Courses of Study 2011-2012 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Courses of Study 2011-2012 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Landscape Architecture


In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .


Course Offerings 

Landscape architecture focuses on the art of landscape design as an expression of the cultural values and the natural processes of the ambient environment. The program’s unique place within the university promotes interaction among the areas of horticulture, environmental science, architecture, and city and regional planning.

The course of study prepares students for the practice of landscape architecture. The curriculum focuses on graphic communication, basic and advanced design methods, landscape history and theory, plant materials, construction and engineering technology, and professional practice. Design studios deal with the integration of cultural and natural systems requirements as applied to specific sites at varying scales. Projects may include garden design, parks design, housing design, historic preservation, environmental rehabilitation, and urban design.

Landscape architecture offers two professional degree alternatives: a four-year bachelor of science degree administered through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a three-year master of landscape architecture degree administered through the Graduate School for those who have a four-year undergraduate degree in another field. Both of these degrees are accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The major in each degree is composed of core courses related to professional education in landscape architecture, a concentration in a subject related to the core courses, and free electives.

The department also offers a two-year master of landscape architecture advanced degree program administered through the Graduate School for those with accredited degrees in landscape architecture or architecture. The program entails core courses in the discipline and the development of a concentration in subject matter areas such as landscape history and theory, landscape ecology and urban horticulture, the cultural landscape, site/landscape and art, or urban design.

In addition, an undergraduate minor in cultural landscape studies is available for nonmajors.

Faculty


P. J. Trowbridge, chair (443 Kennedy Hall, (607) 255-2738); S. Baugher, J. Cerra, J. Foster, K. L. Gleason, A. Hammer, P. H. Horrigan, D. W. Krall, M. Miller, M. Palmer

Dual-Degree Options:


Graduate students can earn a master of landscape architecture and a master of science (horticulture) or a master of city and regional planning simultaneously. Students need to be accepted into both fields of study to engage in a dual-degree program and must fulfill requirements of both fields of study. Thesis requirements are generally integrated for dual degrees.

Study Abroad:


The faculty encourages study abroad and has two formally structured programs. The Denmark International Study program is available primarily to senior undergraduates and third-year graduate students in the fall semester and is administered through Cornell Abroad. The Rome Program is made available to undergraduates and graduate students through the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.

Bachelor of Science Landscape Architecture Degree Sequence:


(Note: Each semester, the studio classes require payment of a supply and field trip fee, and all landscape architecture majors are required to pay an annual technology fee.)

First Year:


Fall Semester:


Total: 16

Spring Semester:


Total: 16

Second Year:


Fall Semester:


Total: 15

Spring Semester:


Total: 15

Third Year:


Fall Semester:


Total: 16

Spring Semester:


Total: 16

Fourth Year:


Fall Semester:


Total: 15

Total: 11

Summary of credit requirements:


* Specialization requirements (58)

† Distribution electives (39)

‡ Free electives (7)

*** Historical Studies (6)

** Concentration (10)

Total: 120


Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) License Qualifying Degree:


Requirements of the three-year M.L.A. curriculum include 90 credits, six resident units of satisfactory completion of the core curriculum courses, and a thesis or a capstone studio. (Note: Each semester, the studio classes require payment of a supply and field trip fee, and all landscape architecture majors are required to pay an annual technology fee.)

First Year:


Second Year:


Fall Semester:


Total: 16

Total: 16

Third Year:


Fall Semester:


Total: 15

Total: 13

Summary of credit requirements:


* Specialization requirements (62 or 75)

** Concentration (10)

*** Historical Studies (9)

‡ Free electives (5 or 9)

Total: 90


Master of Landscape Architecture Advanced Degree Program:


The two-year master of landscape architecture (M.L.A./A.D.) program serves to broaden and enrich undergraduate education in design by providing an expanded educational experience to those who are technically skilled. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture or architecture from an accredited program. The objective of the two-year (M.L.A./A.D.) program is to develop specializations for individuals who may wish to teach, practice, or conduct applied research in landscape architecture.

Students admitted to the two-year M.L.A./A.D. program are required to complete 60 credits of course work as approved by the members of their graduate committee. For landscape architects, this must include at least two advanced studios, a graduate seminar, a concentration, and a thesis. For architects, the curriculum requires three advanced studios, two courses in plants and planting design, two courses in the history of landscape, two courses in site engineering, a seminar in design theory, a course in professional practice, a concentration, and electives.

Undergraduate Minor for Nonmajors:


Students outside the professional program may choose the undergraduate minor (five courses, 15 credits) in cultural landscape studies to complement their major. A variety of courses consider the cultural landscape as an object, something to be studied for its own sake, and as a subject, as a means to understand society’s relationship to natural systems. The study of cultural landscapes also includes perceptions of landscapes, cultural ideas and values, and visible elements. Direct inquiries to Professor A. Hammer, Department of Landscape Architecture, 440 Kennedy Hall.