Landscape Architecture, PhD

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture

The Department of Landscape Architecture offers the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) degree, the Master of Sustainable Urban Design degree (MSUD), and the PhD degree.

The programs enable students to gain fresh insights and to conduct new research pertaining to land and its use by people. The PhD program is jointly administered with the School of Architecture and emphasizes both interdisciplinary study and cross-disciplinary inquiry. Areas of concentration include history and theory; technology and environment; and behavioral and cultural factors in design. Before submitting an application, students should consult the department website for information regarding the specific areas of study and the time needed to complete the requirements.

Several faculty members in the department also participate in the doctoral program administered by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. See the program description under Regional Planning, PhD for more information.

Admission

The Graduate College admission requirements apply. Students are admitted on an individual basis according to a review of their prior accomplishments with an emphasis on academic achievement. The doctoral program prefers candidates with master’s degrees: MLA, MArch, or related fields such as art history, ecology, geography, or planning. All graduate students must begin their studies in the fall semester.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in the PhD program.

Financial Aid

Students compete for fellowships, tuition and service fee waivers, and assistantships. Selection is based on the academic achievement and qualifications of the student.

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture

For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Program Curriculum and the Graduate College Handbook.

The requirements may vary slightly according to students' area of focus.

Students are required to defend their dissertation, Policies on format of the doctoral examination can be found in the Graduate College Handbook.

96-hour program for students entering with a Baccalaureate Degree

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
All students are required to enroll in the PhD colloquium during the fall of their first year of course work.
ARCH 589	PhD Colloquium (Taken twice)	2
Research methods		4
Elective Coursework in Major Field		26
Language Requirement: Required for all students in the History/Theory option and for some Social and Cultural Factors students
Elective Coursework		32
LA 599	Thesis Research	32
Total Hours		96

64-hour program for students entering with an MS/MA

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
All students are required to enroll in the PhD colloquium during the fall of their first year of coursework.
ARCH 589	PhD Colloquium (taken twice)	2
Research methods (unless previously waived)		4
Language Requirement: Required for all students in the History/Theory option and for some Social and Cultural Factors students
Elective Coursework		26
LA 599	Thesis Research	32
Total Hours		64

80-96-hour program for students admitted with maximum 16 hours approved from a prior MLA.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
All students are required to enroll in the PhD colloquium during the fall of their first year of coursework.
ARCH 589	PhD Colloquium (taken twice)	2
Research methods		4
Elective Coursework in Major Field		10-26
Language Requirement: Required for all students in the History/Theory option and for some Social and Cultural Factors students
Elective Coursework		32
LA 599	Thesis Research	32
Total Hours		80-96

Other Requirements

Grad Other Degree Requirements
Requirement	Description
Other requirements may overlap
Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall (not including LA 599)	24
Professional Degree Required for Admission to PhD	No
Qualifying Exam Required:	No
Preliminary Exam Required:	Yes
Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required:	Yes
Dissertation Deposit Required:	Yes
Minimum GPA:	3.0
Language and statistics course requirements vary by focus area. To develop proficiency, students may be required to take more than one course. Specific requirements are determined on a case-by-case basis by the Chair of the PhD Committee in consultation with the student's advisor.

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture

PhD students in the Department of Landscape Architecture will:

Research Skills. Develop and practice a variety of research skills. Students will design their research strategy; obtain and analyze evidence; develop evidence-based arguments; identify and evaluate the existing critical literature of the field; master languages in some cases, and in other cases master advanced computer programs.
Communicate with Clarity. Develop and demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and original ideas through clear writing supplemented by graphic representations and delivered as text (dissertation), speech (lecture presentations), and image (PowerPoint to accompany lectures). Doctoral students will gain an advanced level of written, visual, and technical literacy.
Original Research. Develop and carry out a major, original research investigation; develop it into an extended argument(the dissertation), the outcome of which might be a book, policy guidelines, a series of journal articles, or a patent.
Design Research. Use ideas and methods from design research to explore questions that advance knowledge that supports design.
Pedagogy. Demonstrate understanding of basic concepts about teaching and practice a range of instructional techniques in classrooms and studio contexts.

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture