Landscape Architecture (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here. 

Program Overview

With a tradition of more than 60 years of preparing students for careers in landscape architecture through both undergraduate and graduate studies, the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture is one of the oldest and strongest programs in the nation. The challenging field of landscape architecture incorporates studies in art and design, natural sciences, and social and cultural disciplines, together with technological advances in resource analysis, computer-aided representation, and modeling to address issues at scales ranging from intimate to global. At the profession’s heart are issues relating to environmental sustainability, human stewardship of natural resources, and the quality of life in both urban and rural surroundings.

At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the curriculum uses natural and man-made conditions in the Lower Mississippi River Valley region as laboratories to study the roles of nature, culture, and humans in shaping the built environment. Investigations include how and why landscapes evolve and endeavor to define the designer’s role in combining natural systems, environments, physical interventions, and human uses. Course formats include design studios, seminars, lectures, field studies, and independent work.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School: www.lsu.edu/gradapply. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Students are admitted to the program based on evaluation of the following:

• Academic qualifications
• Test scores (GRE; TOEFL or IELTS for international students)
• A portfolio of creative work (required for students with design backgrounds; strongly encouraged for others)
• A one page statement of intent
• A resume or CV
• Three references that discuss academic history and professional promise

Prospective students are encouraged to visit the school and its facilities, meet students, and discuss the program with faculty. An open house is held in late fall during studio reviews, but those interested in the program may make arrangements for a visit at any other time. Students are admitted only for the fall semester. The school accepts applications through January 31 for admission the following fall semester. Admissions decisions will be made in March. Prospective students should first complete admissions requirements through LSU’s Graduate School; official transcripts and test scores should be sent to The Graduate School. Portfolio materials, resume and any questions about application procedures should be addressed to the graduate coordinator.

Financial Assistance

Graduate fellowships and teaching and research assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis based on the student’s application materials. There is no application form for the School’s fellowships and assistantships. Graduate students are also eligible for school scholarships and financial assistance after their first year.

Graduate Faculty

(check current listings by department by clicking this link)

Dennis G. Abbey (M) • Green laws/ordinances and professional practice
Austin Allen (7M) • Community and Cultural Outreach, Film Theory
Bradley S. Cantrell (7M) • Digital representation, interactive/reactive landscapes
Max Z. Conrad (M) • Urban design, regional planning, planting design, travel
Van L. Cox (M) • Site design, graphics, professional practice and legal aspects
Lake Douglas (3A) • Garden history; arts administration and public art planning; nonprofit management and public administration; freelance writing
Kristi Dykema (6A) • Visual communication, landscape growth theory
Charles F. Fryling Jr (M) • Environmental planning, ecology
Cathy S. Marshall (7M) • Representation of landscape phenomenology
Wes Michaels (7M) • Dynamic landscape modeling, landscape urbanism, digital media
Elizabeth Mossop (M) • Contemporary landscape design, urbanism, infrastructure
Kevin Risk (7M) • Cultural Landscapes, history and site design
Bruce G. Sharky (M) • Professional practice, site grading and design, Latin American design studies
Suzanne L Turner (EM) • History, historic preservation, site design

Degree Programs

Programs

• Landscape Architecture, M.L.A.