University Catalog

LARC 4300. INTRODUCTION TO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

An orientation to this environmental-design profession. Landscape architecture applies a blending of art with knowledge of natural processes and historical, cultural, and social dynamics to design richly supportive and beautiful outdoor places. Open to all students.

LARC 4301. SITE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES. 3 Hours.

Presents the processes and practices of site planning and development, including site inventory, analysis, and assessment of potential building sites. Students examine the natural, cultural, and social systems that affect design decisions, as well as the language and literature of landscape architecture. Prerequisite: 3.0 or higher GPA and department consent.

LARC 4325. URBAN SKETCHING. 3 Hours.

This course employs freehand, on-location sketching as a means for exploring and understanding the rich visual language of the urban environment. Lectures will introduce timeless urban design principles and field sketching techniques, which will be further developed through on-location sketching in the city. The course would be of interest to students of art, architecture, landscape architecture, planning, art and related fields. Some background in sketching through art or design coursework is recommended. Prerequisite: 3.0 or higher GPA and department consent.

LARC 4330. PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND ECOLOGY. 3 Hours.

Examines the design characteristics and horticultural requirements of a broad palette of plants adapted to the North Texas region. Field trips are required to learn the plants at both ornamental gardens and local ecological communities. Prerequisite: 3.0 or higher GPA and department consent.

LARC 4351. ADVANCED COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN. 3 Hours.

Focus is on a methodology for designing and illustrating with computer graphics that is very compatible with the design and production workflow of most landscape architecture offices. All work is done in an AutoCAD environment using AutoCAD for modeling and Lumion for redendering still images, interactive panoramas, and both viewpoint and key-frame animations. Photoshop is used for the creation of texture maps, image manipulation and photo-montage. Emphasis is on working intuitively and creatively. Prerequisite: ARCH 3343 or INTD 3343; 3.0 or higher GPA and department consent.

LARC 4391. CONFERENCE COURSE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

Independent study guided by an instructor on a regular basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and the Landscape Architecture Program Director.

LARC 4395. SELECTED TOPICS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

Studio and lecture courses to explore and present selected topics in landscape architecture and design. May be repeated for credit as topics change. Prerequisite: Permission of the Landscape Architecture Program Director.

LARC 4695. CONFERENCE COURSE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 6 Hours.

Studio and lecture courses to explore and present selected topics in landscape architecture and design. Not repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the Landscape Architecture Program Director.

LARC 5191. CONFERENCE COURSE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 1 Hour.

Special subjects and issues in landscape architecture that may be studied independently under faculty supervision. May be repeated for credit.

LARC 5294. MASTERS COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION. 2 Hours.

Must be taken concurrently with Thesis. Directed study, consultation, and comprehensive examination of coursework, leading to and including the thesis. Oral presentation required. Required of all Master of Landscape Architecture students in the semester in which they plan to graduate.

LARC 5300. INTRODUCTION TO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

An orientation to this environmental-design profession. Landscape architecture applies a blending of art with knowledge of natural processes and historical, cultural, and social dynamics to design richly supportive and beautiful outdoor places. Open to all students.

LARC 5301. SITE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES. 3 Hours.

Presents the processes and practices of site planning and development, including site inventory, analysis, and assessment of potential building sites. Students examine the natural, cultural, and social systems that affect design decisions, as well as the language and literature of landscape architecture.

LARC 5302. LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING. 3 Hours.

The process of land development planning for landscape architects. Detailed expansion of LARC 5301. Uses case studies in land development planning to instruct students in the environmental, economic, legal, and visual issues associated with the land planning process.

LARC 5312. HISTORY AND THEORY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

Traces landscape planning and design from pre-history through Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Islamic and Medieval gardens to Italian, French, and English landscape approaches, culminating in the mid-19th century. Relates landscape design to societal, cultural, technological and belief systems of each period. Culminates in the contemporary history of the profession from Andrew Jackson Downing to the present day. The growth and development of the profession, professional education, the environmental movement, large scale regional land planning and significant landscape architectural projects of the past century and a half.

LARC 5320. COMMUNICATIONS FOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS. 3 Hours.

Primary class for the development of graphic and communication skills in landscape architecture. Provides a method for transferring conceptual ideas into legible graphic presentations. Should be taken concurrently with LARC 5661 Design Studio I.

LARC 5321. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS. 3 Hours.

Focuses on the symbolic and representational computer graphics as well as communication and presentation techniques typically used in landscape architecture profession. Building on the graphic thinking, production, and communications skills covered in LARC 5320 and further expanding those basics to digital technologies and media. It also introduces students to fundamental concepts and principles of design and graphic composition in the digital environment. Prerequisite: LARC 5320.

LARC 5323. STUDIO TEACHING. 3 Hours.

LARC 5324. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ART SEMINAR. 3 Hours.

Siting and creating works of art; analysis of the creative processes of the two different-yet-related disciplines; case studies of built works. Communication of ideas through environmental media.

LARC 5325. URBAN SKETCHING. 3 Hours.

This course employs freehand, on-location sketching as a means for exploring and understanding the rich visual language of the urban environment. Lectures will introduce timeless urban design principles and field sketching techniques, which will be further developed through on-location sketching in the city. The course would be of interest to students of art, architecture, landscape architecture, planning, art and related fields. Some background in sketching through art or design coursework is recommended.

LARC 5326. DESIGN AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR. 3 Hours.

This course is an introduction to a range of viewpoints, concepts and characteristics of human behavior which should be taken into consideration when designing the urban environment. Cultural, social and psychological factors will be considered. Various theories and methods of environmental assessment and design will be studied that are based on an understanding of mutually supportive relationships between human beings and their physical environment. Field study will be employed to exercise theories and techniques explored.

LARC 5330. PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND ECOLOGY. 3 Hours.

Examines the design characteristics and horticultural requirements of a broad palette of plants adapted to the North Texas region. Field trips are required to learn the plants at both ornamental gardens and local ecological communities.

LARC 5331. PLANTING DESIGN. 3 Hours.

Design applications of plant material. Students apply the design problem-solving approach to the detailed aspects of planting design and complete a progressively-more-difficult series of problems to practice techniques and methods of plant manipulation that encompass both the aesthetic, programmatic, environmental, and ecological objectives of planting design. Prerequisites: LARC 5330; LARC 5661; LARC 5662.

LARC 5340. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE. 3 Hours.

Ethical, legal, and administrative aspects of the public, private, and academic spectrums of practice in landscape architecture.

LARC 5341. LANDSCAPE TECHNOLOGY I. 3 Hours.

Surveying, site grading, storm water management, vertical and horizontal curves and an overview of the construction documentation process employed by landscape architects.

LARC 5342. LANDSCAPE TECHNOLOGY II. 3 Hours.

Examines hardscape materials and methods typical to the practice of landscape architecture, through readings, examinations, design detail exercises, and the creation of a complete set of construction documents. Construction site tours are required with area industry professionals. Prerequisites: LARC 5341.

LARC 5344. PARK AND RECREATION DESIGN AND PLANNING. 3 Hours.

History, data collection, program formulation, and design principles for public and private park and recreation systems and sites. Includes management objectives, operations and maintenance, and public input as planning components.

LARC 5350. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE COMPUTER APPLICATIONS. 3 Hours.

Examines various computer applications currently used in office practice. Computer applications used for office management, site analysis, design development, construction documentation, and cost estimating. Introduction to computer aided design applications and the underlying theories of application.

LARC 5351. ADVANCED COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN. 3 Hours.

Focus is on a methodology for designing and illustrating with computer graphics that is very compatible with the design and production workflow of most landscape architecture offices. All work is done in an AutoCAD environment using AutoCAD for modeling and Lumion for rendering still images, interactive panoramas, and both viewpoint and key-frame animations. Photoshop is used for the creation of texture maps, image manipulation and photo-montage. Emphasis is on working intuitively and creatively. Prerequisite: LARC 5350.

LARC 5368. DESIGN PRACTICUM. 3 Hours.

An internship program which includes approved work done in a landscape architect's office or one of the related design fields. The purpose of the practicum is to provide students with practical design experience. Students may enroll in LARC 5368 for half-time employment or LARC 5668 for full time employment.

LARC 5380. RESEARCH METHODS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

Theories of practical research and methods of applying them as they relate to landscape architecture. Includes research program development, data collection and analysis, thesis proposal writing, and research tools and techniques. Emphasis is on qualitative methods.Prerequisites: LARC 5661, LARC 5662.

LARC 5382. URBAN DESIGN SEMINAR. 3 Hours.

The Seminar establishes a basic critical understanding, and a critique of urban design by reviewing its past, present and the future as an academic field and an area of practice. The seminar introduces urban design as a transdisciplinary specialization and professional endeavor that encompasses landscape architecture, architecture, city planning, and real estate to shape and influence the built environment primarily within urban context. Students actively present and lead informed discussions on topics such as urban form, urban landscapes, land-use patterns, population density, circulation, legibility, public art, environmental behavior and urban/rural interchange. Field trips are required.

LARC 5391. CONFERENCE COURSE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

Special subjects and issues in landscape architecture that may be studied independently under faculty supervision. May be repeated for credit.

LARC 5395. SELECTED TOPICS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 3 Hours.

Selected studio or lecture course offerings in specific areas of expertise or interest. Course allows the program the flexibility to address the ever-changing needs of students and the profession by offering courses beyond the scope of the core curriculum. May be repeated for credit.

LARC 5398. THESIS. 3 Hours.

Independent research and presentation of findings under the direction of a supervising committee. The findings of the thesis should extend the boundaries of the professional discipline by either presenting new and unique ideas or information, or by interpreting existing knowledge from a different perspective.

LARC 5623. STUDIO TEACHING PRACTICUM. 6 Hours.

Students spend one semester as a teaching assistant in the studio sequence under the supervision of the assigned faculty member. They will observe the methods employed in the studio and prepare a comprehensive evaluation of the studio in conjunction with the instructor. The students will oversee one short studio project and evaluate its success or failure based on the criteria learned in LARC 5323 and the goals and objectives of the test project. Prerequisite: LARC 5323.

LARC 5660. ENRICHMENT DESIGN STUDIO. 6 Hours.

Review of the principles and processes of design presented in Design Studios I, II, and III. Provides an opportunity for students with weak design and graphic skills to improve those skills to meet requirements for Design Studio IV. Course can use design competitions as projects, for advanced students who have completed the studio sequence. Prerequisite: LARC 5661 and LARC 5662.

LARC 5661. DESIGN STUDIO I. 6 Hours.

A design course for students with no background in landscape architecture or design. Outlines the site planning and site design decision-making process. Focuses on providing students with the verbal, intellectual, and graphic tools necessary to successfully tackle a design problem and bring it to a schematic level of completion. It is highly recommended that this course be taken concurrently with LARC 5320.

LARC 5662. DESIGN STUDIO II. 6 Hours.

A continuation of LARC 5661. Basic design principles and their application to three-dimensional spaces. Examines how humans occupy exterior space and combines this information with the principles of design to create garden scale models. Models are used as a medium for design expression. Landscape character, design simulation, landscape media, landscape context, and human spatial experience are included.

LARC 5663. DESIGN STUDIO III: SITE PLANNING. 6 Hours.

Features the process of solving complicated site planning and site design problems. Each phase of the site planning process is examined in detail by undertaking one or more studio problems that involve resolution of issues related to existing site conditions, program development, conceptual design, design development, and design detailing.

LARC 5664. DESIGN STUDIO IV: ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING. 6 Hours.

Studio IV is designed to provide the fundamental concepts and mechanisms underlying natural processes, and environmental planning and design. It addresses the influence of both natural and human factors on landscape planning and landscape architectural design within the context of sustainability. The course expands the regional planning and design to the environment as a large scale ecological unit, independent of political boundaries, through the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Geodesign framework. Prerequisite: LARC 5341, LARC 5661, LARC 5662, and LARC 5663.

LARC 5665. DESIGN STUDIO V: THE URBAN LANDSCAPE. 6 Hours.

The studio uses both real and hypothetical projects as well as competitions as design problems which require in depth understanding of behavioral, social, environmental, and economic conditions in relation to landscape architecture and urban design. Basic design and planning principles acquired in earlier studios are reiterated, and solutions to new problems on complex urban projects are introduced that benefit from interactions with architects, planners, urban designers, and developers. Prerequisite: LARC 5341, LARC 5342, LARC 5661, LARC 5662, LARC 5663, and LARC 5664.

LARC 5668. DESIGN PRACTICUM. 6 Hours.

An internship program which includes approved work done in a landscape architect's office or one of the related design fields. The purpose of the practicum is to provide students with practical design experience. Students may enroll in LARC 5368 for half-time employment or LARC 5668 for full time employment.

LARC 5691. CONFERENCE COURSE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. 6 Hours.

Special subjects and issues in landscape architecture that may be studied independently under faculty supervision. May be repeated for credit.

LARC 5693. MASTERS DESIGN THESIS. 6 Hours.

Independent research and design/planning investigations, under the direction of a supervising committee, that demonstrate rigorous original thinking. Topics can explore material in a new light or engage research and design practices in ways that strengthen and define the final masters design thesis in relationship to the field.

LARC 5698. THESIS. 6 Hours.

Independent research and presentation of findings under the direction of a supervising committee. The findings of the thesis should extend the boundaries of the professional discipline by either presenting new and unique ideas or information, or by interpreting existing knowledge from a different perspective.

LARC 5998. THESIS. 9 Hours.

Independent research and presentation of findings under the direction of a supervising committee. The findings of the thesis should extend the boundaries of the professional discipline by either presenting new and unique ideas or information, or by interpreting existing knowledge from a different perspective.