Entry requirements
Entry Conditions Applicants to the MSc in Landscape Architectural Studies Syllabus A and PG Diploma in Landscape Architectural Studies must hold a degree from this or other approved University or awarding body with at least a 2ii Honours standard or equivalent qualification in a related subject (eg. architecture, planning, environmental science and management), or otherwise In exceptional circumstances, candidates without a first degree must be able to demonstrate their ability to undertake the course through the accreditation of prior experiential learning. Applicants to the MSc in Landscape Architectural Studies Syllabus B must hold a degree from this or other approved University or awarding body with at least 2ii Honours standard or equivalent qualification, normally in landscape architecture or otherwise with additional training in landscape architecture through employment, study or accredited prior experiential learning who can demonstrate their ability to undertake the course, subject to the written approval of the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment. All applicants are required to submit a portfolio of work experience for consideration of the admissions committee, accompanied by a statement of intent to support their application, and will normally be required to attend an interview. Both the portfolio submission and the interview seek to demonstrate that the applicant has a serious interest, application and potential for ability across the range of subjects in the discipline. In the case of overseas students, digital portfolio and telephone / internet interview is permitted. A minimum IELTS score of 6 is required for students whose first language is not English.
Course description
Duration and Mode of Attendance
The MSc Landscape Architectural Studies comprises a course of study over one calendar year full-time, or three years part-time.
The PG Diploma in Landscape Architectural Studies comprises a course of study over one academic year full-time, or two years part-time.
The Programme
Fundamentally concerned with people and place, landscape architecture is the design profession for the external environment, from natural to urban landscapes and from intimate to global scale.
The core concerns of the MSc / PG Diploma in Landscape Architectural Studies programme are design and sustainability, to generate and advance the students’ competence and understanding of the forces that impact, shape and sustain our external environment. Design projects and modules take in plants and planting, landscape construction, history, theory, ecology, environmental assessment, professional context, policy and law, and economic development and regeneration. Essential skills will be developed in communication, presentation, research and culminate in a design thesis project.
Structure and Content
The Landscape Architecture programme is structured in two stages, each of which comprises 50% design studio taken in parallel with modules in core and associated subjects.
The PG Diploma in Landscape Architectural Studies comprises one stage of study which is equal to Stage 1, and does not provide a route to Professional Chartership in Landscape Architecture. This course is open to students who do not have the time or funding for more than one academic year of studies, or who do not have the prior confidence to commit to a dissertation. Overall credit: 120
The MSc in Landscape Architectural Studies comprises one stage of study plus a dissertation, and does not provide a route to Professional Chartership in Landscape Architecture. The MSc in Landscape Architectural Studies offers opportunities for specialised study in landscape architecture for those not seeking a professional qualification in the UK. It also provides an especially useful grounding for students considering a PhD in landscape architecture, or those who wish to add a range of landscape architecture skills to an existing professional qualification in another discipline, or for International Students. The dissertation is an original and individual piece of tutored research not exceeding 15,000 words. The stage of study depends on the prior experience of the student, and is detailed according to Syllabus A or B.
-Syllabus A constitutes a foundation course in the discipline for students without a previous degree in Landscape Architecture and is equal to Stage 1, followed by a dissertation of 60 credits.
-Syllabus B is aimed at students with previous landscape architecture training, and permits the student to take a variety of modules totalling 120 credits from Stages 1 and 2, to examine in more depth particular areas of the discipline of landscape architecture, followed by a dissertation of 60 credits. Overall credit: 180.
Stage 1 constitutes a ‘foundation’ or ‘conversion’ stage for those without a previous degree in landscape architecture, where subject areas which may initially seem distinct are brought together as the year progresses. Stage 1 is designed to accommodate wide differences in students’ backgrounds and previous training. Some students bring advanced graphic skills to the course but no knowledge of horticulture; others may have degrees in botany or environmental science, but have yet to develop their design skills.
-Landscape Design Studio 1 (30 credits): What is landscape? Fundamentals of Landscape Design.
-Landscape Elements – Planting (10 credits)
-Landscape Elements – Construction 1 (10 credits)
-Landscape Ecology and Management (10 credits)
-Landscape Design Studio 2 (30 credits): Landscape Planning and Ecology
-Landscape Elements – Construction 2 (10 credits)
-Landscape Professional Context, Policy and Law (10 credits)
-Research Environment (10 credits)
Stage 2 develops the study of landscape architecture, with an emphasis on integrated and complex issues of practice, and can be thought of as a programme of professionalisation and specialisation built upon the comprehensive foundation of Stage 1.
-Landscape Design Studio 3 (30 credits): complex project
-Landscape Design Thesis Studio (20 Credits)
-Landscape Design Thesis (10 credits)
-60 credits of elective modules from amongst the following:
Interrogating the Cultural Landscape
Environments, Heritage and Culture
Cultural Context 1 & 2
How Design Thinks
Figuring the City – Elements of Urban Design
Principle of Urban Design
Principles pf GIS
Construction Management
Property Investment and Development
Sustainable Development
Environmental Impact Assessment
Biodiversity Management
Thesis Preparation (compulsory for MSc LAS in lieu of Research Environment)
Careers And Postgraduate Opportunities
The programme is designed as a key component of post-graduate provision in the School of Architecture and Design and the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment. The MSc in Landscape Architectural Studies and PG Diploma in Landscape Architectural Studies are open to students who wish to learn about, or further their study in, landscape architecture without seeking a professional qualification in the discipline. It may be taken with a view to working in a related discipline (eg. landscape contractor, garden designer, landscape technician), or indeed a separate discipline (eg. architecture, journalism) but with a greater understanding of landscape architectural issues.
