Graduate Bulletin
Landscape Architecture, M.L.Arch.
SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Admission Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadline:
Fall: July 1
Spring: November 1
Applications are reviewed as they are received up through the deadline.
APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.
Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 2
From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members, employers, and others in a position to evaluate the applicant's past work and/or ability to do graduate work.
Coursework Required for Admission Consideration:
For students who have an undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture, this program is a 44-credit post-professional degree. The program is also open to students without a degree in Landscape Architecture, but students without the appropriate prerequisite coursework need a maximum of 26 additional credits.
Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:
All applicants must present credentials that are the equivalent of the appropriate baccalaureate degree at Temple University.
Statement of Goals:
The Statement of Goals should be approximately 500-1,000 words and should include the following elements: your reason for pursuing an advanced degree in Landscape Architecture; your interest in Temple's program in particular; and your future career goals.
Standardized Test Scores:
The GRE/GMAT is required. A waiver of this requirement may be requested if the applicant has an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25; OR a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 in 9 s.h. of graduate work from an accredited institution completed prior to applying to the M.L.Arch. program; OR a graduate degree from an accredited institution in a related discipline.
Minimum TOEFL score needed to be accepted:
79 iBT or 550 PBT.
Transfer Credit:
The Landscape Architecture Admissions Committee recommends the awarding of transfer credits on a case-by-case basis as applications are reviewed. The student may not receive transfer credit for coursework taken as part of any other awarded graduate degree. The maximum number of advanced standing plus transfer credits a student may receive is 9.
Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
POST-PROFESSIONAL DEGREE (for students WITH an undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture)
Total Number of Credits Required to Earn the Degree: 44
Required Courses:
Core Courses (38 credits):
LARC 8151*: Woodland Design Studio
LARC 8351*: Aesthetics of Ecological Design Seminar
LARC 8751*: Northeastern Woodland Ecosystems
* These courses (8 credits) must be taken together.
LARC 8152**: Wetland/Riparian Design Studio
LARC 8752**: Wetland Ecology
** These courses (7 credits) must be taken together.
LARC 8153***: Public Lands Design Studio
LARC 8353***: Policies of Public Design Seminar
*** These courses (5 credits) must be taken together.
C+R PLN 5524: Spatial Analysis Techniques/Geographic Information Systems
OR
LARC 5551: Intermediate Computer Graphics
LARC 8552: Research Design Methods
LARC 8753: Invasive Species Management
LARC 8755: Native Plant Communities
LARC 8789: Landscape Restoration Workshop
LARC 8889: Restoration Monitoring Workshop
Capstone Course (3 credits):
LARC 9995: Capstone Restoration Design Project
One 3-credit elective determined in consultation with a Landscape Architecture advisor.
FIRST PROFESSIONAL DEGREE (for students WITHOUT an undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture)
Total Number of Credits Required to Earn the Degree: 47-70
In addition to the required Core Courses (38 credits), Capstone Course (3 credits), and 3-credit elective identified above, the student may be required to take the following prerequisite courses as determined by a Landscape Architecture advisor upon review of the student's previously completed coursework.
Prerequisite Courses (maximum of 26 credits):
HORT 8261: Native Woody Plant Identification
HORT 8514: Landscape Restoration
LARC 8141: Design Communications/Introductory Design Studio I
LARC 8144: Landscape Design Studio II
LARC 8241: Landscape Engineering I
LARC 8242: Landscape Engineering II
LARC 8496: Landscape Traditions
LARC 8644: Professional Practice
Internship: All students work with a local or regional client as part of the Capstone Course (LARC 9995: Capstone Restoration Design Project).
Language Examination: No language examination is required.
Culminating Events:
Capstone Course:
All students must complete LARC 9995: Capstone Restoration Design Project, which involves undertaking a project in cooperation with a local or regional client. Students synthesize the knowledge gained from previous courses in the development of an integrated approach that is appropriate to their project.
Contacts
Program Contact Information:
www.ambler.temple.edu/la-hort/academics/mlarch.htm
Department Information:
Dept. of Landscape Architecture
School of Environmental Design
Ambler Campus
Dixon Hall 201
580 Meetinghouse Road
Ambler, PA 19002
mlarch@temple.edu
267-468-8181
Department Contacts:
Admissions:
Linda Palmarozza
Dixon Hall 201
mlarch@temple.edu
267-468-8181
Program Coordinator:
Pauline Hurley-Kurtz, MLA, RLA, ASLA
Dixon Hall 201
mlarch@temple.edu
267-468-8181
Graduate Chairperson:
Pauline Hurley-Kurtz, MLA, RLA, ASLA
Dixon Hall 201
mlarch@temple.edu
267-468-8181
Chairperson:
Pauline Hurley-Kurtz, MLA, RLA, ASLA
Dixon Hall 201
mlarch@temple.edu
267-468-8181
About the Program
The Master of Landscape Architecture in the School of Environmental Design has an emphasis in ecological landscape restoration. It provides graduates with the knowledge to make informed and creative environmental design decisions. Graduates are highly marketable and have the basic skills required of professional landscape architects, including design, computer graphics, horticultural knowledge, technical competence, and knowledge of restoration.
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) describes landscape architecture as a profession encompassing “the analysis, planning, design, management, and stewardship of the natural and built environments.” Program objectives are to educate students to become capable practitioners with knowledge of a specialty area of the discipline; educate practitioners who are trained to think critically and creatively about each ecological situation; and develop a body of knowledge through research, long-term monitoring of restored landscapes, and comparison of methods upon which current and future professionals can draw.
Landscape architecture is a professional discipline that is receiving wider recognition as an environmentally focused profession whose mission is to promote environmental balance and human well-being through sustainable design. Ecological landscape restoration, the emphasis of this Master of Landscape Architecture degree, has emerged as a critical dimension of landscape architecture over the past few decades. This is in response to the enormous negative impact that human activity has had on our environment resulting in ecosystem degradation. Landscape restoration increases local and regional biodiversity and mitigates potentially dangerous consequences of degradation through projects such as stream bank stabilization, created wetlands to help infiltrate storm water, mine reclamation, industrial brown field remediation, and reforestation of urban land. Understanding the ecological processes and natural history that constitute a site is fundamental to the design process.
Time Limit for Degree Completion: 6 years
Campus Locations:
Ambler
Some courses may also be offered at the Main and Center City campuses.
Full-Time/Part-Time Status:
Students are able to complete the degree program on a full-time or part-time (8 credits or less per semester) basis and by taking both day and evening classes.
Department Information:
Dept. of Landscape Architecture
School of Environmental Design
Ambler Campus
Dixon Hall 201
580 Meetinghouse Road
Ambler, PA 19002
mlarch@temple.edu
267-468-8181
Interdisciplinary Study:
The program is interdisciplinary and allows students to enroll in classes from allied disciplines. In addition to the courses in Landscape Architecture, the program builds on the strengths of the Ambler Campus by taking advantage of courses currently offered as part of the M.S. in Community and Regional Planning; field courses in Horticulture related to the campus’ woodland and riparian habitats; and research/grant opportunities within the Center for Sustainable Communities at Ambler. The program can also draw from the repository of local ecological landscape restoration examples and practitioners in the Philadelphia region.
Affiliation(s):
The Department is a member of the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS), the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).
Study Abroad:
No.
Ranking:
Not applicable.
Accreditation:
The Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture offers two accredited programs in Landscape Architecture. The first professional Master of Landscape Architecture degree (M.L.Arch.) and the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (B.S.) are both accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
Areas of Specialization:
The emphasis of the Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.Arch.) degree program is ecological landscape restoration, which emphasizes understanding of ecological processes and plant communities. This understanding is applied in a sequence of design studios. The design application results in connecting theory and scientific principles to creative application in the natural setting. The program educates practitioners skilled at designing beautiful landscapes that are also ecologically appropriate to their locale.
Job Placement:
The U.S. Department of Labor cited landscape architecture as a top growth profession through 2016, projecting a needed increase of 16%. Organizations related to the profession indicate that the number of graduates from professional degree programs is insufficient to meet current or projected demand. Temple University's location in the tri-state region supports professional opportunities for graduates. This area has a very high concentration of prominent landscape architecture firms, public agencies, and ecological restorationists.
Licensure:
The Department of Landscape Architecture is affiliated with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the national professional association for landscape architects. This organization provides recognized leadership nationwide in the licensing of professional landscape architects and in the accreditation of programs through the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB).
Non-Matriculated Student Policy:
A maximum of 9 s.h. can be taken at Temple prior to matriculation.
Financing Opportunities
Inquiries about funding should be directed to the Department.
Updated 4.8.13
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