Landscape Architecture and Urban Design

As an MSc in landscape architecture and urban design, you shape the future urban environments and housing areas, parks and landscapes, so that they provide excellent human and natural settings for many years to come.

The programme is offered in English.

During the two-year MSc programme in Landscape Architecture you work with design, planning and analysis, in order to create attractive, varied and sustainable urban areas and landscapes which people use actively and thus bring to life.

When studying for an MSc in Landscape Architecture, you specialise in landscape planning, green space management or urban design. Within these fields you learn to undertake programming, planning, design and management at local and regional scales, developing competences in architectural method, natural and social sciences.

As a landscape architect you are trained as a highly skilled project manager who are able to handle complex and unpredictable work situations that often require new solution models. Thus you will achieve a high level of professionalism which will benefit your future career as a landscape architect.

Profile and Career

The MSc programme in Landscape Architecture combines creative disciplines and scientific knowledge with an understanding of society.
As a landscape architect and urban planner, you work with designing anything from local beach parks, harbour transformations and green urban areas to overall landscape planning.
You know the conditions governing the development and structure of the cities and regions and are able to plan, design and manage parks and green areas.
You work analytically and creatively to create unique architecture and perfect solutions for urban and rural areas, resulting in stimulating, well-functioning and sustainable surroundings for people in the future.

Competence Description

As a graduate from the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture, you will also have the competences, for example, to:

• Propose hypotheses and analyse, programme and plan the development of green spaces
• Evaluate the quality of landscape architecture projects – both your own and those of others
• Take a spatial, social and artistic approach in a variety of contexts

Career opportunities

As a landscape architect and urban planner, you have many exciting career opportunities. You can, for example, work with developing specific plans for new urban spaces and areas, harbour transformations etc. at a private architectural firm.
Or you can work in the public sector as, for example, nature manager, parks officer or city planner in charge of developing parks and green areas.
Many landscape architects and urban planners also start their own business, where they handle development, design and management tasks for private individuals, companies and public authorities.
Finally, quite a few landscape architects and urban planners work within communication, research or teaching.

The MSc programme consists of a number of elective courses, a compulsory thematic course and a thesis.
You shape your course of study yourself through elective courses on the basis of your academic and personal interests. The electives offer you the opportunity to strengthen your competences within area management, urban ecology and planning of recreational plantings. You can also combine your architectural knowledge with courses such as conflict management, ecology or economics in order for you to acquire specialised competences.

You can use the elective courses to immerse yourself in subjects in which you are particularly interested. This may concern sustainable urban areas and urban ecology, shaping of gardens and parks or policy and landscape management.

Specialisations

You can further enhance your personal profile by choosing between three specialisations alternating between theory and project work:

• Urban Design
• Green Space Management
• Landscape Planning

The entire MSc programme is taught in English, and there are good opportunities for studying outside the University of Copenhagen in both Denmark and abroad. The Faculty of Science, where the Landscape Architecture programme is based, has also entered into a collaboration agreement with the schools of architecture in Copenhagen and Aarhus on which you can draw.

Master's thesis

The MSc programme is concluded with the writing of a thesis corresponding to six or nine months of studies.
The thesis may consist of a plan proposal for a specific area or may be a study of an academic problem area which you treat in a scientific context.
In connection with a thesis of 30 ECTS, an additional minimum of 60 ECTS must be obtained through the thematic course and the group of core courses, and, in connection with a thesis of 45 ECTS, an additional minimum of 45 ECTS must be obtained through the thematic course and the group of core courses.

Examples of theses and theme projects:

• Urban development at Nordhavnen (harbour area in Copenhagen)
• Life on urban rooftops – ideas for public roof gardens
• General plan and project proposal for industrial site in the city of Fredericia
• Landscape plan for new residential area in the town of Jægerspris
• A child’s perspective on park policy with Esbjerg as case city
• General plan for areas around the port of Aalborg, Denmark
• The greenways in Copenhagen – recreation, nature, production
• Plan for restoration of the Harrestrup Å watercourse
• Garden design with focus on therapy for people affected by stress
• The cemetery as a cultural phenomenon

Following applicants are directly qualified to admission for the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture:BSc in Landscape Architecture from University of CopenhagenBSc in Architecture from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture or Aarhus School of ArchitectureBSc in Natural Resources with the core module course Nature Management from University of CopenhagenForest and Landscape Engineers from University of CopenhagenUrban Landscape Engineers from University of CopenhagenBSc graduates with a biological background corresponding to one of the above mentioned require individual approval by the Study Board.Selection Criteria from 2014Applicants with a BSc in Landscape Architecture from University of Copenhagen are garanteed admission to the MSc in Landscape Architecture.The following groups of applicants are directly qualified for admission:BSc in Architecture from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture or Aarhus School of ArchitectureBSc in Natural Resources with the core module course Nature Management from University of CopenhagenForest and Landscape Engineers from University of CopenhagenIf the number of applicants with the above-mentioned bachelor degrees exceeds 70, the applicants will be ranked according to their grade point average of their bachelor degree.Applicants with other bachelor degrees will be assessed and prioritized according to the following criteria, by an admissions committee. The criteria reflect the skills which are essential prerequisites to complete the master's programme in Landscape Architecture. The final decision will be based on an assessment in which the following subject areas from previous courses are weighted by the following factors:Design with the use of IT tools, such as LIFE courses Plan & design (Planning & Design), Håndværk og æstetik (Craft and Aesthetics), Designmetoder og IT-redskaber (Design Methods and IT tools), Byplan – strategi og projekt (Urban Planning - Strategy and Project) or Planter og teknologi (Plants and Technology), min. equivalent to 30 ECTS.Økologi (Ecology), such as Naturgrundlaget 1 (Processes in Nature 1 - The Living Soil), Økologi, Have- og landskabsplanters botanik (Ecology, Garden and Botany of Landscape Plants), Planter og teknologi (Plants and Technology), Plantedesign (Plant Design) min. equivalent to 15 ECTS.Videnskabsteori og/eller Academic Writing (Philosophy and Science and / or Academic Writing) min. equivalent to 7.5 ECTS.For each subject area an average mark is calculated based on the two most recent courses in that area. If the applicant has only completed one course within the subject area, the grade from this course is used. For each gained 7.5 ECTS points within this category the average grade point is multiplied with an additional 1.01. For instance: if the student’s average grade for the last two courses in "Design with the use of IT tools" is 10 and the student throughout his studies has completed courses equivalent to 30 ECTS points within the subject area, he will achieve a score of 10,04 (10.0 x 1.04).Students will be admitted after the highest overall score until all seats are assigned.Language RequirementsTo gain admission to an MSc in the English language, non-Danish applicants must document qualifications on par with the Danish secondary school ‘English level B'. The Faculty of Science accepts the following 3 ways of documenting this:English is your native language. The Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, accepts The University of Purdue view that citizens of the following countries are exempted from taking an English Language Proficiency exam: Anguilla, Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Dominica, Grand Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Irish Republic, Jamaica, Montserrat, New Zealand, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, & Wales and United States of AmericaIf you are citizen of one of the above countries, you are not required to submit any proof of English proficiency. Your copy of your passport will suffice as sufficient proof.Prior studies completed in the English language/in an English speaking country. For example, if you have studied your Bachelor degree in England you are not required to complete an English language proficiency exam. We ask such students to provide a signed statement from the Educational institution (with the institution's stamp on it) stating that English is the main language of instruction. Furthermore, applicants from Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) do not need to provide proof of English language proficiency.Applicants with English as their second language (except Scandinavians) must pass an IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge Advanced English test before being admitted. The Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, accepts the following tests and scores:IELTS-test (British Council) with a minimum score of 6.5Computer-based TOEFL-test with a minimum score of 213 pointsPaper-based TOEFL-test with a minimum score of 560 pointsInternet-based TOEFL-test with a min score of 83 pointsLanguage tests older than 2 years are not accepted (from the application deadline). English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL paper-based test score : 560 TOEFL iBT® test: 83

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Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

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The Faculty of Science will not be awarding any scholarships for the academic year 2014/2015.

Please note that many scholarships are offered by companies or organisations, it can be worthwhile to research your particular options from your home country.