students then work closely with the primary advisor to develop a research proposal, then project, that is reviewed by the committee and finally defended by the student to meet graduation requirements.

Independent study products can take 3 forms:

Master's Thesis : A single, exhaustive, and probing product, typically 100-150 pages in length, based on primary and secondary research that follows the specific formatting and timing protocol established by the Graduate School. Students electing the Master's Thesis option are required to submit two hard-bound, archival-quality copies of the final product to the coordinator prior to graduation. One copy is then placed in the Architecture-Landscape Architecture Library, one is kept for departmental records.

Master's Project : A single, exhaustive, and probing product, typically 100-150 pages in length, based on primary and secondary research that follows procedures for formatting and timing agreed upon by the advisor and the student, with input from the Master's Committee. This option demands a level of rigor equal to that of the thesis, but because it need not concern itself with the Graduate School requirements for format, it permits a wider range of presentation styles. The Keystone project is considered the equivalent of a Master's project. Students electing the Master's project option are required to submit two hard-bound, archival-quality copies of the final product to the coordinator prior to graduation. One copy is then placed in the Architecture-Landscape Architecture Library, one is kept for departmental records.

Two-Paper Product: Two distinct, but preferably linked papers, typically of 45-60 pages each. Each paper must explore an advanced, graduate-level question in considerable depth. As a guideline, the papers should be more expansive than an "A" quality graduate term paper. Although timing may vary, LArch 530 is typically allotted to paper #1 and LArch 540 to paper #2. During the final semester (LArch 550) both papers must be formally refined, edited, compiled, and bound as one volume. Students electing the Two-Paper Product are required to submit two hard-bound, archival-quality copies of the final product to the coordinator prior to graduation. One copy is then placed in the Architecture-Landscape Architecture Library, one is kept for departmental records.

Graduate students should realize that all three alternatives above are ¾ in their entirety ¾ of equal credit value and demand an equivalent level of commitment. The subject and content of these core research options are matters to be settled between the student and the primary advisor, within the context of policies and standards of the Graduate School and the Department.

Special Note: For students engaging in a design-based inquiry, any design exercise must be nested within a research process and reflect the full standards discussed above. The design problem will be only part of the inquiry. It may serve as a case study to explore a broader theme, or as a means to help answer a larger research question. Thus, the design will help test and demonstrate a hypothesis; its execution must be defensible, rational, and well-communicated.

All M.L.A. candidates following the Independent Study track must defend their Master's thesis, project or papers, and a favorable vote by all members of the Master's committee is required for passing. The thesis option may entail additional review and signatory requirements (see the Graduate School's Thesis Guide).

Typical Curriculum Sequence for MLA "Tracks"

* CWS elective requirements comprise 9 credits total, in Water Resources Sciences (3); Social Science, Public Policy, or Economics (3); and Humanities (3). For the list of approved electives see "Option in Watershed Stewardship".