Landscape Architecture

landarch.uoregon.edu

Elisabeth Chan, Department Head
541-346-3634
230 Lawrence Hall
info@uoregon.College

Landscape architecture is an environmental profession and discipline of broad scope concerned with the design, planning, and management of landscapes. Landscape architecture is founded on an awareness of our deep connections to the natural world and the recognition that we are part of the web of life. A healthy society rests on a commitment to landscape design that respects the land, its processes, its integrity—and that helps fulfill human potential.

Both a science and an art, landscape architecture involves creative decision-making based on scientific knowledge of natural processes coupled with awareness of historical, cultural, and social dynamics. These are applied to making richly supportive places beautiful in their response to human needs and ecological context.

The Department of Landscape Architecture is built on the 19th-century legacy that landscape architecture is a design and a social profession with responsibilities to ourselves, society, the past, and the future. The program combines professional understanding and skills with a liberal-arts education.

As a profession, landscape architecture includes design at many scales, ecologically based planning activities, analysis of environmental impacts, and detailed development of land and sites. As an academic discipline, it provides an opportunity for personal development through environmental problem-solving, graphic and oral communication, and project-oriented study.

Computers in the Curriculum

Digital tools have become prevalent in the profession of landscape architecture. Although campus computer laboratories and facilities are available to students, they are heavily used, and access is limited. The Department of Landscape Architecture requires its students to purchase or have unlimited access to a personal computer. Refer to the websites for the department and the School for Architecture and Allied Arts for details.

Faculty

Elisabeth Chan, associate professor (design representation, design theory). BA, 1993, Hampshire; MLA, 2000, Cornell. (2001)

Arica Duhrkoop-Galas, instructor (plants, planting design, landscape construction). BA, 1998, Portland State; CE, 1999, Cambridge; MLA, 2005, Oregon. (2010)

Mark Eischeid, assistant professor (landscape history, design theory, landscape systems). BS, 1994, Stanford; MLA, 2000, California, Berkeley; MFA, 2010, Edinburgh. (2014)

Anne Godfrey, instructor (landscape media and arts, design process and theory). BA, 1997, Carleton College; BLA, 2002, MLA, 2004, Oregon. (2008)

Kenneth I. Helphand, professor (landscape history, literature, and theory). BA, 1968, Brandeis; MLA, 1972, Harvard; Fellow, American Society of Landscape Architects. (1974)

David Hulse, Philip H. Knight Professor of Landscape Architecture (land-use planning, landscape ecology, geographic information systems). BSLA, 1981, Colorado State; MLA, 1984, Harvard. (1985)

Bart Johnson, associate professor (ecological design and planning, landscape ecology). BS, 1987, Cornell; MLA, 1992, PhD, 1995, Georgia. (1995)

Harper Keeler, instructor (civic agriculture, landscape biodynamics, urban farm director). BLA, 1995; MLA 2011, Oregon. (2010)

Ronald J. Lovinger, professor (planting design theory, landscape transformations, landscape as art form). BFA, 1961, Illinois; MLA, 1963, Pennsylvania; reg. landscape architect, Oregon, Pennsylvania. (1965)

Robert Z. Melnick, professor (landscape preservation, research methods, historic and cultural landscape analysis). BA, 1970, Bard; MLA, 1975, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Fellow, American Society of Landscape Architects. (1982)

Robert G. Ribe, professor (public lands, landscape analysis, ecological planning). BS, 1977, California, Riverside; MS, 1981, MA, 1987, PhD, 1990, Wisconsin. (1988)

Deni Ruggeri, associate professor (urban design, park design, streetscape and land planning). MLA, 2001, Politecnico di Milano; PhD, 2009, California, Berkeley. (2010)

Roxi Thoren, associate professor (urban design, design theory, microclimate response in design). BA, 1996, Wellesley; MArch, 2001, MLA, 2002, Virginia. (2004)

Emeriti

Jerome Diethelm, professor emeritus. BArch, 1962, Washington (Seattle); MLA, 1964, Harvard; reg. architect and landscape architect, Oregon. (1970)

The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.

The curriculum in landscape architecture leads to a degree of bachelor of landscape architecture (BLA). The five-year program, accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, combines general preparation in the arts and sciences with a focus on environmental-design studies. The goal is to produce a visually literate and environmentally responsible citizen capable of playing a central professional role in the evolving landscape.

In recognition of the integrated and comprehensive nature of environmental planning and design, opportunities are provided for collaboration on planning and design problems with students in architecture, community planning, and other disciplines.

Curriculum Options

The curriculum is a well-defined sequential path toward the degree. Electives vary according to the interests, goals, and experience of each student and are chosen with the help of faculty advisors. Departmental electives reflect the need to provide a variety of environmental subjects and to introduce the rapidly expanding number of career areas in the profession. Program objectives provide a solid base of essential skills, tools, and knowledge in landscape design. Program flexibility allows each student to emphasize such topics as ecological and resource analysis, land conservation and development, urban development of waterways and agricultural lands, private-agency professional practice, public-agency professional practice, environmental impact assessment, landscape preservation, and environmental research.

The undergraduate program balances exposure to the many facets of landscape architecture with the expectation that growth and specialization will occur at the graduate level and in professional apprentice and internship programs.

Curriculum Structure

The undergraduate curriculum consists of the following interrelated areas:

• Planning and design
• Subjects
• Electives

Planning and Design

Studio courses focus on the development and communication of solutions to site and other environmental problems through specific physical-design proposals. This area addresses the physical-spatial implications of planning and management policies, client needs, and programs. Tutorial studio work is the integrative heart of the curriculum.

Subjects

Six subject areas are essential foundations for the planning and design program: landscape architecture technology, plant materials, landscape analysis and planning, the history and theory of landscape architecture, urban design, and landscape architectural media. Course work in these areas, both required and elective, encourages the student to tailor an individualized educational program with the help of an advisor.

Electives

This area, which includes general university requirements, provides for personal choice in selecting additional course work in arts and letters, design arts, social science, and science.

Preparation

Students planning to major in landscape architecture should prepare by beginning studies in the following areas:

Environmental Awareness

Courses in ecology, biology, botany, geology, environmental science, and geography help begin the long process of understanding the complex interrelationships and interdependencies of people and the environment.

Human Behavior

Courses in anthropology, sociology, history, government, psychology, and related subjects help explain human needs, values, attitudes, and activities and are useful in preparing for the design of physical places.

Visual Language Skills

Courses in drawing, painting, photography, film, design, art history, and related subjects help develop perceptual skills, cultural understanding, and the ability to explore and communicate ideas graphically.

Full-time students planning to transfer into the department should follow the outline of the topics listed above during their first year of study. They may expect to transfer without loss of time or credit into the second year of the BLA program.

Students interested in the undergraduate program should apply to the university by January 1 and to the department by January 15. Applications at other times are often accepted if space is available. Include with the application the following:

1. Letter of intent describing pertinent background information, interests, goals, and aspirations
2. Portfolio of creative work
3. Three letters of recommendation from people able to assess the applicant’s academic and creative abilities and potential contributions
4. Transcripts of previous college work

Inquire at the Department of Landscape Architecture, its website, or at the university’s Office of Admissions for more information.

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Requirements

Requirements for the BLA degree total 220 credits and are distributed as follows:

Planning and Design

First Year		Credits
ARCH 201	Introduction to Architecture	4
LA 227	Introduction to Landscape Architecture	2
Select one from the following:
BI 130	Introduction to Ecology	4
ENVS 202	Introduction to Environmental Studies: Natural Sciences	4
BI 307	Forest Biology	4
GEOG 323	Biogeography	4
Second Year
LA 289	Landscape Architectural Design 1,2	12
Third Year
LA 439	Landscape Architectural Design and Process 3	18
Fourth Year
LA 489	Site Planning and Design 3	12
Select one of the following: 4
PPPM 419	Community Planning Workshop	1-5
ARCH 484	Architectural Design	6
LA 489	Site Planning and Design	6
LA 408	Workshop: [Topic] (Design) 5	1-21
LA 409	Practicum: [Topic]	1-21
Fifth Year
LA 490	Comprehensive Project Preparation	3
LA 494	Land Planning and Design	6
LA 499	Comprehensive Project	8
	Total Credits:	65

1	Two studios.
2	Transfer students typically enter the program in the second year.
3	Three studios.
4	An approved studio in another UO summer program may be substituted.
5	Summer only.

Subject Courses and Other Courses

Landscape Architectural Technology		13
LA 362	Landscape Technologies I
LA 366	Landscape Technologies II
ARCH 417	Context of the Architectural Profession
LA 459	Landscape Technology Topics
Optional Courses:
LA 417	Computer-Aided Landscape Design
LA 459	Landscape Technology Topics
ARCH 461	Structural Behavior
Plants in the Landscape		12
LA 326	Plants: Fall
LA 327	Plants: Winter
LA 328	Plants: Spring
An approved basic ecology class, if not taken as a freshman:
BI 130	Introduction to Ecology
ENVS 202	Introduction to Environmental Studies: Natural Sciences
BI 307	Forest Biology
GEOG 323	Biogeography
Optional Courses:
LA 390	Urban Farm
LA 409	Practicum: [Topic] (Nursery)
LA 433	Japanese Garden
Landscape Analysis and Planning		12
LA 413	Analyzing Landscape Systems
LA 440	Introduction to Landscape Planning Analysis
LA 441	Principles of Applied Ecology
Optional Courses:
LA 337	Landscape Field Work: [Topic]
LA 415	Computers in Landscape Architecture
PPPM 440	Land Use and Growth Management
LA 465	Landscape Ecology
History and Theory of Landscape Architecture		12
LA 260	Understanding Landscapes
ARH 477–478	History of Landscape Architecture I-II
Optional Courses:
LA 333	Photography and Environmental Values
LA 375	Contemporary American Landscape
LA 443	Land and Landscape
LA 480	Landscape Preservation
LA 484	Landscape Perception
Landscape Architectural Media		10
LA 350	Landscape Media
LA 352	Digital Landscape Media
LA 480	Landscape Preservation
Optional Courses:
LA 408	Workshop: [Topic] (Advanced Computer-Aided Landscape Design)
LA 408	Workshop: [Topic] (Drawing)
ARCH 423	Media for Design Development: [Topic]
ARCH 424	Advanced Design-Development Media: [Topic]
LA 450	Advanced Landscape Media
Approved fine- and applied-arts studio courses
Urban Design		8
Select two of the following:
ARCH 430	Architectural Contexts: Place and Culture
ARCH 431	Community Design
ARCH 435	Principles of Urban Design
LA 448	Urban Landscape: [Topic]
Optional Courses:
ARCH 436	Theory of Urban Design I
PPPM 442	Sustainable Urban Development
PPPM 445	Green Cities
Other Courses		59
Courses in in any department, including landscape architecture, or satisfaction of university requirements 1
Total Credits		126

1	Students entering the major in the first year must earn 48 additional credits.

Minor in Landscape Architecture

The department offers a minor in landscape architecture subject to the following:

1. Students must complete and submit to the department the application to the minor program. Applicants are notified when their applications have been approved. The application includes a curriculum work sheet with the requirements in effect at the date of acceptance
2. The department’s first obligation is to its majors, and it cannot guarantee availability of courses for minors. Minors may register in required courses if space is available after the needs of majors have been met
3. Enrollment in the minor program is limited. If the department is unable to accommodate additional students, it may suspend admission to the program until space becomes available
4. Courses required for the minor are open to other university students with instructor’s consent. Minor candidates may be given preference on course waiting lists over nondepartmental students

Minor Requirements (30–32 credits)

LA 260	Understanding Landscapes	4
LA 413	Analyzing Landscape Systems	4
Plants course chosen from the subject area (see Subject Areas table)		4
History and theory course chosen from the subject area (see Subject Areas table)		4
Optional Courses		14-16
Total Credits		30-32

Students may take any combination of courses in the Subject Areas table. Only one term of Urban Farm (LA 390) or one design studio may be applied to the minor.

Subject Areas

Landscape Technologies
LA 408	Workshop: [Topic] (Landscape Technologies)	1-21
LA 459	Landscape Technology Topics	2-4
Plants
LA 196	Field Studies: [Topic] (Trees across Oregon)	1-5
LA 326	Plants: Fall	4
LA 327	Plants: Winter	4
LA 328	Plants: Spring	4
LA 390	Urban Farm	2-4
LA 433	Japanese Garden	4
Planning and Analysis
LA 337	Landscape Field Work: [Topic]	1-4
LA 440	Introduction to Landscape Planning Analysis	4
LA 441	Principles of Applied Ecology	2-6
LA 465	Landscape Ecology	4
History and Theory
LA 227	Introduction to Landscape Architecture	2
LA 333	Photography and Environmental Values	4
LA 375	Contemporary American Landscape	4
LA 443	Land and Landscape	4
ARH 477–478	History of Landscape Architecture I-II	8
LA 480	Landscape Preservation	4
LA 484	Landscape Perception	4

Check with the department for information about new subject-area courses in the curriculum. Seminars and workshops may often be applied to the minor.

The department offers master- and doctoral-level programs in the field of landscape architecture. At the master’s level, the department makes a distinction between first professional master’s students and postprofessional master’s students. First professional master’s students hold an undergraduate degree other than a five-year bachelor of landscape architecture and are working toward the master of landscape architecture (MLA). Postprofessional master’s students hold an accredited bachelor of landscape architecture (BLA or BSLA) and are working toward the completion of the advanced postprofessional MLA degree. Students with an accredited bachelor or architecture (BArch) or other accredited professional environmental design degree often earn a postprofessional MLA with some additional requirements, or they may opt to earn a first professional MLA degree with waivers of some course requirements, decided on a case-by-case basis.

Students may enroll in joint MLA degree programs with the master of architecture (MArch) and master of community and regional planning (MCRP) programs with integrated and coordinated degree requirements. Arrangements may be made through academic advisors in the two departments.

First Professional Master’s Program

Although requirements and time to degree may vary with each student, the following options represent typical situations:

Students with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture

Students entering with a four-year or non-accredited degree in landscape architecture spend two to three years completing the MLA. The first year focuses on course work required for the degree. The second year focuses on completing electives related to the master’s project and the project or thesis itself.

Students with Other Degrees

Students who have no background in design can expect to spend a minimum of ten terms earning an accredited, first professional MLA.

The department recognizes that first professional master’s candidates have extremely varied backgrounds and may have special requirements. Based on undergraduate courses, background in design-related disciplines, and work experience, these students may be exempt from a limited number of requirements. Students who want to waive requirements must show equivalent competency in those areas, typically through course work or professional experience.

Program Components

Planning and Design (48 credits)

Justifiably well-known, this program allocates significant faculty resources to project-oriented instruction and has a long history of success at design studio education. Regular faculty members offer or consult in studios and participate in the midterms and weeklong end-of-term reviews of student work. Studio projects typically increase in scale and complexity over the course of the degree program. Students must take ten studios in this subject area.

History, Literature, and Theory (12 credits)

Courses include the history of landscape architecture, design theory, landscape perception, and landscape preservation. Students may choose electives from this area.

Plants Sequence (12 credits)

The sequence of fall, winter, and spring plants emphasizes knowledge of native plants and local plant communities and horticultural plant materials. The sequence integrates plant identification with introductory and advanced planting design. Students may choose electives from this area, including courses on Japanese gardens, planting design, or subjects related to the department’s urban farm.

Landscape Planning and Analysis (12 credits)

Landscape planning courses cover history, theories, and methods related to regional planning, ecological restoration, Oregon’s unique land-use planning system, critical issues related to land conservation and development, and introductory and advanced landscape ecology. The department offers courses in geographic information systems, teaching the industry standard, ArcGIS. Students may choose electives from this area.

Technologies Sequence (11 credits)

Covers professional practice, site engineering, landscape materials and detailing, irrigation, and other topically oriented technologies classes. The sequence has strong ties to design-build or technical studios and is a major strength of the department. Students may choose electives from this area.

Research Methods and Master’s Project or Thesis (18 credits)

Students take three courses in research methods and project development. The MLA project is completed during the third year for first professional master's candidates.  This independent project of high academic standard presents original work that contributes to the body of knowledge in landscape architecture. The topic may be selected from a range of theoretical to practical design issues. Projects must include a written component, which sets out the problem, goals and objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusions of the project. Students must complete Landscape Research Methods I (LA 620), Landscape Research Methods II (LA 621), and Research Proposal Development (LA 695) and at least 12 credits of Master's Project (LA 699) or Thesis (LA 503).

First Professional Master's Curriculum

Planning and Design
LA 508	Workshop: [Topic]	1-21
LA 539	Landscape Architectural Design and Process 1	6
LA 589	Site Planning and Design 1	6
LA 594	Land Planning and Design 1	6
Subject Courses
LA 326	Plants: Fall	4
LA 327	Plants: Winter	4
LA 328	Plants: Spring	4
LA 352	Digital Landscape Media	2-4
LA 362	Landscape Technologies I	4
LA 366	Landscape Technologies II	4
LA 508	Workshop: [Topic]	1-21
LA 513	Analyzing Landscape Systems	4
LA 517	Computer-Aided Landscape Design	2-4
LA 559	Landscape Technology Topics	2-4
LA 540	Introduction to Landscape Planning Analysis	4
LA 541	Principles of Applied Ecology	2-6
ARH 577–578	History of Landscape Architecture I-II	8
LA 607	Seminar: [Topic]	1-5
LA 620–621	Landscape Research Methods I-II	12
Master's Project or Thesis 2
LA 695	Research Proposal Development	2
LA 699	Master's Project	12
or LA 503	Thesis
Area of Concentration Electives
Students take courses to support their master’s project or thesis topic that are approved by their advisor.		20
Total Credits		166-190

1	Two or three studios for eight total planning and design studios.
2	Completed during the third year.

Postprofessional Master’s Program

The two-year graduate program leading to the master of landscape architecture (MLA) degree is intended for students prepared to do advanced work in the field. Students entering the postprofessional MLA program must have a professionally accredited bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture or architecture.

Students with professional landscape architecture degrees typically spend two years in residence satisfying course requirements. Students with professional architecture degrees may spend an additional term, decided on a case-by-case basis.

The postprofessional MLA program seeks to prepare the student for advanced understanding, competence, and responsibility in promoting harmonious human-land relationships through private or public practice or teaching at the university level. Many graduate students have the opportunity to learn and practice teaching skills as paid teaching assistants and graduate teaching fellows in the department. Some graduates are offered faculty positions throughout the world. The program takes advantage of regional and university resources through landscape projects, internships, and visiting professionals, while it provides a beneficial base of support and ideas in the department. The department recognizes the importance of building a community for graduate education characterized by serious and rigorous inquiry, self-direction, and opportunities to work closely with teachers and peers in an active design and planning enterprise.

A central aspect of the postprofessional MLA program is the student’s concentration on studies and original work in one of five areas of landscape architecture: design theory, landscape ecology, landscape history, urban design, and landscape planning. These areas are broad enough to include many particular research problems for master’s projects and professional practice. While these concentration areas are naturally related, each involves a different set of skills and understanding developed through departmental courses and focused elective course work outside the department. The five concentration areas are those in which faculty members, due to their academic training and professional and research experience, are best equipped for collaboration with graduate students.

Concentration Areas

Design Theory

The transformation and enhancement of outdoor environments to more beautiful, expressive, and supportive places involves developing creative artistry, applying an understanding of places and their evolutionary possibilities, and thinking clearly with sensitivity to peoples’ needs and values. This concentration is intensive in design criticism and in theories of design process, ideas, and content.

Landscape Ecology

This rapidly evolving discipline focuses on how landscape pattern, process, and change interact to create land mosaics that maintain the rich diversity of life and the foundations for human well-being. Understanding key links between spatial and temporal patterns and flows of organisms, materials, energy, and information at a variety of scales is the basis for maintaining or restoring landscapes that embody ecological integrity and cultural vitality.

Landscape History

This dimension of landscape architecture seeks to understand every landscape as a unique place in time and content. It combines an understanding of how landscapes have evolved as cultural and vernacular environments as well as how they have evolved as deliberate expressions of social norms and cultural aesthetics through history and among cultures. These understandings are applied to theories of design and planning as well as to the preservation of culturally rich landscapes.

Landscape Planning

Analyzing large landscapes and directing their management and land-use patterns to meet social and environmental ends requires an understanding of land tenure, use traditions and institutions, and knowledge of the science and values inherent in regional natural resources and human activities. For this analysis, computer geographic information systems are used to synthesize information and generate landscape plans. Examples include river management, wetlands preservation, public forest plans, urban growth management, scenic resource management, and regional ecological enhancement.

Urban Design

Many projects undertaken by the profession entail study of the form and function of cities at many scales to design and integrate systems of transportation, recreation, infrastructure, nature conservation, and buildings. These projects often involve articulation of multiple goals for city evolution and sustainability, data analysis and conceptual mapping of city forms and districts, intensive public-participation processes, and the design of solutions on a variety of scales, from whole city regions to parks and plazas.

Postprofessional Master's Curriculum

Planning and Design
LA 594	Land Planning and Design	6
LA 601	Research: [Topic]	1-16
Subject Courses
LA 507	Seminar: [Topic] 4	1-5
or LA 607	Seminar: [Topic]
LA 620–621	Landscape Research Methods I-II	8
Select at least one of the following:		4
ARCH 530	Architectural Contexts: Place and Culture
ARCH 540	Human Context of Design
LA 543	Land and Landscape
LA 565	Landscape Ecology
LA 584	Landscape Perception
LA 617	Introduction to Landscape Architecture Theory
Other approved landscape architecture course
Concentration Area
Courses in one section of Concentration Areas table 1		24
Master's Project 2
LA 695	Research Proposal Development	2
LA 699	Master's Project 3	2-10
or LA 503	Thesis
Total Credits		56

1	An approved graduate seminar in another department may be substituted.
2	Courses used to satisfy Planning and Design requirements or Subject Courses may not be used to satisfy Concentration Area requirements.
3	Completed during the second year.
4	Before enrolling in Master's Project (LA 699) the student must obtain department approval for a project proposal and develop a committee of two landscape architecture faculty members. Near the completion of the master’s project, the student presents the results of the project to faculty members and students and gains final approval of the project’s documentation from the faculty committee.

Concentration Areas

Landscape Design and Theory
Select two of the following:		12
LA 543	Land and Landscape
LA 584	Landscape Perception
LA 617	Introduction to Landscape Architecture Theory
LA 619	Contemporary Landscape Architecture Theory
Four additional department-approved courses at UO		12
Landscape Ecology
Select one of the following:
LA 508	Workshop: [Topic] (Fire Ecology and Management)
LA 541	Principles of Applied Ecology
LA 565	Landscape Ecology
One course that uses quantitative methods		4
Four additional department-approved courses		12
Landscape History
Select two of the following:
ARH 577	History of Landscape Architecture I
ARH 578	History of Landscape Architecture II
LA 580	Landscape Preservation
LA 619	Contemporary Landscape Architecture Theory
Four additional department-approved courses at UO		13
Landscape Planning
Select two of the following:		8
LA 515	Computers in Landscape Architecture
LA 540	Introduction to Landscape Planning Analysis
PPPM 540	Land Use and Growth Management
LA 541	Principles of Applied Ecology
Four additional department-approved courses		16
Urban Design
Select two of the following:
LA 448	Urban Landscape: [Topic]
ARCH 530	Architectural Contexts: Place and Culture
ARCH 531	Community Design
ARCH 535	Principles of Urban Design
ARCH 540	Human Context of Design
Four additional department-approved courses

Admission

Applications to the master’s program should contain the following:

1. Completed application form and fee
2. Three letters of recommendation from people able to assess the applicant’s strengths and potential contributions
3. Personal statement describing pertinent background information, interests, goals, and aspirations
4. Portfolio of creative work or other work indicative of relevant abilities
5. Writing sample such as a research paper or a technical report
6. Transcripts of previous college work

The deadline is January 15. Late applications may be considered. Applications from all disciplines are welcome. Students whose first language is not English must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores of at least 577 on the paper-based test, 233 on the computer-based test, or 90 on the Internet-based test. General university regulations governing graduate admission are in the Graduate School section of this catalog.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The doctoral program in landscape architecture offers advanced study with a focus on ecological landscape planning and design, which encompasses a range of spatial scales and cultural contexts. An ecological approach focuses on how landscape pattern, process, and change interact to create land mosaics that maintain the diversity of life and the foundations for human well being. The doctoral program is designed to engage these issues through spirited analysis, critique, and prescription of landscapes in Oregon, the United States, and the world.

Because the profession is broad and diverse, the landscape architecture PhD pursues robust development of academic, analytical, creative, and integrative capabilities that can continue to grow throughout subsequent careers. Accordingly, the program emphasizes the following:

• Advanced expertise and understanding in a focused topic
• The ability to form integrative conceptual models of landscape issues, problems, and solutions
• The ability to critically analyze deficiencies in knowledge about the field and identify needs for new, original knowledge
• The ability to form and investigate operationally bounded questions
• The ability to independently design and execute a complete, intensive research project
• The ability to completely document a research project with high-quality writing and illustrations

The integrative nature of landscape design as a science and an art entails development of innovative models and methods for design, education, and research. The program offers students the opportunity to develop skills as innovative educators by working with faculty members as teaching assistants, and to teach courses under faculty guidance. The close and supportive relationships among scholarship, teaching, professional growth, and artistic achievement foster excellence in design education, research, and practice. Scholars follow many routes, and the program provides substantial flexibility to tailor students’ programs to individual needs.

Course of Study

Completion of the program requires demonstrated excellence through original contributions to the field. Indicators of a doctoral student’s achievements are successful completion of the oral and written comprehensive exams and successful completion and defense of a dissertation that substantially advances knowledge in a chosen area of expertise.

Through a series of four required courses in landscape architecture literature, theory, and research, PhD students learn how to conduct both qualitative and quantitative studies of landscapes and the processes that shape them. After completing these core courses, advanced studies in methodology, tailored to suit career intentions, are required. Advanced methodological preparation in quantitative research occurs through statistical and spatial analysis as well as case-study analysis, design criticism, content analysis, historical interpretation, and environment-behavior observation.

The program prepares students to understand and apply appropriate methods of inquiry, and to deepen their understanding of the nature and role of rigorous scholarly inquiry in landscape architecture. Course requirements are designed to provide both depth and breadth of knowledge in landscape architecture, and to draw on the frameworks and methodologies of related disciplines that support the student’s dissertation research.

Length of Program and Steps to Completion

A PhD in landscape architecture requires a minimum of three years of full-time graduate work, including one year of residency. Depending on background and research goals, students can expect to complete the degree in three to six years, with a norm of four to five years.

The student’s program of study depends substantially on his or her prior degrees.

Degree Held	Credits to Expect to Complete for PhD
MLA or MArch	68
BLA or BArch only	80
Master's degree without professional environmental-design degree	86

Classes for the doctoral degree include design-studio experience and subject-area courses to provide a foundation in landscape architecture sufficient to support a student’s goals, research, and advanced course work.

At the completion of course work, normally the end of the second year, each student submits a written comprehensive exam, followed by an oral comprehensive exam. The examination committee will consist of three faculty members, two from landscape architecture and one from an outside department or program, who will prepare and administer the written and oral comprehensive exams. Once students have passed both comprehensive exams, they will be advanced to candidacy. Each student must submit the dissertation proposal within three terms of the exams. A student then forms a dissertation committee consisting of four members, with a minimum of two from landscape architecture and at least one from another field related to the student’s area of research. The dissertation committee must approve the student’s written dissertation proposal following a scheduled, public proposal presentation before the student undertakes the dissertation.

Some credit requirements may be waived or satisfied through transfer credits which must not have previously been applied to any graduate or undergraduate degree. No more than 15 credits may be transferred. Successful completion of the doctoral program is a matter of proven excellence through substantial, original contributions to the field and not the accumulation of a specific number of credits.

Requirements

A student’s program of study is developed with the major professor and a second doctoral advisor.

PhD Required Courses, Work

Theory, Research, Investigation 1
LA 620–621	Landscape Research Methods I-II	8
LA 695	Research Proposal Development	2
LA 601	Research: [Topic]	6
Doctoral colloquium		2
Outside analytic-synthetic courses 2		4-12
Electives 3
Advanced Electives: 500-level and above landscape architecture courses in design theory, history, criticism, preservation, planning, and ecology 4		12
Supporting Courses: courses typically taken outside of landscape architecture 4		12
Dissertation
Dissertation course		18
Total Credits		68

1	A student entering with a master’s degree but without a professional environmental-design degree should expect to take a minimum of 18 additional credits in landscape architecture.
2	A student may be required to take more than 4 credits in analytic-synthetic courses in other departments.
3	A student entering the program with a BLA or BArch but no master’s degree takes an additional 12 credits of electives.
4	Selected in consultation with major professor

Admission

Students must either have previously completed a professional degree in landscape architecture or architecture (e.g., BLA, MLA, BArch, MArch) or hold a master’s degree (e.g., MA, MS) from a related field, and show clear evidence of academic experience and goals aligned with landscape architecture. A commitment to research along with a demonstrated record of research achievement are important criteria. Applications to the program must include the following items:

1. A personal statement assessing the applicant’s background, strengths, interests, and aspirations in the field of landscape architecture. This should include why one wishes to come to the University of Oregon for doctoral work, and a description of a proposed area of concentration, course of study, and a prospective major professor
2. A portfolio of creative and scholarly work including at least one writing example showing evidence of critical thinking in a research context
3. Three letters of recommendation, including two from academic sources
4. Official transcripts from all universities or colleges attended
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
6. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores (575 paper or 233 computer, minimum) for all nonnative speakers

Applications mailed to the department office for entry fall term are due in early February. General university regulations governing graduate admission are in the Graduate School section of this catalog.