Landscape Architecture (MPS)

1 Year Part Time Masters Program

Cornell University

Program Overview

Cornell University’s Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Landscape Architecture is a one-year, two-semester, 30-credit program focused on design research and innovative approaches to planning, designing, and managing natural and built environments. Who it suits: It is particularly suited to graduates of landscape architecture, architecture, environmental studies, sustainability, civil engineering, environmental engineering, and related disciplines who want to deepen their landscape architecture and design-research expertise.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students spend the year developing advanced design-research skills and applying research methods to landscape architecture issues through an individualized course plan and collaborative research project. Key courses: LA 5090 Master of Professional Studies Research Design Studio develops knowledge of design-research theories, methods, research problem framing, and project development, while ALS 5900 Project Development: CALS Professional Master's Programs and ALS 5910 Project Completion: CALS Professional Master's Programs support the development and completion of the student's MPS research project; students also select at least three supporting courses totaling 9 credits in consultation with their faculty advisor.

Focus areas: Design research, landscape architecture, planning and design of natural and built environments, environmental and ecological issues, landscape studies, design methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches across architecture, city and regional planning, fine arts, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Learning outcomes: Students develop a critical understanding of the histories and theories of landscape architecture, formulate original research questions, apply qualitative, quantitative, design-based or hybrid research methodologies, and connect research with landscape design practice.

Accreditation: Cornell states that its Landscape Architecture MPS complies with the requirements of the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards (CLARB), and Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB).

Professional distinction: The MPS is a design-research-focused graduate degree, rather than Cornell’s professional, license-qualifying MLA; therefore, students seeking the professional licensure pathway should distinguish the MPS from the MLA.

Reputation: Cornell describes its Landscape Architecture programs as among the highest-ranked landscape architecture programs in the nation, supported by a long-standing department that has operated since 1904 and emphasizes innovation, responsible design, and sustainable responses to global challenges.

Employability ranking: A program-specific QS, Guardian, or other employability ranking is not stated on the official Cornell sources reviewed, so no external ranking has been substituted.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Cornell University MPS in Landscape Architecture is a one-year immersive program built around a collaborative research project, allowing students to investigate timely issues in planning, designing, and managing natural and built environments. Students work within Cornell’s dedicated landscape architecture studio environment and can combine design research with advanced digital design, GIS, visualization, fabrication, and material experimentation using professional-grade facilities.

Hands-on opportunities include:

Collaborative research project: The MPS includes a collaborative research project as a central component, giving students an opportunity to develop and investigate a focused landscape architecture/design-research question.
24/7 design studio: The department provides a studio with more than 100 dedicated desks and 24/7 access, creating a continuous environment for individual and collaborative design work.
Digital design software: The Computer Lab provides ArcGIS, ArcScene, AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Lumion, and Autodesk products including AutoCAD, Revit, and Civil 3D; Rhino 3D is also available at a student discount.
Computer laboratory: Students have access to 15 PC workstations and two 42-inch large-format plotters, with 24/7 in-person access and remote access to individual computers.
Fabrication Laboratory: The professional-grade maker space supports digital design and material research with two Epilog laser cutters, Bambu Lab, UltraCraft and Ultimaker 3D printers, a tool library, and a water table for simulating surface-water dynamics.
GIS and geospatial resources: Albert R. Mann Library provides technology services, software and equipment loans, while Keith Jenkins, the GIS & geospatial applications librarian, serves as the department’s library representative.
Landscape architecture collections: The Mui Ho Fine Arts Library provides extensive resources covering architecture, art, city and regional planning, and landscape architecture.
Outdoor learning environment: Cornell’s Botanic Gardens provide living landscapes and natural areas that support teaching, research, and landscape-focused exploration.
Career and internship support: MPS students can use Cornell CALS career-development resources for alumni networking, job and internship searches, and assistance with job materials through the Office of Professional Master's Programs.
Studio-based collaboration: Cornell’s landscape architecture teaching model emphasizes project-based work, group discourse, demonstrations, guest presentations, precedent studies, and field trips, giving students opportunities to develop ideas through both collaborative and site-oriented learning.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Cornell University Master of Professional Studies in Landscape Architecture (M.P.S.) can lead graduates into landscape design, environmental planning, urban design, and related fields, with opportunities to apply design thinking to complex environmental and urban challenges. Cornell’s AAP career resources, professional networks, and connections through its New York City programs can help students translate this specialized training into professional opportunities in the U.S. and internationally.

Typical job roles: Landscape Architect, Landscape Designer, Urban Designer, Environmental Planner: these roles can involve site planning, ecological design, public-space development, environmental analysis, and collaboration with architects, planners, and engineers.

Career services: AAP Career Development provides 1:1 career advising, career-development programming, career fairs, networking, and guidance from career exploration through post-graduate job-offer negotiations, giving landscape architecture students structured support for entering professional practice.
Employment opportunities: Cornell’s Career Network provides an interactive graduate outcomes dashboard that can be filtered by graduation year, school, major, degree, employer sector, employment industry, and location. Cornell collects post-graduation outcomes within six months of graduation.
Salary figures: Cornell states that its published salary information is based on self-reported full-time U.S. base salaries and excludes bonuses and other compensation. A specific M.P.S. Landscape Architecture salary figure is not stated in the public Cornell outcomes information, so no unrelated program salary has been substituted.
Current employment examples: Cornell’s Career Network currently lists landscape architecture opportunities such as Langan’s Entry-Level Landscape Architect position, with an advertised salary range of $73,500–$86,500, demonstrating the types of professional opportunities available through Cornell’s career platform; this is a job-specific range, not a graduate salary statistic.
Industry connections: The Gensler Family AAP NYC Center connects students with leading practitioners, civic and cultural institutions, site visits, studio visits, networking events with industry leaders, and Cornell’s extensive New York City alumni community.
Interdisciplinary partnerships: Cornell AAP highlights collaborations across departments, colleges, and centers around community-engaged learning, sustainability, social impact, art and culture, and multidisciplinary design, giving landscape architecture students opportunities to work beyond a single discipline.
Professional accreditation value: Cornell specifically identifies its Dual Master’s Degree in Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture (M.R.P./M.L.A.) as a professionally accredited degree. The one-year M.P.S. is not identified by Cornell on the reviewed official pages as a professionally accredited landscape architecture degree, so its accreditation should not be presented as equivalent to the professional M.L.A. pathway.
Graduation outcomes: Cornell’s graduate outcomes system tracks employment, continuing education, employers, starting salaries, employment industries, and employment locations, allowing graduates’ destinations to be evaluated beyond simply obtaining a first job.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can build on their landscape architecture and planning interests through Cornell’s Master of Regional Planning (M.R.P.) or explore the professionally accredited M.R.P./M.L.A. dual degree pathway for a deeper combination of landscape architecture and regional planning. Students interested in advanced research can also consider doctoral study in Cornell AAP’s Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning, while Cornell’s interdisciplinary AAP environment provides opportunities to develop expertise across planning, design technology, architecture, and related fields.