Overview
Landscape architecture is an environmental design discipline. Landscape architects actively shape the human environment: they map, interpret, imagine, draw, build, conceptualize, synthesize, and project ideas that transform landscapes. The design process involves creative expression that derives from an understanding of the context of site (or landscape) ecosystems, cultural frameworks, functional systems, and social dynamics. Students in our program learn to change the world around them by re-imagining and re-shaping the landscape to enhance its aesthetic and functional dimensions, ecological health, cultural significance, and social relevance. The profession addresses a broad range of landscapes in urban, suburban, rural, and wilderness settings. The scale of landscape architecture projects varies from broad, regional landscape analysis and planning to detailed, individual site-scale designs. The curriculum at Iowa State prepares students for this challenge as they develop their abilities to design and communicate ideas through a sequence of foundational courses and studios. The program seeks to produce graduates who understand the ethical, social, and environmental/ecological dimensions of issues involving changes in the landscape.
Graduates are active in a broad range of careers, such as sustainable site design, land development, park management, environmental advocacy, community planning, urban design, and others. In their professional lives, graduates apply their creative and technical skills in the planned arrangement of natural and constructed elements on the land with a concern for the stewardship and conservation of natural, constructed, and human resources. The resulting environments serve useful, aesthetic, safe, and enjoyable purposes. Graduates are able to communicate effectively with colleagues in the sciences and humanities as well as in the allied professions, and are prepared to work individually and in multidisciplinary teams to address complex problems dealing with the cultural/ecological environment.
The department offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs and cooperates in the undergraduate minors in Design Studies, Critical Studies in Design, and Digital Media.
The undergraduate curriculum includes one year of the college’s Core Design Program followed by four years in the professional program. Applicants are reviewed on the basis of academic performance and a portfolio of original work; admission to the professional program is subject to the approval of a faculty committee at the completion of the Core Design Program. Information on admission criteria is posted each year on the College of Design website.
Following admission to the professional program, students embark on the traveling studio during the fall semester of their second year. This studio is a full semester’s credit of integrated departmental courses and involves extensive travel within and beyond the great Midwest region of North America, to study regional natural systems and the cultural responses to those systems.
To enhance the study of landscape architecture in off-campus settings, the department requires students to choose from among the following options during the spring and summer of their fourth year: 1. a professional internship 2. the College of Design Rome Program 3. an independent study abroad experience or 4. National Student Exchange. The department assists students with placement, and additional information is provided through the department and the College of Design’s Career Services Office.
The undergraduate program consists of a five-year curriculum, requiring 150 credits, leading to the degree Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. These credits are distributed between a one-year Core Design Program of 30 credits and a four-year professional program of 120 credits.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Understand and practice design as an iterative process
- Design landscapes as part of the built material world from concept to detail
- Select and use a wide range of manual and digital techniques to communicate ideas; utilize appropriate communication and representation techniques based on the design problem
- Present a project clearly and concisely to a client, community, or user group and produce professional communications
- Produce basic construction documents and other project documentation including plans and specifications
- Incorporate knowledge of ecology and plants into design proposals
- Understand and practice landscape architecture as a continuously changing historical and cultural activity
- Interpret how social, cultural, and political dynamics affect the use and design of public and private space
- Function effectively in collaborative and multidisciplinary settings
- Practice professional ethics, judgment, and skills and understand the professional’s role as a fiduciary
Degree Requirements
The department offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs.
The undergraduate program consists of a five-year curriculum, requiring 150 credits, leading to the degree Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. These credits are distributed between a one-year Core Design Program of 31 credits and a four-year professional program of 119 credits.
Admission into the professional program depends upon available resources and is subject to the approval of a faculty committee at the completion of the Core Design Program. Applicants are reviewed on the basis of academic performance and a portfolio of original work. Information on admission criteria is posted each year on the College of Design website.
The BLA from Iowa State University is an LAAB (Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board)-accredited professional degree program. In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for professional licensure. The LAAB is the sole entity recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit U.S. first-professional degree programs in landscape architecture at the bachelor's and master's levels.
Total Degree Requirement: 150 credits
Only 65 credits from a two-year institution may apply, which may include up to 16 technical credits; 9 P-NP credits of free electives; 2.00 minimum GPA.
International Perspective: 3 credits
U.S. Diversity: 3 credits
Communications: 10 credits
(C or better grade in ENGL 150 and ENGL 250)
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| LIB 160 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Proposal and Report Writing | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
| Total Credits | 10 | |
Humanities: 9 credits
9 credits from PHIL, HIST, MUSIC or other humanities course offerings.
Social Sciences: 6 credits
6 credits from ANTHR, ECON, POL S, PSYCH, or SOC.
Mathematics and Science: 12 credits
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| College Algebra | ||
| Applied Trigonometry | ||
| Calculus I (4 crs) | ||
| ENV S 120 | Introduction to Renewable Resources | 3 |
| Science Elective | 6 | |
Additional General Education Course 3 credits
3 credits from 300-400-level courses
Design Core: 13 credits
| DSN S 102 | Design Studio I | 4 |
| DSN S 115 | Design Collaborative Seminar | 1 |
| or DSN S 110 | Design Exchange Seminar I | |
| DSN S 131 | Drawing I | 4 |
| DSN S 132 | Digital Design Literacy | 1 |
| DSN S 183 | Design in Context | 3 |
| Total Credits | 13 | |
Landscape Architecture: 85 credits
| L A 201 | Studio: Landscape Interpretation and Representation | 6 |
| L A 202 | Studio: Site Design I | 6 |
| L A 211 | Digital Design Methods for Landscape Architecture | 3 |
| L A 241 | Developing Identity as a Landscape Architect | 1 |
| L A 272 | Landscape Studies | 3 |
| L A 274 | The Social and Behavioral Landscape | 3 |
| L A 281 | Investigating Landscape Form, Process, and Detail | 3 |
| L A 301 | Site Design II | 6 |
| L A 302 | Ecological Design | 6 |
| L A 322 | Fundamentals of Planting Design | 3 |
| L A 341 | Contemporary Landscape Architecture | 1 |
| L A 371 | History of Modern Landscapes, 1750 to Present | 3 |
| L A 373 | Gardens and Landscapes from Antiquity to 1750 | 3 |
| L A 381 | Shaping the Land | 3 |
| L A 402 | Urban Design | 6 |
| L A 404 | Advanced Landscape Architectural Design | 6 |
| L A 444 | Landscape Architecture Independent Educational Enrichment | R |
| L A 442 | Professional Practice | 2 |
| L A 481 | Landscape Construction | 3 |
| L A 482 | Landscape Construction Documentation | 3 |
| DSN S 546 | Interdisciplinary Design Studio | 6 |
| Plus nine credits professional electives | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 85 | |
Electives: 12 credits
Complete electives sufficient to complete graduation requirements.
Landscape Architecture, B.L.A.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| DSN S 102 or 131 | 4 | DSN S 131 or 102 | 4 |
| DSN S 115 | 1 | DSN S 132 | 1 |
| DSN S 183 ( or General Education) | 3 | Soc. Sciences/Humanities Elective | 3 |
| ENGL 150 or 250 | 3 | Science Elective or MATH 142 | 3 |
| Soc. Sciences/Humanities Elective | 3 | LIB 160 | 1 |
| MATH 145 | 3 | Elective (Optional for pre-professional year; not required for program application. If not taken in first year, add 3 cr. to a subsequent semester to meet the 150.0 credit total) | 3 |
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| L A 201 | 6 | L A 202 | 6 |
| L A 211 | 3 | L A 274 | 3 |
| L A 221 | 3 | ENV S 120 | 3 |
| L A 241 | 1 | Elective | 3 |
| L A 272 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| L A 301 | 6 | L A 302 | 6 |
| L A 322 | 3 | L A 341 | 1 |
| L A 373 | 3 | L A 371 | 3 |
| L A 381 | 3 | Social Science/Humanities Electives | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | 3 | Math/Science Elective | 3 |
| 18 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| L A 402 | 6 | One of the following: | |
| L A 481 | 3 | L A 444A | R |
| Social Science/Humanities Elective | 3 | L A 444B | R |
| LA electives | 3 | L A 444C | R |
| Communications (300 level English) | 3 | ||
| DSN S 301 (Rome option only) | 1 | ||
| 19 | 0 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| L A 404 | 6 | DSN S 546 | 6 |
| LA Electives | 3 | L A 442 | 2 |
| LA Electives | 3 | L A 482 | 3 |
| Social Science/Humanities Elective (300 level) | 6 | Electives/LA Electives | 3 |
| Professional Elective | 1 | ||
| 18 | 15 | ||
Additionally: Each student needs to take 3 credits of a US Diversity and 3 credits of an International Perspectives course (usually covered by L A 373). Students also need to take at least 6 credits of 300 level or above in the combined areas of communication, science, math, humanities, and social science (6 total from all the areas).
Graduate Programs
The department offers the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA), an accredited professional degree designed for students with or without an undergraduate degree in landscape architecture. The degree provides skills and knowledge as measured by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) and the licensing exam for students seeking to practice as a licensed professional in the public or private sectors. The MLA degree also offers competency for students interested in post-professional study as it provides the skills and knowledge for the application of research and/or scholarly methods to professional practice.
The MLA program offers three concentration tracks in the following topical areas — Theory/Urbanism, Technology/Ecology, Advocacy/Community — through coursework and an optional thesis or creative component. The concentration in one of the three tracks will be determined by the student in consultation with his/her advisor. Concentration electives may be selected from within the college and university from an approved list and up to three (3) credits from within the department. In their final year, students may undertake a creative component or thesis option with the approval of their major professor and the department Graduate Committee.
Students are also able to pursue double degrees with Master of Community and Regional Planning (MLA/MCRP), Master of Urban Design (MLA/MUD), and Master of Design in Sustainable Environments (MLA/MDesSE). Students interested in the double-degree programs should contact the departments to receive a detailed description of requirements.
The department also offers courses in the Graduate Certificate Program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), administered by the Department of Community and Regional Planning.
Design and Planning: 34 credits
| L A 601 Design Representation | 4 | |
| L A 602 Studio I – Land/Form & Plant/Scape | 6 | |
| L A 603 Studio II – Living Systems | 6 | |
| L A 604 Studio III – City Matters | 6 | |
| L A 605 Studio IV – LandWorks/LandDigits | 6 | |
| DSN S 546 | Interdisciplinary Design Studio | 6 |
Theory/History/Research: 10 credits
| L A 571 | Landscape Architectural Theory | 3 |
| L A 590D | Special Topics: History/Theory/Criticism | 3 |
or L A 578D: LA History elective* | ||
| L A 541 | Design Inquiry | 3 |
| L A 543 | Colloquium: Landscape Architecture Research | 1 |
Technology/Ecology/Materiality: 14 credits
| L A 522 | Advanced Plant Technology | 3 |
| L A 542 | Professional Practice | 2 |
| L A 559 | Digital Design Methods for Landscape Architecture | 3 |
| L A 583 | Landscape TopoGraphics | 3 |
| L A 587 | Landscape Construction | 3 |
Advocacy/Planning/Policy: 6 credits
| L A 594 | Environmental Justice in Built Environments | 3 |
| Planning Elective - choose one from: | 3 | |
| Policy Analysis and Planning | ||
| Planning and Development | ||
| Environmental Law and Planning | ||
| Land Use and Development Regulation Law | ||
Concentration Electives: 15 credits
Concentration track electives in Theory/History/Urbanism; Advocacy/Planning/Community; Technology/Ecology/Materiality from approved list. Students may in consultation with their advisor also choose courses from CRP, ARCH, MUD, SUS E, IND D, or other relevant departments in the college or university.