University Catalog

Landscape Architecture

Master's Degree

BACHELOR'S Degree


Overview

The University of Texas at Arlington, Landscape Architecture Program offers the following LAAB-accredited Master of Landscape Architecture degree programs:

  • Path A (87 credit hours; requires a 4-year bachelors degree)
  • Path B (60 credit hours; requires a 4-year pre-professional degree in architecture or a 4-year professional UT Arlington interior design degree)

The University of Texas at Arlington, Landscape Architecture Program also offers the following post-professional Master of Landscape Architecture degree program:

  • Path C (36 credit hours; requires a professional degree in landscape architecture)

STEM

In the Summer of 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated that Landscape Architecture is now a recognized Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) discipline.

Vision Statement

The UT Arlington Master of Landscape Architecture program advances design and planning solutions for environmental resiliency, urban placemaking, quality of life, and well-being. Through interdisciplinary teaching, research, and service activities, the program promotes leading-edge design and planning by capitalizing upon its unique position within the urban lab environment that Dallas/Fort Worth area offers, providing students with skills that are transferable to cities around the globe.

Mission Statement

Students and faculty within the Master of Landscape Architecture program seek to fulfill its vision on various levels, beginning with the program and radiating outward.

Landscape Architecture Program

The program provides a creative and engaging classroom, as well as an experiential learning environment that promotes critical and creative thinking about advanced solutions for current and future urban landscapes. A commitment to continual growth of the profession is manifested in lifetime learning opportunities including continuing education, certificates, and executive programs for working professionals

College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs

The Landscape Architecture program encourages collaborative teaching and research within the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. 

University of Texas at Arlington

The Landscape Architecture program encourages collaborative teaching, research and outreach programs across the University with such programs as Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Sociology, Real Estate Development and Business Administration. It also provides distinctive and creative contributions to the realization of the University’s Strategic Plan, especially regarding three of the plan’s themes:

  • Health and the Human Condition – by fostering design for cities of well-being.
  • Sustainable Urban Communities – by teaching, developing and transferring knowledge regarding the changes in our natural, cultural and social environments.
  • Global Environmental Impact –by attracting and engaging a diverse student body and faculty to study issues and disseminate research regarding urban landscapes and their global environmental impact.

Community Outreach
The Landscape Architecture program acts as a bridge between academia and industry by providing a hub for service learning opportunities that benefit a wide range of community partners. We do this by capitalizing upon the broad and diverse expertise of faculty research, and by integrating creative and thoughtful design that addresses the culture, nature, and people within a rapidly growing metropolitan environment to help create viable, sustainable, and resilient urban communities.

Our Values

Excellence in our education programs – We value excellence and seek the highest standards in teaching by engaging students to develop creative and critical thinking, an appreciation of lifetime learning, and the professional skills necessary to address issues of landscape architecture, urban design, sustainability, and quality of life.

Diversity – We value and promote diversity in our students, faculty, design and planning practices, and see diversity as one of the strengths of our program.

Research – We value and promote original research and scholarly activities that apply the diverse expertise of faculty students to addressing complex urban issues.

Collaboration – We value collaboration within our students, our MLA faculty, CAPPA, and across the University, as well as with our current and developing business, government and nonprofit community partners.

Service to our community – We value service as a key element of structured experiential learning that results in creative solutions to urban landscape, urban design, sustainability, and city building challenges, with the goal of fostering   quality of life and well-being.

Accreditation

The Landscape Architecture Program is fully accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board. Graduates from the Landscape Architecture Program are qualified to sit for the Landscape Architecture Registration Exam which, when successfully passed, qualifies individuals to practice as landscape architects in the State of Texas.

EDUCATIONAL GOALS

Established through the Unite Effectiveness Process (UEP) process support the program's mission, and also are aligned with the standards established by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) for first professional degree programs in landscape architecture that encompass the body of knowledge common to the profession and promote acquisition of the knowledge and skills necessary to enter professional practice.

1. Proficiency in communication: graduating students will demonstrate proficiency in communicating ideas with visual proficiency.

2. Proficiency in verbal communication: graduating students will demonstrate proficiency in communicating ideas with verbal proficiency.

3. Identification of natural and cultural systems: graduating students will demonstrate the ability to identify the local and regional cultural and natural systems including hydrology for a given design program.

4. Knowledge of computer applications: graduating students will demonstrate proficiency with relevant computer programs.

5. Knowledge of construction materials, methods, technologies and applications: graduating students will demonstrate the ability to produce a set of industry standard construction documents.

6. Advanced written research/communication: graduating students will demonstrate the ability to produce scholarly research in the form of a written and oral thesis.

7. Design Comprehension, Creativity and Rigor: The student will demonstrate understanding of design processes, comprehension, creativity and rigor.

Graduate Teaching/Research Assistantships

To be considered for a Graduate Teaching or Research Assistantship, the candidate must be admitted without provisional conditions. In order to be eligible for teaching assistantships, students whose native language is not English, must complete extramural training in English as approved by the Landscape Architecture Program and the Graduate School.

Fellowships and Scholarships

To be considered for fellowships or scholarships in the Landscape Architecture Program the candidate must have a favorable review in most of the evaluation criteria. Fellowships and scholarships in landscape architecture are limited and very competitive. Generally, candidates must be new students coming to UT Arlington, must have a GPA of 3.0 in their last 60 undergraduate credit hours and any graduate hours, and must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 hours in both long semesters to retain their fellowships or scholarships.