MLA Landscape Architecture

21 Months On Campus Masters Program

University of Edinburgh

Program Overview

The MLA Landscape Architecture at the University of Edinburgh is designed to help you tackle complex environmental and social challenges through creative, sustainable landscape design. It’s ideal for students from architecture, ecology, or related fields who want to build practical design skills while understanding the broader social and ecological context.

Curriculum Structure

Over 21 months, you’ll combine design studio work, theory, and hands-on projects:

Begin by learning to read and analyse landscapes with modules like Landscape Architecture Design: Context & Grounding and Terrain & Ecologies.
Develop practical skills in construction, materials, and detailed design through Ground-Works and Construction Design and Material Knowledge & Detailed Design.
Explore critical thinking and theory in Situating Landscape Architectural Theory, connecting your design work to broader environmental, cultural, and social issues.
In the later stages, focus on research-led design projects through the Design Exploration modules and consolidate your learning in a polished Academic Portfolio.

Focus Areas

Socio-ecological design, environmental justice, design-led thinking, construction techniques, research-informed practice

Learning Outcomes

Create sensitive, imaginative landscape designs that respond to ecological and social challenges, integrate theory with hands-on practice, and communicate ideas effectively across disciplines.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Accredited by the Landscape Institute, providing a strong professional foundation and a path toward chartered status.

Reputation & Employability

The MLA is Scotland’s only professionally oriented postgraduate Landscape Architecture programme, with a long-standing international reputation. Graduates are highly sought after, working in leading design practices, planning bodies, conservation organisations, and research.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MLA programme is designed to immerse you in hands-on, studio-based learning where you tackle real-world landscape challenges. You’ll develop practical skills in design, construction, and research while benefiting from the expertise of the OPENspace Research Centre. Field trips and live site visits help you see how design ideas translate into built environments, while access to specialist studios and digital facilities ensures your work is both creative and technically robust.

Your practical learning includes:

Site visits to construction projects and landscape case studies, giving first-hand experience of how design is implemented.
Dedicated studios with personal workspace, technical support, and digital facilities for model-making and rendering.
Workshops for wood, metal, and model construction, including digital fabrication tools to bring your ideas to life.
High-end computing and VR/AR tools for immersive visualization and advanced digital modelling.
Specialist libraries at Edinburgh College of Art and the University’s main library, stocked with books and resources on architecture, landscape, and design theory.
Collaboration with the OPENspace Research Centre, connecting you to multidisciplinary research in landscape, wellbeing, ecology, and planning.
Optional summer placements, allowing you to gain experience in design practices, public agencies, or environmental organisations.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from the MLA programme are well-prepared for roles such as landscape architect, urban or environmental planner, conservation designer, or researcher in socio-ecological design. You’ll leave with strong creative and practical design skills, combined with a professional mindset that is highly valued by design studios, public agencies, and environmental organisations.

Here’s how Edinburgh helps you transition into your career:

The University Careers Service supports you with graduate job searches, placement advice, and continues career guidance for up to two years after graduation.
MLA graduates enjoy a high employment rate, with many working in leading design practices, local government agencies, conservation organisations, and environmental consultancies.
The programme is accredited by the Landscape Institute, giving your qualification long-term professional value and a path toward chartered status.
Edinburgh’s extensive network connects you to opportunities with organisations like city councils, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, NatureScot, and international design and environmental partners.
Historically, the majority of MLA graduates secure employment shortly after completing the programme, with some choosing to continue into further study.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing the MLA, you could pursue a PhD in Landscape Architecture or related fields, or explore further postgraduate qualifications in urban planning, environmental policy, or design innovation, depending on your career goals.