The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) at CU Denver is a STEM-designated and fully accredited degree program for students who have a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field as well as for those who already hold a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture or a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
The mission of the MLA program is to create health, well-being, and environmental resilience through holistic design in the public realm. We work across all scales of landscape practice, taking advantage of the wide range of highly dynamic landscapes, opportunities, and issues in our immediate vicinity of the Rocky Mountains as well as engaging across the country and beyond. Our educational engagements range from urban cores to wilderness areas and from suburban sprawl to ranching and farming communities. Many of our studios and other classes engage directly with community groups, non-profit organizations, or local governments, taking on real-world challenges and providing direct support to proposals for positive change in our landscapes.
Location: Dolores County, Town of Dove Creek, CO
Dolores County reached out to CCCD at an early stage to partner and develop a conceptual design for a new Public Service Center facility for the county. The county wanted preliminary design ideas that could be used for an upcoming DOLA grant application and to supplement future requests for proposals from design teams.
The new Public Service Center would replace the existing Road and Bridge Shop and incorporate the GIS Department and a centralized EMS facility as well as community meeting space. The life span of the existing Road and Bridge shop was well past expired and a new state of the art facility bring the county to a more advantageous position to better serve the region.
The project site was within the same area of the existing shop, but reconfigured for better access and circulation to accommodate newer fleet equipment. The design of the new facility centered around efficiency and durability as well as sustainable practices. Spaces were designed for growth, but specific to the needs of the foreseeable future.
Field Supervisor: Chris Endreson
Project Team: Travis Roubideaux (MArch), Ally Hawk (MArch), Elena Yablong (MArch),
Local Participants: Margret Daves, County Projects Manager, Steve Davis, R&B Shop Supervisor, Dolores County Commissioners
DOLA Regional Manager: Ken Charles
The Department of Landscape Architecture faculty is committed to developing and implementing efficient and effective processes of assessment and evaluation to advance student learning, teaching effectiveness and program quality. The program’s five broad objectives and student learning outcomes provide the faculty and students with a shared understanding of the goals directing the curriculum. Students are expected to be proficient or above in each of these areas by the time they graduate from the program.
Design: Students will be able to formulate questions and arguments about landscape and landscape’s role as a significant cultural medium; determine processes and practices that lead to conceptual, analytical and formative actions that transform existing situations into preferred alternatives based on ethical, communicative and content knowledge criteria.
Ethics: Students will be able to critically evaluate local and global ramifications of social issues, diverse cultures, economic systems, ecological systems and professional practice as guiding principles for design thinking and implementation.
Communication and Representation: Students will be able to speak, write, create and employ appropriate representational media to effectively convey ideas on subject matter contained in the professional curriculum to a variety of audiences.
Content Knowledge: Students will be able to develop a critical understanding and application of the histories, theories, ethics and practices of landscape architecture, and its role in reflecting and shaping culture and environments.
Research: Students will be able to understand and apply appropriate research methods for design and scholarship in landscape architecture.
All CAP Graduate Programs have WICHE-WRGP (Western Regional Graduate Program) status, which grants in-state resident tuition to students from 15 western states including California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona.
Program Stats | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Retention Through Graduation Rate | 90% | 90% | 64% | 82% | 87% | TBD | TBD |
Degrees granted per year | 22 | 27 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 12 | |
4-Year Graduation Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 92% | TBD |
Post-Graduation Employment Rate | No Data | 18/22 | 22/27 | 15/18 | 11/14 | 11/14 | 12/12 |
The completion of your Master of Landscape Architecture degree is your first step toward licensure. In order to legally practice landscape architecture, you will need to obtain your landscape architecture license. After earning your degree and practicing under a licensed landscape architect for two years, you will be eligible to complete the Landscape Architecture Registration Exam.
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