Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 General Catalog 
    
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Landscape Architecture - MLA


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College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences

Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

The department offers a three-year, first professional degree for students with a bachelor’s degree in any area of study. This option allows students having a wide range of undergraduate experience to obtain an accredited degree in landscape architecture that fulfills the educational requirement for professional registration and allows entrance into the field of landscape architecture.

The program for the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) emphasizes both traditional site planning and design, as well as broader areas of the profession, such as large-scale regional landscape analysis and planning, open space conservation, historic landscape preservation, and sustainable design. The MLA first professional degree is fully accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The Master of Landscape Architecture program is designed to prepare the student for the landscape architect’s challenging role of providing a holistic approach to environmental planning and design. In order for landscape architects to contribute effectively to an interdisciplinary effort, they must be competent in the fundamentals of landscape architecture and also have an understanding of the subject matter of other professions. Landscape architects must master the communication skills necessary to achieve meaningful collaboration. In support of this philosophy, the following are the major objectives of the MLA program.

  1. To provide a well-structured curriculum in fundamental professional knowledge and skills.
  2. To research, analyze, and resolve land use and design issues related specifically to the Intermountain West. The scope of the program examines national, regional, and local issues; and their impact on the visual, physical, and cultural setting of the Intermountain West.
  3. To integrate field experience and research into major graduate studio courses structured around real-world projects.
  4. To provide opportunities for each student for exploration and development of an area of concentration as noted elsewhere.
  5. To draw upon the regional, national, and international relationships of Utah State University to facilitate a program of academic and professional excellence which will allow the student to achieve eminence in practice, research, or education.

 

First Year - 29 credits
During the first year, coursework concentrates on basic professional competency.

 Fall Semester

Credits

General Education Info and Notes:

 

Spring Semester

Credits

General Education Info and Notes:

LAEP 1200: Introduction to Graphics and Illustration           4     LAEP 1300: Digital Drafting, Illustration, and Modeling   3    
LAEP 2600: Landscape Construction I (QI)   4     LAEP 1350: Theory of Design   4    
LAEP 6270: Site Analysis: Social, Behavioral, and Biophysical Dimensions   4     LAEP 2720: Analysis and Design 2   5    
LAEP 6860: Faculty/Interdisciplinary Seminar I   1     LAEP 6880: Landscape Architecture Research Methods   2    
LAEP 6890: Seminar on Thesis Proposals and Procedures   1     LAEP 6910: Reading Seminar I   1    
Comments
Comments

Second Year 30 credits
During the second year, students can begin to specialize in one or more areas of concentration.

 Fall Semester

Credits

General Education Info and Notes:

 

Spring Semester

Credits

General Education Info and Notes:

LAEP 6200: Bioregional Analysis and Planning             5     LAEP 6100: Regional Landscape Analysis and Planning   5    
LAEP 6110: Landscape Ecology for Planning   3     LAEP 6230: History of Landscape Architecture   3    
LAEP 3300: GIS for Environmental Planning   4     Electives 6  
LAEP 6930: Reading Seminar II   1          
Electives 3        
Comments
Comments

Third Year - 21 credits

 Fall Semester

Credits

General Education Info and Notes:

 

Spring Semester

Credits

General Education Info and Notes:

LAEP 6970: Thesis Research  (Plan A, thesis, 3 credits required) or LAEP 6960: Master’s Project  (Plan B, Terminal Project, 3 credits required)         1-6  or 1-6     LAEP 6750: Implementation and Regulatory Techniques in Planning   3    
LAEP 6740: Planning Theory and Implementation Issues   3     LAEP 6970: Thesis Research (Plan A, thesis, 2 credits required)  1-6   Enroll in 2 credits
Electives 4   LAEP 6160: Communication and Leadership in Professional Practice   3    
      Electives 3  
Comments
Comments
NOTE:

Selection of electives should be related to thesis or terminal project content and should be selected in consultation with the student’s mentor and/or thesis/project committee. Specific elective coursework may be required by the thesis/project committee in order to properly prepare the student for thesis or project work (Plan A or B).

Areas of Faculty Expertise

The Master of Landscape Architecture program provides opportunities for each student to study and conduct research in areas which take advantage of the strengths of Utah State University and the landscape context of the Intermountain West centered around the expertise of the LAEP Department faculty, including:

  • Community Planning—Lavoie, Licon, Sleipness
  • Cultural and Historic Landscapes—George, Sleipness
  • Design/Theory and Representation—Johnson, Lavoie
  • Environmental Psychology—Chamberlain
  • Geovisualization—Chamberlain, George, George
  • Human-Environment Relations—Michael
  • Open Space Conservation—Licon, Sleipness
  • Public Lands/Recreation—Christensen, Michael, Sleipness
  • Site Planning—Christensen, Evans, Johnson, Lavoie
  • Socially Equitable Design—Christensen
  • Sustainable Landscapes—Licon, Hirschfeld
  • Urban Regional Landscape Planning—Evans, Licon
  • Water Conservation—Powell
  • Watershed Sustainability—Powell

These areas of faculty expertise include an assessment of the relevant environmental, design, social, economic, and public policy issues utilizing a wide range of computer-based techniques and models.

Admission Requirements

The application deadline for consideration in the first round of reviews is March 15. Applications received later than March 15 will be considered as space availability allows.

Computer Requirement

Computer competency is essential in the contemporary professional environment. Appropriate computer skills are required for most entry-level opportunities in landscape architecture and environmental planning. Therefore, course content increasingly relies on computer skills and personal access to computers with the appropriate software.

All students entering the MLA program must purchase, lease, or otherwise obtain continuing and uninterrupted access to a personal computer, preferably a laptop, which meets the configuration requirements specified by the LAEP Department. Consult the departmental website for current specifications.

Course of Study

The graduate program director oversees academic advising of all incoming students until they have selected a thesis topic. A major professor whose interests are closely aligned to those of the student then supervises thesis work.

Licensure Notification


This program typically leads to licensure and is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) to meet the educational requirements for licensure in the United States and its territories. USU has not determined if the program curriculum meets all the licensure requirements for individual jurisdictions, as each sets its own requirements for licensure and may have additional requirements such as a supervised employment period. Students wishing to work within the United States should review the qualifications for their intended jurisdiction, and complete the LARE exam for that state or territory. For more information, please visit www.clarb.org/home/about-clarb.

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