Master of Landscape Architecture

Create Vibrant,

Sustainable

Landscapes

Florida—It’s where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean and the Everglades meet Miami. It’s where cultures and generations mix. Where agriculture, space flight, development, tourism, and health care shape the economy.

This dynamic environment is also home to the intellectual powerhouse of the University of Florida. It attracts researchers, scholars, and artists to a community relentlessly focused on solving today’s most complex problems, from climate change to AI to social justice.

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Student Learning Outcomes

The University of Florida Experience

When you choose to extend your creativity and scholarship to a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Florida, you acquire the research skills and problem-solving depth to:

Conserve fragile ecosystems in Florida and around the world

Create beautiful places that connect diverse human communities

Build resilient systems that support cities and economies

Program Information

The Advanced Design Studio sequence is at the heart of our MLA curriculum and focuses on:

Sustainable Landscapes: Designing environmentally responsible and resource-efficient landscapes that promote biodiversity, conserve natural resources, and mitigate the impact of human activities on ecosystems.
Healthy Communities: Creating landscapes that prioritize the well-being of residents by integrating green spaces, recreational areas, and amenities to encourage physical activity, social interactions, and overall community health.
Environmental & Social Justice: Examining the disparities in built environments by advocating for inclusive and equitable designed landscapes that aspire for all communities to have access to high-quality, sustainable, and culturally relevant spaces.

These design studios are supported by advanced knowledge and skill-building courses, including History and Theories of Landscape Architecture; Analysis and Design Communication; Plants, Ecosystems and Ecology; Construction & Project Management. You can further explore your interests and passions through several elective choices.

The MLA curriculum, ranging from hands-on design studio and lab courses to seminar and lecture courses, prepares you to undertake an independent terminal project or thesis in your final year. This project represents a synthesis and application of all the skills, knowledge and creative abilities acquired throughout the program.

The thesis establishes a hypothesis that is tested through established research methods appropriate to the field of design. The thesis is writing-intensive and must adhere to the University of Florida’s Graduate School formatting and timeline.

The terminal project establishes a hypothesis that is tested through critical application and reflective analysis. The terminal project allows for greater flexibility in formatting and does not require adherence to the UF Graduate School format or timeline requirements.

Previous MLA theses and terminal project topics have included:

Conservation planning and design
Resilient communities
Urban green infrastructure
Landscape performance
Agriculture and food security
Cultural landscapes
Design in an international context
Environmental and social justice

If your undergraduate degree is NOT in Landscape Architecture

The First Professional Program is for students who do not have a degree in landscape architecture accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). Graduation from an accredited program is an essential first step toward licensing in Florida and other states that regulate the practice of landscape architecture.

Prior educational experience from any field is accepted for the First Professional Master of Landscape Architecture.
Courses of study in the FPMLA range between two and three years and the department will determine the appropriate length of study for each student upon acceptance.
If you have no formal design training, you should anticipate a three-year course of study.
If you have a non-accredited degree in landscape architecture, or education and training in allied design/planning fields, you may be allowed to waive specific courses in the first year of the program.

The Post Professional Master of Landscape Architecture program is a two-year course of study for students who already have an LAAB-accredited degree in landscape architecture.

This advanced graduate study sequence allows you to engage in issues of relevance to the discipline through critical analysis and research culminating in a terminal project or thesis.

As part of your MLA studies, you can choose a concentration in:

Geographic information systems
Historic preservation
Sustainable design
Wetland sciences

Graduate certificates help you gain specialized knowledge and focused expertise. Earn one to make your studies truly multidisciplinary and to add an impressive academic credential to your prestigious MLA degree.

Explore UF Graduate Certificates

During your MLA program, you may choose to join faculty-led field trips to visit urban environments, notable landscape architecture projects, and professional practices across the U.S.

During the summer before your final year, you may pursue an internship position under the guidance of a registered landscape architect.

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) programs are accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB). The BLA program has been accredited since 1972 and the MLA program since 1993. The 2022 LAAB site visit resulted in a two-year accreditation for both programs.

Public Information 2023-2024

STEM Designation

Landscape Architecture combines art and science. It is officially designated as a STEM discipline by the Department of Homeland Security – and that means that your graduate studies reflect evidence-based knowledge and technology-driven solutions. Data science skills are integrated into courses and applied research, and you have many options to take STEM-related electives.

An advanced STEM degree is your path to a high-profile leadership career in academics, government, or an interdisciplinary design, planning and construction team. With a STEM designated degree, international students may extend their F-1 visa for up to three years.

The MLA Curriculum

The MLA curriculum is designed for a rigorous, reflective, and broad study of landscape. It has the flexibility to allow you to explore specific topics in greater depth.

Curriculum Map

Course Descriptions

Faculty Research

Paying for Grad School
Advancing Your Career

Assistantships

The Department of Landscape Architecture awards a limited number of graduate research and graduate teaching assistantships on a competitive basis. In addition to departmental positions, our graduate students have been awarded other university-wide assistantships, such as those offered by the Division of Student Life.

Departmental Awards

The Department of Landscape Architecture offers several graduate student awards, including:

Howard Sebold Award: Recognizes a graduate student’s leadership, scholarship and potential professional distinction.
David W. and LeAnn S. Johnston Award: Supports graduate fellowships and will be given to the best Graduate Terminal Project Proposal (proposals presented as part of the Criticism course).
Marquis Latimer & Halback Award: Recognizes a graduate student for excellence in their Terminal Project selected by the final presentation jurors.
Joshua W. Lepp Travel Endowment in Landscape Architecture: Support travel scholarship and fellowships for the Department of Landscape Architecture undergraduate and graduate students in their last year of study who are participating in a University-approved program in Europe.
Jonathan and Elizabeth Seymour Scholarship: This fund was established in 2007 by Jonathan and Elizabeth Seymour to support the Department of Landscape Architecture in the College of Design, Construction and Planning. Jonathan graduated from the University of Georgia and immediately commenced practicing in South Florida.

More financial resources

The University of Florida offers several financial aid opportunities through the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. Eligibility varies based on different criteria. Another source is the UF Graduate School which provides several resources of varying nature to help manage your financial commitment.

With a thriving hospitality and leisure industry, Landscape Architecture is a specialization in demand in Florida. Our MLA graduates benefit from access to a robust professional community of landscape architects across the state.

Professional Advisory Committee

Job Opportunities

DCP Career Building

Therapeutic Landscapes

Since childhood, Weishunhua Zhang (MLA ’23) was drawn to art and design work. After earning an undergraduate degree in industrial design, she decided to take her career in a different direction.

After earning her master’s degree, her portfolio now includes award-winning designs and plans for therapeutic landscapes that can give back to the community through the healing process.

View Zhang’s Portfolio

Seminar: Novel Nature-Based Solutions

Prof. Jiayang Li presents “Novel Nature-based Solutions: Understanding and Expanding the Role of Community Perception and Everyday Landscape Experiences” as part of our seminar series.

Edward D. Stone, Jr. Lecture Series

DCP Research Seminar Series