Master of Landscape Architecture

3 Years On Campus Masters Program

Washington University in St Louis

Program Overview

The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA 3) at Washington University in St. Louis is a three-year, 90-credit professional program for students with a bachelor’s degree in any major, particularly those without prior architecture or landscape architecture experience. The program is ecologically centered and research-led, with students exploring landscape design through water-based and riverine adaptation, urban and ecological networks, environmental and social justice, climate change, extreme weather, and community engagement.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: The first year establishes the foundations of landscape architectural design, representation, and ecological thinking through the initial sequence of studio and supporting courses. Students begin developing design methods and visual communication skills while examining landscape systems, site conditions, and the relationship between environmental processes and designed space.

Year 2: Students progress into more complex landscape investigations that connect ecological systems, urban conditions, infrastructure, and social contexts. Collaborative projects and research-oriented coursework allow students to test design strategies against real-world environmental and community challenges, with the program emphasizing the St. Louis region and the Mississippi watershed as important contexts for study.

Year 3: The final year brings together advanced design, research, and professional development through upper-level landscape architecture studios and independent work. Students can develop their own critical positions around issues such as climate change, environmental justice, ecological networks, and community engagement, while completing work that demonstrates their readiness for professional landscape architecture practice.

Focus areas

Water-based and riverine adaptations, urban and ecological networks, environmental and social justice, climate change and extreme weather, community engagement, ecological design, landscape research, sustainable landscapes, and socially engaged practice.

Learning outcomes

Students develop the ability to integrate art, science, and humanities in landscape design; use visualization and representation methods to communicate designed landscapes; develop adaptive urban and environmental strategies; critically examine social, economic, and political forces shaping landscapes; and address relationships between human and nonhuman systems through design research.

Professional alignment (accreditation)

The MLA 3 is a LAAB-accredited professional degree and is STEM-designated, preparing graduates to enter the landscape architecture profession and pursue professional licensure. WashU states that its MLA program meets the educational requirements for professional licensure in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The program received a six-year LAAB accreditation term in 2025.

Reputation (employability rankings)

For the combined graduate architecture programs, including MLA, WashU reported that 100% of graduates with a known status who were seeking employment had accepted a job as of May 2025. Representative graduate titles include Landscape Architect/Designer and Project Coordinator, demonstrating direct progression into professional roles.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA 3) at Washington University in St. Louis gives students a strongly studio-based and research-led learning experience, with projects grounded in real ecological, social, and urban conditions in St. Louis and the Mississippi watershed. Students develop practical skills through collaborative design studios, ecological analysis, GIS, digital representation, research assistantships, community-engaged projects, internships, and access to advanced fabrication facilities:

Design studios: Students complete six graduate studios, progressing from Landscape Architecture Studio I–II with community-engaged St. Louis sites to Landscape Architecture Studio III–IV, which investigates watershed-based and large-scale ecological systems, and Studio V–VI, which emphasize professional practice, resilient landscapes, and self-directed design.
GIS and digital representation: GIS for Site Design develops spatial and mapping skills, while Landscape Representation I–II and Visualizing Ecological Processes build advanced methods for communicating landscape ideas and ecological processes.
Digital technology: Digital technologies are fully integrated into the graduate design curriculum, with laptops used as a primary digital design tool and infrastructure supporting CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, research, teaching, presentation, and general computing.
Digital fabrication: The Caleres Fabrication Studio provides access to industry-grade laser cutters, 3D printers, 3D scanners, a large-format CNC milling machine, and virtual-reality equipment, supporting physical models, prototypes, spatial investigations, and design experimentation.
Making spaces: MLA students have access to Sam Fox School facilities including digital fabrication studios, wood shops, metal shops, and ceramics shops, allowing landscape concepts to be explored through physical materials and fabrication.
Ecological research: LAND 5330 – Landscape Ecology, LAND 6111 – Visualizing Ecological Processes, LAND 7380 – Research in the Landscape, and ecological electives connect design work with environmental systems, research methods, and ecological processes.
Community-engaged projects: The Office for Socially Engaged Practice offers MLA students courses, fellowships, workshops, projects, and programming involving community-driven work during the academic year and summer.
Collaborative projects: The program explicitly combines individual designs, collaborative projects, and research assistantships, allowing students to work across disciplines and respond to real-world environmental and social conditions.
Internships: The MLA 3 curriculum provides opportunities for summer internships, giving students a route to gain professional experience alongside their academic studio work.
Study abroad and field experience: Students can participate in summer study-abroad experiences, while MLA travel opportunities include week-long U.S. intensives and the summer Global Urbanism Studio abroad.
Professional practice: LAND 7390 – Professional Practice prepares students for the professional landscape architecture environment, complementing the design studios and research experience.
Graduate studios: Graduate MLA studio spaces are located in Weil Hall, with approximately 140 individual studio desks across the graduate architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design studios, encouraging both focused work and cross-disciplinary interaction.
Library and research resources: Students can also draw on Washington University’s John M. Olin Library and university-wide research resources, while the Sam Fox School supports landscape research through faculty-led projects, seminars, archives, exhibitions, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Master of Landscape Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis prepares graduates for professional and academic leadership by combining landscape design with ecology and urbanism, while connecting students with interdisciplinary resources across the university and the wider St. Louis region. Graduates can apply this expertise across landscape architecture, ecological planning, urban design, and environmental practice, with opportunities to continue into research, teaching, or interdisciplinary graduate study.

Typical career roles: Landscape Architect, Urban Designer, Landscape Planner, Environmental Design Consultant

Career development and progression opportunities include:

Professional preparation: The curriculum includes LANDARCH 7390 – Professional Practice for Landscape Architecture: Business, Practice & Management, giving students focused preparation for the business and management dimensions of professional practice.
Research and teaching opportunities: Students can extend their professional and academic experience through teaching and research assistantships, as well as scholarships available through the program and Sam Fox School.
Regional industry exposure: St. Louis functions as a laboratory for applying landscape theories to real environmental and urban conditions, including brownfield reclamation and urban agriculture systems, allowing students to connect studio work with regional challenges.
University–industry and institutional connections: Students benefit from Washington University's connections with the Missouri Botanical Garden, described by the university as an exceptional resource for landscape research and teaching. The program also draws on Washington University's Environmental Studies and Environmental Engineering programs for interdisciplinary work in ecology, technology, and landscape studies.
Employment statistics: A program-specific graduate employment rate or salary figure was not stated on the official university pages reviewed, so no unsupported employment or salary figure is provided.
Graduation outcomes: The program culminates in a research-based degree project, thesis, or independent study, giving graduates a substantial body of work that can support professional practice or further academic research.
Long-term accreditation value: The Master of Landscape Architecture is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). This professional accreditation provides an important long-term credential for graduates pursuing professional landscape architecture practice and licensure pathways.
Professional recognition: The Sam Fox School's landscape architecture program is structured as a professional MLA, with the university specifically identifying the degree as LAAB-accredited.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into advanced interdisciplinary study within Washington University. The university offers Master of Urban Design (MUD) and Master of Architecture (MArch) pathways, including MLA/MUD and MLA/MArch dual degrees; the MLA/MUD option is designed to expand expertise across landscape architecture and urban design, while the MLA/MArch combines two professional degrees across landscape and architectural design.