StudyQA — Master: Landscape Architecture — Colorado State University

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

Landscape Architecture is a licensed professional discipline concerned with landscape design and environmental planning. Its practitioners work at all scales-from that of the home garden to corporate sites, parks, greenways, communities, mines, national parks and forests- to plan, design, and specify construction for changes to land and water areas. These changes may include ecological restoration of disturbed land, human development and settlement of land, or further improvements and beautification of occupied land. The work of landscape architects is to organize and give character to the future managed or constructed landscape, bringing the same skills to the shaping of land, plants, structures, and materials, and service to the client, as an architect brings to a building.

Colorado State University offers two programs in Landscape Architecture; the Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture program (BSLA) and the Master of Landscape Architecture program (MLA).

Studying Landscape Architecture at Colorado State is an adventure. It’s more than just experiencing Colorado’s landscape, with its spectacular mountains, hiking, snowboarding and skiing. Taking part in this challenging course of study, you will prepare yourself for a career in a widely-respected profession.

You have the opportunity to study design as accomplished landscape architects see it: shaping spaces as well as planning and preserving them. Nature, culture, form, and space: these are the classic elements of landscape architecture with which you work in a series of design studios and related courses. Here, you focus on a variety of environmental design and planning projects that grow more complex as the curriculum proceeds.

Throughout the program, emphasis is on the relationship between design, nature, and society: the impact of environments on the individual as well as the impact of users on the environment. It is important to note that registration laws for landscape architects in 49 states encourage graduation from schools, such as Colorado State University, that are accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the ASLA.

First Year
Select one from the following:		4
LAND 630	Topics in Urban Design
LAND 640	Major Landscape Change
Select one from the following:		3
LAND 510	Virtual Design Methods
LAND 520	Geographic Information Systems
LAND 610	Topics in Garden Design	4
Focus Area Electives (see list below):1		9
	Total Credits	20
Second Year
Select one from the following:		4
LAND 630	Topics in Urban Design
LAND 640	Major Landscape Change
Select one from the following:		3
LAND 510	Virtual Design Methods
LAND 520	Geographic Information Systems
LAND 620	Topics in Park Design	4
Focus Area Electives (see list below)1		9
	Total Credits	20
	Program Total Credits:	40

A minimum of 40 credits are required to complete this program.

Focus Area Electives

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Cultural and Historic Landscapes
ANTH 500	Development of Anthropological Theory	3
ANTH 515	Culture and Environment	3
ANTH 530	Human-Environment Interactions	3
AREC 572	Social Benefit Cost Analysis	3
HIST 503	Historical Method: Preservation	3
Landscape Ecology
BZ 561	Landscape Ecology	3
ECOL 505	Foundations of Ecology	2
ECOL 571	Advanced Topics in Ecology	1-3
ECOL 592	Interdisciplinary Seminar in Ecology	1-3
ECOL 610	Ecosystem Ecology	3
ECOL 620	Applications in Landscape Ecology	4
FW 465	Managing Human-Wildlife Conflicts	3
NR 522	Wilderness Ecosystem Planning	3
NR 578	Ecology of Disturbed Lands	3
Landscape Restoration and Reclamation
BZ 561	Landscape Ecology	3
BZ 572	Phytoremediation	3
CIVE 549	Drainage and Wetland Engineering	3
ECOL 505	Foundations of Ecology	2
ECOL 592	Interdisciplinary Seminar in Ecology	1-3
NR 515	Natural Resources Policy and Biodiversity	3
NR 561	Habitat Evaluation Procedures	2
NR 578	Ecology of Disturbed Lands	3
Regional and Community Planning
AREC 547	Public Lands Planning and Management	3
ECON 540/AREC 540	Environmental and Natural Resource Economics	3
ECON 541/AREC 541	Environmental Economics	3
FW 465	Managing Human-Wildlife Conflicts	3
NR 505	Concepts in GIS	4
NR 506	GIS Methods for Resource Management	4
NRRT 550	Ecotourism	3
Remote Sensing/GIS
NR 503	Remote Sensing and Image Analysis	4
NR 504	Computer Analysis of Remote Sensing Data	4
NR 505	Concepts in GIS	4
NR 506	GIS Methods for Resource Management	4
NR 512	Spatial Statistical Modeling-Natural Resources	3
NR 621	Design of Geographic Information Systems	3
Semi-Arid/Western Landscapes
AREC 542	Applied Advanced Water Resource Economics	3
CIVE 520	Physical Hydrology	3
CIVE 522	Engineering Hydrology	3
CIVE 524/WR 524	Modeling Watershed Hydrology	3
CIVE 544	Water Resources Planning and Management	3
WR 516	Cumulative Effects and Watershed Analysis	3

Online Application
$70 Non-refundable Application Fee
Supplemental Application Materials – must be submitted electronically by uploading within your application

Statement of Purpose: A short essay (500 words or less) outlining your academic/work experience and career goals
Please describe your specific academic interests so that we may identify appropriate potential faculty advisers. If you have already identified a faculty member you would like to work with please include that information.
Three Letters of Recommendation: Letters from people who know you well and can comment on your abilities, particularly your ability to succeed in graduate school
Add the names and e-mail addresses to your application. Each person will receive an e-mail from Colorado State University inviting them to upload a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
Resume / CV: A brief written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experiences
Official Transcripts: One official transcript from each collegiate institution attended; must include a certified translation into English if necessary
Transcripts must be sent directly to the Colorado State University Admissions Office via snail mail or electronically. You will need to contact your previous institutions and request they submit official transcripts to Colorado State University.
Colorado State University transcripts are not required. Training course transcripts from branches of the U.S. military that show credit received with neither grades nor degrees awarded are also exempt from the transcript requirement.
GRE Not Required
TOEFL / IELTS Score: Test scores must be reported electronically directly to Colorado State University (institution code 4075) by the testing agency
Sample of Your Creative Work: Digital submissions are required, please submit a maximum of 10 single-sided pages, 8 1/2″ x 11″ originals

Sample of Your Creative Work Details

Please choose creative visual works, possibly including a drawn self-portrait, sketches, paintings, sculpture, photographs, website design, photographs of creative work, etc. Many submittals contain very little landscape architectural work, but exhibit a more general quality of your potential as a student of design. Include works that you feel convey your creativity, drawing, illustration or visualization abilities. If you have no previous, traditional artistic work, please think creatively about what you may produce and include that expresses your character and interests. If you have previous landscape architecture, art, or design courses, you may choose to include works from those courses.

Required items for Immigration Document Insurance: These items are not required for the application review process, but will be required if officially admitted. The following materials must be sent directly to the Colorado State University Admissions Office.

Certified proof of financial support – Graduate Student Certification for Issuance of Immigration Document
GS3F form http://isss.colostate.edu/immigration_forms/ ) and supporting financial documents
Passport copy