Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

The dual master’s degree in city & regional planning (M.R.P.) and landscape architecture (M.L.A.) is a professionally accredited degree intended for students with an interest in both planning and design issues.

Landscape architecture students interested in the social, political, and economic context in which design occurs, or planning students who want to establish a deeper concentration in physical design and planning than the existing planning curriculum can provide, are ideal candidates for the dual degree program. 

The dual degree prepares students for work in areas such as physical planning, environmental analysis, community development, and urban design — skills which are highly sought after in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

It is important to apply to the second program during its admission cycle for the upcoming year (typically between the first and second semesters of the first year). Contact the admissions team for the second program to be made aware of application deadlines. 

Academic Standards

• Each student forms an advisory committee of two members, with one member from City & Regional Planning (CRP) and one from Landscape Architecture (LA). The advisory committee assists the student in all aspects of the program, from class selection to completing a final exit project or thesis.
• Students must fulfill the class requirements as specified in the core curriculum for each program. This includes the required minimum credit hours in both programs, M.L.A. and M.R.P.

Program Information

• Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
• Program Location: Ithaca, NY
• Length of Program: Eight semesters total for dual degrees
  • Three semesters in City & Regional Planning
  • Five semesters in Landscape Architecture

Dual Program Requirements

• 120 minimum credits for dual degrees; M.R.P. is a 60 credit program and M.L.A. is a 90 credit program:
  • All M.R.P. core courses must be completed, including at least 30 credits within the Department of City and Regional Planning, and the exit project.
  • All first professional M.L.A. degree program requirements must be completed.

(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.)

Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) Program Requirements

• All major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
• A grade of C- or better must be earned for all studio courses in order to move to the next studio in sequence.
• There is a tech fee of $500 every semester for all Landscape Architecture majors. This fee allows access to the makerspace, computer lab, and necessary software licenses utilized in the program.
• Students can expect costs for studio supplies and field trips.
• Students must also complete all MRP program requirements.

Core Coursework

Studio Sequence (30 credits total)

Studios must be taken in the sequential order listed below. Students must receive a grade of C- or higher to advance to the next studio in sequence. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
LA 5010	Composition and Theory I	5
LA 5020	Composition and Theory II	5
LA 6010	Integrating Theory and Practice I	5
LA 6020	Integrating Theory and Practice II	5
LA 7010	Urban Design and Planning	5
LA 7020	Advanced Design Studio	5

Technical Requirements (26 credits total)

All courses listed below must be taken.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
LA 5050	Graphic Communication I	3
LA 5060	Graphic Communication II	3
LA 5100	Computer Applications in Landscape Architecture	3
LA 5910	Plants in Practice	5
LA 6120	Professional Practice	2
LA 6160	Site Engineering	5
LA 6180	Site Assembly	5

History and Theory Studies (15 credits total)

M.L.A. students are required to take five history/theory courses totaling a minimum of 15 credits to fulfill this requirement. They must take LA 5900, LA 6900, and LA 6910, along with 2 more 3-credit courses that cover history/theory studies. Below is a list of recommended courses that fulfill this requirement. Please discuss with your faculty advisor to receive approval of any courses that are not listed below.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
LA 5900	Theoretical Foundations	3
LA 6900	Methods of Landscape Architectural Inquiry	3
LA 6910	Landscape Design History II	3
Additional Recommended and Approved Courses
LA 6070	Emerging Dimensions in Urban Ecology and Sustainable Practices	3
LA 6430	Rural Adaptation	3
LA 6930	Second World Urbanism: Landscape Infrastructures	3
LA 6941	Special Topics in LA History/Theory	3

Directed Study (10 credits total)

The directed study is defined by the student in consultation with their faculty advisor. Because the field of landscape architecture is broad, students are asked to define a focus area of interest within the discipline. Along with LA 6030, the students must take 3 courses, totaling at least 9 credits, to fulfill this requirement.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
LA 6030	Directed Study	1
Directed Study - Student Defined in Consultation with Faculty Advisor (3 courses)		9

Master of Regional Planning (M.R.P.) Program Requirements 

Students must complete at least 30 credits within the Department of City and Regional Planning, which may include required courses, demonstrate competency in economics and statistics, and complete theory, methods, and law coursework, each of which may be satisfied by a range of courses. In addition, all students must take a workshop class and complete an exit project. Students may focus in housing and economic development, land use and environmental planning, international planning, and city design and development, but these are curated pathways through the curriculum rather than required classes. Students must also complete all M.L.A. Program requirements.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses for M.R.P
CRP 5130	Introduction to Planning Practice and History
CRP 7850	City and Regional Futures: Planning Practice, Policy and Design (a minimum of two semesters required, 1 credit each semester)
Successful Completion of Theory Course
Select one of the following:
CRP 5100	Urban Form and the Design of Cities
CRP 5150	Economic Geography: Theory and Applications to Urban Planning
CRP 5190	Urban Theory
Demonstrated Competence in Economics
Select one of the following:
CRP 5040	Urban Economics
CRP 5120	Public and Spatial Economics for Planners
Successful completion of an approved Economics course at Cornell. 1
Demonstrated Competence in Statistics
Select one of the following:
CRP 5450	Inferential Statistics for Planning and Public Policy
ILRST 5110	Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences II (crosslisted)
ILRST 6100	Statistical Methods I (crosslisted)
PUBPOL 5310	Applied Econometrics for Public Policy
Successful completion of an approved Statistics course at Cornell. 2
Successful Completion of Methods Course
Select one of the following:
CRP 5250	Methods for Spatial Economic and Demographic Analysis
CRP 5530	Land Use and Spatial Planning Methods
Successful Completion of an Additional Methods Course
Select one of the following:
CRP 5080	Introduction to GIS for Planners
CRP 5250	Methods for Spatial Economic and Demographic Analysis
CRP 5530	Land Use and Spatial Planning Methods
CRP 5680	Introduction to Urban Data Science: Theory, Applications, and Practice (crosslisted)
CRP 6201	Research Design and Qualitative Methods
CRP 6270	Regional Economic Impact Analysis
CEE 5900	Project Management (crosslisted)
GDEV 6190	Quantitative Research Methods
HADM 6200	Principles of Real Estate
LA 5010	Composition and Theory I
Successful completion of an approved Additional Methods course at Cornell. 3
Successful Completion of a Law or International Institutions Course
Select one of the following:
CRP 5331	Environmental Law and Policy
CRP 5590	Land Use Law
CRP 6630	Historic Preservation Law
CRP 6720	International Institutions
HADM 6870	Real Estate Law
Successful Completion of a Workshop Course
Workshop course offerings vary each year and may include topics in: Land Use, Community and Economic Development, International Planning, Historic Preservation Planning, Real Estate, and Urban Design.
Select one of the following:
CRP 5072	Land Use, Environmental Planning, and Urban Design Workshop
CRP 5074	Economic and Community Development Workshop
CRP 5076	International Planning and Development Workshop
CRP 5172	NYC Workshop: Land Use, Environmental Planning, and Design
CRP 5348	Design Connect (if taken for 4 credits with a letter grade)
CRP 5610	Historic Preservation Planning Workshop: Surveys
CRP 6580	Residential and Commercial Development

¹

Note: M.R.P. students may petition to have other Cornell courses fulfill the Economics course requirement.

²

Note: M.R.P. students may petition to have other Cornell courses fulfill the Statistics course requirement.

³

Note: M.R.P. students may petition to have other Cornell courses fulfill the Additional Methods course requirement.

Successful Completion of an Exit Project

Students must complete two courses: CRP 8901 M.R.P. Exit Project: Research and CRP 8911 M.R.P. Exit Project Writing (The combined credits must equal 4 credits in total).

M.R.P. Students are required to submit the exit project to eCommons – Cornell University Library's online repository for dissertations and theses before the exit project degree deadline.

Learning Outcomes

Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate knowledge of the histories of the discipline of landscape architecture internationally and a critical understanding of the breadth of theories that have shaped and currently frame design and practice.
• Integrate knowledge of living systems into designed projects [soils, plants, and animals], their physical and cultural characteristics, and their dynamic performances and adaptation capacity to today’s uncertainties induced by climate change.
• Display knowledge of analytical and descriptive approaches that engage deeply with contemporary site thinking methods to generate landscape designs at a variety of scales that address the complex cultural and natural systems at work on a given or proposed site.
• Become proficient in the required technical skills (engineering and construction) necessary for practice and licensure as a professional landscape architect and pursue deep knowledge on materials: their cultural histories, modes of production, technical specificities, and responsible, sustainable use.
• Develop excellent representation skills, both analog and digital, to engage with design thinking and effectively communicate innovative designs, while being aware of the ideological implications of all representations.
• Become prepared for both independent work of the highest standards and collaboratively driven pursuits, as well as for becoming a responsible leader in ecologically and socially transformative designs; prepare to engage responsibly with communities, especially the underserved, silenced, and with other species, to contribute to a just, inclusive, and diverse planet.

Master of Regional Planning (M.R.P.) Learning Outcomes

• Guiding values
  -Equity, diversity, social justice and inclusion
  -Sustainability, resilience, and climate justice
  -Professional ethics and responsibility
• General planning knowledge in global context
  -Planning history and theory
  -Planning law and institutions
  -Urban and regional development
• Skills and tools for planning practice
  -Planning process and engagement
  -Analytical skills and tools
  -Professional, communication, and leadership skills

Admissions

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Applicants to the dual-degree program must apply separately to both the Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) and the Master of Regional Planning (M.R.P.) The dual-degree program allows students to earn two degrees in a total of eight semesters, with five semesters of residence in the M.L.A. program and three semesters in residence in the M.R.P. program.

It is important to apply to the second program during its admission cycle for the upcoming year (typically between the first and second semesters of the first year). It is important to contact the admissions team for the second program to be made aware of application deadlines. 

Each college or school makes its admissions decisions independently and does not have access to information pertaining to the second program’s application files.

To be accepted and enrolled in a dual-degree program, students must:

• Meet each program’s application deadline and fulfill all admissions requirements (admissions decisions are made independently by each program)
• Accept admittance to both programs, and submit any required tuition deposits
• Complete all application requirements as outlined by the additional program
• Connect with both programs regarding any funding changes

Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) Admissions Requirements

Please visit the M.L.A. website to view application deadlines and more detailed information on application requirements.

Requirements Summary:

All applicants are required to submit a design portfolio. The portfolio may include a wide variety of media, including freehand drawings, painting, photography, graphic design and renderings, garden design, and other creative endeavors. 

Portfolios are digitally submitted along with the M.L.A. application. There is no page limit; however, your file size should be less than 20 megabytes total to be able to upload onto the Cornell Graduate School application site.

Applicants to the two-year program should hold a bachelor's degree in architecture or landscape architecture from a recognized institution. Applicants with a bachelor's degree in an area other than architecture or landscape architecture should apply to the three-year program.

• All Graduate School requirements, including the English language proficiency requirement for all applicants
• Two (2) letters of recommendation
• Portfolio
• Prospective foreign students without an undergraduate degree from a U.S. institution or an undergraduate degree conducted in English are required to pass the Test for English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a reading score of 22, writing score of 22, listening score of 20, and speaking score of 25. IELTS required is 7.0.

Portfolio Summary

Applicants to the M.L.A. program are required to submit a portfolio. The portfolio is used to assess your aptitude for visual thinking and design. Applicants may include a wide variety of media, including freehand drawings, painting, photography, graphic design and renderings, garden design, and other creative endeavors.

Portfolios are digitally submitted along with the M.L.A. application. There is no page limit; however, your file size should be less than 20 megabytes total to be able to upload onto the Cornell Graduate School application site. A hard copy is not required for graduate applications. Any questions can be directed to the director of graduate studies.

Admissions Contact Information

Name: Jamie Vanucchi, director of graduate studies, jlv29@cornell.edu
Name: Kait Daciek, administrative coordinator, kmd294@cornell.edu
Email: LAfield@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-9552
Campus Address: 440 Kennedy Hall
Website: https://cals.cornell.edu/landscape-architecture

Master of Regional Planning (M.R.P.) Admissions Requirements

The Master of Regional Planning (M.R.P.) is a professionally accredited, two-year program with STEM designation. It is a multifaceted, transdisciplinary program that prepares the next generation of change-makers to build more just, inclusive, sustainable, and dynamic cities and communities.

Application Deadlines 

Please visit the AAP website to view application deadlines and more detailed information on application requirements. 

Requirements Summary

• Two letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts from each college or university previously attended
• All applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement 
  • Visit the Graduate School Admissions site for details on the English language proficiency requirement, including standing exemptions. 
• Academic statement of purpose
• Personal statement
• Resume/CV