Master of Landscape Architecture

3 Years On Campus Masters Program

City University of New York

Program Overview

The Master of Landscape Architecture at the City College of New York’s Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture is a three-year professional degree that prepares students for leadership in landscape architecture through innovative research and practice in urban ecological design, planning, and policymaking. Students use New York City as a living laboratory to explore urbanization, ecology, resource management, climate resilience, and the relationship between nature and technology through design studios, research, representation, and professional practice.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students build their core landscape architecture skills through LAAR 61100: Foundation Studio I, LAAR 61400: Representation and Computation I, and LAAR 61500: Introduction to Ecology/Plant Identification. The year combines conceptual and analytical design, computational representation, landscape technology, and ecological investigation, with field trips to public parks, botanical gardens, and arboreta providing direct exposure to plants, soils, hydrology, and designed landscapes.

Year 2: Students progress into more complex territorial and regional design problems through LAAR 63100: Foundation Studio III, while LAAR 64150: Design Research develops advanced research and representation skills using data-based infographics, mapping, time-based videos and animations, and three-dimensional digital and physical terrain modelling. Courses such as LAAR 63300: Environmental Planning and LAAR 65160: Urban Plants further connect design with environmental planning and urban ecological systems.

Year 3: Students undertake advanced interdisciplinary research through LAAR 65100: Research Studio I and LAAR 66100: Research Studio II, supported by LAAR 65500: Research Workshop. Advanced study can also include LAAR 64700: Landscape Restoration and LAAR 65300: Professional Practice, allowing students to investigate ecological restoration, climate adaptation, professional practice, construction documentation, project management, and landscape architecture in public and private-sector settings.

Focus areas: Urban ecological design, landscape architecture, environmental planning, climate resilience and adaptation, ecology, urban agriculture, landscape restoration, resource management, ecological infrastructure, landscape representation, planning, policymaking, and social, environmental, and multi-species justice.

Learning outcomes: Students develop design research, ecological analysis, digital and physical representation, landscape planning, technical, professional, and interdisciplinary skills while learning to address complex environmental and social challenges across different scales of the urban landscape.

Professional alignment: The Master of Landscape Architecture is fully accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) and has maintained a fully accredited MLA program since Spring 2009; the next accreditation review is scheduled for Spring 2028. CCNY states that the MLA meets the educational requirements for licensure eligibility in all U.S. states, although additional experience and examination requirements apply to professional licensure.

Reputation: The City College of New York was ranked #536 for Employability and #452 overall among 21,291 institutions worldwide in the 2026 Center for World University Rankings, placing CCNY in the top 2.2% globally. CCNY was also ranked #162 in TIME/Statista's America's Best Colleges 2026–2027, based on student outcomes, learning environment, and attractiveness. A program-specific QS or Guardian employability ranking for the MLA is not stated in the university's official sources.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) at the City College of New York’s Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture gives students substantial hands-on experience through design studios, computational representation, ecological fieldwork, research workshops, and New York City-based investigations. The program explicitly uses New York City as a living laboratory, allowing students to study urban ecology, plant systems, landscape technologies, urbanization, and the relationship between nature and technology through studio and field-based learning.

Students build practical and research capabilities through the program’s dedicated coursework, fieldwork, and facilities:

Foundation Design Studios: LAAR 61100: Foundation Studio I and LAAR 62100: Foundation Studio II develop site analysis, conceptual design, landscape composition, and spatial thinking through analytical and design exercises.
Digital design and computation: LAAR 61400: Representation and Computation I introduces computational thinking and representation techniques, with lectures and workshops designed to build fluency in current design software.
Ecology fieldwork: LAAR 61500: Introduction to Ecology/Plant Identification uses New York City as a living laboratory, with students studying local flora, ecological systems, soils, hydrology, and plant associations. The course includes field trips to public parks, botanical gardens, and arboreta.
Urban ecology: LAAR 62700: Urban Ecology gives students an opportunity to investigate ecological systems within urban environments; it is included in the MLA curriculum and current course schedule.
Landscape technology: LAAR 62300: Landscape Tech 2 develops technical knowledge relevant to landscape architecture, while later coursework includes LAAR 64400: Planting Design.
Research-based projects: Advanced students undertake LAAR 64150: Design Research, LAAR 66100: Research Studio II, and LAAR 65500: Research Workshop, providing opportunities to develop independent research and design investigations.
Digital Media Labs: Spitzer provides dedicated Digital Media Labs and Printing facilities supporting digital design, representation, and production across its architecture and landscape architecture programs.
Fabrication and digital fabrication: Students have access to the school's Fabrication Shop and Digital Fabrication facilities, supporting physical model-making, prototyping, and experimental design production.
Robotics Lab: The Robotics Lab provides a specialized environment for exploring computational and robotic approaches to design and fabrication.
Architecture Library: The dedicated Architecture Library provides research resources within Spitzer's 135,000-square-foot facility.
Environmental research facilities: The Solar RoofPod and Harlem Garden and Advanced Building Construction (ABC) Lab provide additional environments for investigating sustainability, environmental performance, and building technologies.
Interdisciplinary learning: The school encourages MLA students to connect with faculty and expertise from other programs, including architecture, urbanism, and community-engaged practice, strengthening the program's multidisciplinary approach.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Master of Landscape Architecture at the City College of New York prepares graduates for leadership in landscape architecture and related fields through urban ecological design, planning, policymaking, research, and practice. The program reports that approximately 90% of recent graduates find employment in landscape architecture within six months, while more than 80% of alumni surveyed work in the landscape architecture profession.

Typical career roles include: Landscape Architect, Landscape Designer, Urban Designer, Landscape Planner.

Career development and employment opportunities:

Employment outcomes: Approximately 90% of recent graduates have found landscape architecture employment within six months of graduation; the alumni survey also reports that approximately 60% work in the private sector, 30% in the public sector, and 5% in academia.
Industry connections: The MLA program has approximately 15 adjunct faculty drawn from public-sector organizations such as the NYC Parks Department, as well as private firms and nonprofits involved in public projects. Its advisory board includes leaders from Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Hollander Design Landscape Architects, Hargreaves Jones Landscape Architects, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, and NYC Parks Department.
Professional development: Students can benefit from faculty and practitioners who bring current professional experience into the program; more than 50% of combined full-time and part-time MLA faculty are licensed landscape architects.
Financial and employment support: The school offers MLA-specific scholarships including the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Tuition Scholarships, Frederic Bainnson Memorial Scholarship, and Hollander Design Fellowship. Selected students can also work as College Assistants in faculty research, teaching, or program administration, with library assistant and shop technician positions also available; the current listed College Assistant rate is $20/hour.
Salary figures: A specific graduate salary figure for the MLA is not stated in the official university sources, so no unsupported salary figure is provided.
Long-term accreditation value: The MLA is fully accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB), with the next accreditation review scheduled for Spring 2028. CCNY states that the LAAB-accredited MLA meets the educational requirements for licensure eligibility in all U.S. states, although graduates must also satisfy applicable experience and examination requirements.
Graduation outcomes: The program awarded 12 MLA degrees in 2024–25, following 9 in 2023–24 and 12 in 2022–23. The program's public information also reports that more than 130 alumni responded to its comprehensive 2021–22 survey from a total alumni pool of 164.
STEM advantage: The MLA is officially STEM designated, making eligible F-1 students potentially eligible for the STEM OPT extension, subject to applicable federal requirements.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MLA, graduates can continue into advanced research and academic pathways in landscape architecture, urban design, architecture, environmental design, urban planning, sustainability, or related fields. The program's emphasis on research, urban ecological design, planning, and policymaking also provides a strong foundation for doctoral-level study or academic careers; the university specifically reports that approximately 5% of surveyed alumni work in academia.