Master of Landscape Architecture
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.
Student Work
Salida Playground Renovation Master Plan
Date: 6/1/2014
Principal Researchers:
Location: Salida, Chaffee County, Colorado
This project was initiated by the insurance provider for the City of Salida. The playground equipment that we all grew up with is uninsurable and hence needs to be replaced. In an active community such as Salida, though, such playgrounds are used frequently and are an important part of the fabric of the parks in the city. We were asked to consider all the parks in one broad vision, making sure each develops its own character and provides a unique experience for the residents. From this consideration, a Master Plan, prioritizing which playgrounds need attention first and creating implementation plans for each location would be developed and presented for consideration by nearby residents.
After measuring and photographing each playground, we then prepared site plans of each park and held a community wide meeting whereby residents could comment, sketch and effectively design the park they wanted. We got a lot of good input, but in considering the source of the comments, it was determined that most if not all the suggestions came from adults…often acting as advocates for their children, but still not exactly the end users. A second presentation was arranged at Longfellow Elementary school, where we spoke directly to the users of the playground and asked them to discuss, sketch and suggest ways the playgrounds could directly serve them.
We took our findings and produced various options and approaches for each location. These in turn were presented before another community wide meeting. As school was out of session, we could not return directly to the school setting, but the proposals were well received and became the framework from which we prepared an overall Master Plan, detailing the timetable (assumed to be one playground per year for the next 5 years) and offering recommendations for which location ought to be done first, etc. In addition to more detailed designs, cost estimates were prepared and the overall plan was presented to the city council in early summer. The findings were accepted and the first of these parks (Chisholm Park) was designated, per our guidance, to be first on the list.
An RFP was issued based on the conceptual vision produced by CCCD in the summer of 2014. It is expected the work will be done this fall, and the park will be open for use as winter recedes in 2015, using GOCO funding as well as city resources.
Project Team: Kelly Finkowski, Tucker Hancock and Mollie Somes
Local Participants: Theresa Casey, Dara MacDonald
News | Landscape Architecture at CAP
Landscape Architecture Students Win National Design and Build Competition
Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) students Aidan Nowell and Stevie Pearlman won first place in the 2024 Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) National Design and Build Competition. This year’s competition theme was “Land Art: Celestial Architecture.” Their project, Listen to the Moon, invites visitors to the Farewell Spit in the South Island of New Zealand, to reignite their connection with the Moon and its tidal influence on life on Earth.
National Park Service Grant for Amache National Historic Site
Landscape Architecture faculty Ann Komara and Louise Bordelon received a National Park Service grant to undertake a three-year research project at Amache National Historic Site in Eastern Colorado. Amache is also known as the Granada Relocation Center. In the 1940s, the site was used as an internment camp where people of Japanese-American heritage were unjustly detained based on their race.
Preparing Future Leaders Through Professional Development and Internship Opportunities
The College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) emphasizes immersive, project-based learning experiences that build knowledge, practical skills, and innovative thinking. To further prepare students for careers in their field, CAP offers dedicated support facilitated by Director of Professional Development and Internships Jen Skidmore. Professional development and career services extend beyond the academic curriculum, providing career counseling, resume and portfolio workshops, internships, and interview opportunities to help students to develop a strong professional profile and the skills needed to navigate the job market.
Summer Travel Study Recap: CAP Students Visit Finland, Japan, and Mexico City
Students from the College of Architecture and Planning visited Finland, Japan, and Mexico City this summer as part of the CU Denver Global Education program. These international study opportunities offer experiences beyond the classroom and immerse students in diverse cultures and perspectives, expand their worldviews, and shape their future careers.
Curriculum
Program Objectives:
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.
Tuition & Fees
The University of Colorado Denver has one of the most affordable tuition rates in Colorado. Our tuition and fees are set by the Board of Regents, the governing body of the University of Colorado. Tuition is based on student classification (undergraduate, graduate, academic program, resident or nonresident) and you can find out what rates will apply to your situation here.
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
| 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 |
Path to Licensure
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.
For More Information
Landscape Architecture Contacts
Jody Beck PhD
Associate Professor and Chair of the Landscape Architecture Department
Email:jody.beck@ucdenver.edu
Roxy New
Senior Course Coordinator & Graduate Academic Advisor for MURP, MUD, MLA, MSHP, & PhD
Email:roxy.new@ucdenver.edu
