Master of Landscape Architecture

3 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Idaho

Program Overview

The Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) at the University of Idaho is a professional, LAAB-accredited degree designed for students seeking to address environmental challenges through landscape design, planning, and resilient outdoor environments. The 3-year first-professional pathway develops skills in landscape analysis, design representation, site planning, construction, ecological systems, and professional practice, making it suitable for students preparing for professional landscape architecture careers.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish the technical and design foundation through courses such as LARC 5540 Landscape Architecture Graduate Studio 1, LARC 5100 Advanced Design Representation and Communication, LARC 5120 Landscape Analysis and Site Planning, and LARC 4880 Plant Materials & Design 1. The year combines studio-based design with digital and traditional representation, site analysis, planning, and plant-material knowledge.

Year 2: Students progress into more advanced professional design and technical development through LARC 5560 Landscape Architecture Graduate Studio 2, LARC 5580 Landscape Architecture Graduate Studio 3, LARC 4400 Grading, Drainage & Stormwater Management, and LARC 4410 Construction Materials, Detailing & Documentation. This stage strengthens students' ability to integrate landscape design with grading, stormwater management, construction materials, technical documentation, and professional practice.

Year 3: The final year focuses on advanced design and independent research through LARC 5620 Landscape Architecture Graduate Studio 4, LARC 5550 Master’s Project Preparation, and either LARC 5000 Master’s Research and Thesis or LARC 5990 Non-thesis Master’s Research. Students bring together design, theory, technology, ecological knowledge, and professional skills to develop a substantial thesis or master's project.

Focus areas: Sustainable landscape design, water conservation, green infrastructure, urban resilience, landscape analysis, site planning, ecological systems, construction, geodesign, resilient landscapes, urban ecology, and community/regional design.

Learning outcomes: Students develop critical and creative thinking, advanced communication using traditional and emerging digital tools, place-based design solutions, spatial literacy, technology integration, and the ability to address built and natural-environment challenges at multiple scales. The program also emphasizes applying design processes to resilient and regenerative natural and cultural systems and integrating professional skills through community engagement, international travel, research, internships, and field trips.

Professional alignment (accreditation): LAAB accredited — the Master of Landscape Architecture is accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accrediting Board, meeting the professional education requirements for landscape architecture licensure in the United States.

Reputation (employability rankings): The University of Idaho's official program page provides career and employment information, but an official program-specific QS or Guardian employability ranking is not stated. The university notes that its landscape architecture degree has been offered for more than 40 years and that graduates practice worldwide.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The University of Idaho’s Master of Landscape Architecture emphasizes practical, project-based learning through collaborative design studios, community engagement, global study, internships and field experiences. Students develop professional skills using emerging digital tools alongside traditional design methods, while the College of Art and Architecture provides dedicated studios, fabrication facilities, visualization technology and interdisciplinary research spaces. The program also connects students with real sites and community projects, giving them opportunities to apply landscape architecture principles to environmental and social challenges:

Collaborative design studios: Students participate in collaborative studio-based learning focused on landscape design, planning and real-world applications, including community-based projects.
Digital design tools: The curriculum develops skills with emerging digital tools, digital technologies, modeling, graphics, rendering and spatial analysis for exploring and communicating landscape design alternatives.
Geodesign: LARC 4950 Geodesign provides graduate students with an opportunity to develop geospatial approaches relevant to landscape planning and design.
Community projects: The program includes community-based engagement, allowing students to connect design work with real communities, sites and environmental challenges.
Internships: LARC 5980 Internship provides a formal graduate-level opportunity to gain professional experience, with 1–4 credits available.
Field trips: The landscape architecture curriculum incorporates field trips as part of applied learning, including plant-material and site-related coursework.
Study abroad: LARC 5640 Summer Study Abroad Design Studio provides international design experience with an emphasis on bioregional context, sustainable development and cultural landscapes.
Urban Design Center: The Urban Design Center in Boise provides studio space where landscape architecture students work alongside architecture and interior architecture/design students on projects in urban environments and the surrounding region.
Technical Design Studio: The Technical Design Studio is a fully functional wood shop and digital fabrication lab, giving students access to fabrication-based learning and tools for developing physical design work.
Virtual Technology and Design Lab: This interdisciplinary research facility focuses on simulation, virtualization and social-ecological systems, supporting advanced approaches to visualizing and understanding complex environments.
Integrated Design Lab: The Integrated Design Lab supports research and design related to energy efficiency and sustainable design across the built environment, providing an interdisciplinary setting relevant to landscape architecture.
Arboretum and Botanical Garden: The 63-acre U of I Arboretum and Botanical Garden functions as an outdoor classroom for landscape architecture and supports research into plant diversity, hardiness and related topics.
MILL makerspace: The University Library’s Making, Innovating, and Learning Laboratory (MILL) provides access to 3D printing and laser cutting/engraving, supporting physical prototyping and project development.
Architecture and landscape research support: The University Library provides dedicated Art, Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Architecture research instruction, with specialist librarian support and access to scholarly resources.
Geospatial and data support: The Library’s Data Hub provides support in GIS, data analysis, visualization and research data management, directly supporting spatial and landscape research.
Design studios and project facilities: College of Art and Architecture facilities include studios, material libraries, large-format printing, scanners, equipment checkout and technical support for design work.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Idaho prepares graduates for professional practice in landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning and related fields. With an LAAB-accredited professional degree, real-world community projects and access to career and professional networking opportunities, graduates can build toward professional licensure and careers addressing sustainability, green infrastructure and resilient communities.

Typical career roles: Landscape Architect, Urban Designer, Urban and Regional Planner, Environmental Design/Planning Specialist

Career Services: University of Idaho provides career support and employer connections, while the College of Art and Architecture highlights internships and professional networking as opportunities for students establishing their careers.
Employment outcomes: In the university’s published LAAB public-information report, 100% of graduating students seeking employment in landscape architecture or a closely related field in 2021 secured entry-level positions within three months of graduation.
Salary figures: University of Idaho’s current career data lists Landscape Architects: $73,076 and Urban and Regional Planners: $97,432 as potential mid-career salaries. The university identifies Lightcast as the source of this career data.
Community partnerships: The program emphasizes collaborative design studios and community-based projects, while University of Idaho’s design department states that students work with communities and industry partners on hands-on research and service-learning projects.
Professional networking: Students can benefit from the College of Art and Architecture’s connections with professional firms and organizations, including opportunities for internships and networking across landscape architecture and related design fields.
Research opportunities: The Center for Resilient Communities brings students, researchers and community partners together around social, economic and environmental challenges, while the College’s research activities provide opportunities to apply research through community outreach.
Accreditation value: The M.L.A. is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). University of Idaho states that professional registration boards in the United States require an accredited landscape architecture degree as a prerequisite for licensure, and completion of the program fulfills the accredited-degree requirement to sit for the Landscape Architecture Registration Examination (LARE).
Graduation outcomes: The program has a long professional history, with University of Idaho stating that landscape architecture has been offered for more than 40 years and that graduates practice worldwide in landscape architecture and allied design fields.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.L.A., students can pursue advanced research through a thesis or master's project, with the program offering original research focused either on landscape architecture or an applied landscape architectural project. University of Idaho also offers doctoral-level study across the university for students seeking to progress into research or academia.