Master of Landscape Architecture

3 Years On Campus Masters Program

Cornell University

Program Overview

Cornell University’s Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) is a three-year professional degree designed primarily for students without a prior professional degree in landscape architecture, architecture, or environmental design, providing foundational, historical, theoretical, technical, and practical preparation for the profession. What students study: The program combines intensive design studios, technical skills, landscape history and theory, research, professional practice, and an individualized concentration, with students developing the ability to address complex environmental and spatial challenges.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their foundation in landscape architectural design, representation, landscape history, and theory through courses such as LA 5010 Composition and Theory I, LA 5020 Composition and Theory II, and LA 5050 Graphic Communication I. They also explore planting and landscape establishment through LA 5910 Creating the Urban Eden I, while LA 5900 Theoretical Foundations develops their understanding of major theories and critical debates shaping landscape architecture.

Year 2: Students progress from foundational design into more complex urban and site-scale work through LA 6010 Integrating Theory and Practice I and LA 6020 Integrating Theory and Practice II, applying sustainable design, landscape representation, contemporary technology, and site-specific strategies. Technical and professional capabilities are strengthened through LA 6160 Site Engineering, LA 6180 Site Assembly, LA 5100 Computer Applications in Landscape Architecture, and LA 6120 Professional Practice.

Year 3: The final year focuses on advanced urban design, research, and independent professional-level work through LA 7010 Urban Design and Planning, which examines urban design and landscape urbanism in relation to social, cultural, natural, and infrastructure systems. Students then complete LA 7020 Advanced Design Studio or choose the LA 8900 Master’s Thesis, allowing them to demonstrate advanced theoretical, methodological, technical, and representational capabilities through complex environmental design problems or independent research.

Focus areas: Landscape architectural design, urban design and planning, sustainable design, ecological systems, site engineering, landscape representation, planting and landscape establishment, construction and site assembly, digital design technologies, professional practice, landscape history and theory, research methods, environmental design, and individualized concentration.

Learning outcomes: Students develop the ability to design and represent landscapes at different scales, integrate ecological, cultural, social, historical, and technical considerations, apply research and analytical methods, use digital and graphic communication tools, understand professional practice, and develop creative solutions to complex environmental design problems.

Accreditation: The Master of Landscape Architecture complies with the requirements of the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards (CLARB), and Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) and is designed as a license-qualifying professional degree.

Reputation :

National recognition: Cornell states that its MLA program is one of the most highly ranked graduate landscape architecture programs nationally by DesignIntelligence, receiving recognition for areas including construction materials and methods, engineering fundamentals, research, transdisciplinary collaboration, and design technologies.

Student recognition: Cornell MLA students have also received American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Student Awards, with projects from the LA 6010 and LA 6020 studios receiving national honor awards for General Design and Analysis and Planning.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Practical learning: Cornell’s Master of Landscape Architecture combines intensive design studios with research, site analysis, digital methods, and hands-on making, allowing students to test landscape ideas through drawings, models, data, and physical prototypes. Interdisciplinary experience: Students can work across landscape architecture, architecture, and planning, including collaborative studios at the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center that connect design work with real urban conditions, community engagement, site visits, and professional networks.

Hands-on opportunities include:

Design studios: Graduate landscape architecture students undertake studio-based design work that connects research, site conditions, environmental questions, and landscape-scale interventions; Cornell student work demonstrates projects combining landscape architecture with urban planning, land use, geography, and real-world community contexts.
Digital tools and GIS: Cornell provides access to GIS and spatial analysis through AAP and City and Regional Planning coursework, including Introduction to GIS for Planners, Urban Spatial Data Analysis, and Advanced Topics in GIS. These tools support mapping, spatial analysis, environmental data, and urban-scale landscape research.
Fabrication facilities: Students have access to AAP’s Autodesk Design and Make Space, including a digital fabrication lab, CNC machines, laser cutters, 3D printers, wood and metal shops, kilns, welders, and other fabrication equipment for developing physical design prototypes.
Collaborative projects: Cornell offers opportunities for Landscape Architecture students to work jointly with Architecture and City and Regional Planning students, including NYC workshops and studios addressing land use, environmental planning, urban design, and integrated urbanism.
AAP NYC: Through the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center, participating landscape architecture students can engage with New York City's urban conditions through site visits, walking tours, community meetings, local archives, museums, fabrication shops, studio visits, and networking events with industry leaders.
Field-based learning: Cornell’s NYC-based learning uses the city as a real-world laboratory, with students undertaking direct observation, community engagement, analysis, and design speculation based on actual urban conditions.
Research opportunities: Students can engage with AAP research initiatives such as the tRUST-lab, which brings together students and faculty from Landscape Architecture, City and Regional Planning, Architecture, and Real Estate to investigate sustainable, just, and resilient environments.
Climate-adaptive design: Cornell landscape architecture faculty are involved in the Climate-adaptive Design studio program with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, connecting studio-based landscape design with climate adaptation and ecological design research.
Physical studio environment: AAP provides dedicated teaching, learning, gathering, studio, and fabrication spaces that support material-based design education and experimentation across its design disciplines.
Library and research resources: Cornell’s wider university environment provides access to extensive research collections and academic resources, while AAP facilities include dedicated spaces for design research, exhibitions, studios, and material exploration.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of Cornell University’s Master of Landscape Architecture can move into professional roles spanning landscape architecture, urban design, planning, environmental design, and site development. The program’s combination of design, research, ecological thinking, and technical skills positions graduates to contribute to projects ranging from public spaces and urban landscapes to environmental restoration and large-scale development.

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

Career services: Cornell AAP Career Development provides 1:1 career advising, career-development programming, career fairs, networking, and support ranging from career exploration through post-graduate job-offer negotiations.
Employment opportunities: Cornell’s Career Network provides a Graduate Outcomes Dashboard that can be filtered by graduation year, school, major, degree, and employer sector, covering employment, continuing education, employers, locations, and starting salaries.
Salary figures: Cornell states that its published graduate salary information consists of self-reported base salaries for full-time employment; a specific public salary figure for the Cornell MLA is not stated, so no unrelated program salary is substituted.
Industry connections: Cornell’s career network actively lists opportunities relevant to landscape architecture, including positions with Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, where landscape architecture graduates can work on urban revitalization, streetscapes, healthcare, university, community, rooftop, and brownfield projects.
Professional exposure: Current Cornell career listings also demonstrate demand across landscape architecture, site design, environmental restoration, infrastructure, and multidisciplinary planning, giving students visibility into the range of professional settings their skills can support.
Professional value: The MLA provides advanced professional preparation in landscape architecture, supporting career development in design and planning practices; specific long-term licensure requirements vary by jurisdiction, so students should confirm requirements with the relevant state licensing board.
Graduation outcomes: Cornell collects post-graduation outcomes within approximately six months of graduation, including employment, further education, employers, employment locations, and salary information.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into advanced study in related fields such as urban and regional planning, architecture, environmental design, or landscape-architecture research, depending on their professional and academic goals. Cornell also offers research-oriented opportunities through AAP, including interdisciplinary work connecting landscape architecture, city and regional planning, architecture, and real estate.