The Master of Landscape Architecture degree is a first professional graduate degree that prepares graduates to enter the professional realm of landscape architecture. The MLA degree program accepts applications from students with previous degrees in non-design and design disciplines.

Students entering the program with non-design majors are required to complete a minimum of 87 credit hours. This will normally require three-years of study.

Students entering the program with pre-professional or professional degrees in related environmental design disciplines are required to complete 48 - 54 credit hours with the total number of credit hours to be determined by the Program Director on a case-by-case basis.

The Post Professional Degree program is offered for applicants who hold a Bachelor degree in Landscape Architecture, who are licensed or who qualify for licensure and who have significant experience in the profession. This program track and will require 30 - 32 credit hours of study. Please contact the program director for further information.

The Graduate program in Landscape Architecture at the University of New Mexico complements the Architecture and Community and Regional Planning programs within the School of Architecture and Planning. The strong interdisciplinary relationship among the three programs in addition to the School’s close ties with professional, state, civic, neighborhood and cultural communities of the region ensures that students are given the opportunity to engage in a rich and diverse educational experience.

The program has strengths in the following areas:

  • Design
  • Cultural landscape studies, in particular, the cultural and historic landscapes of the Southwest
  • Public art / land art
  • Town Design

Several classes are offered in the evenings but students will not be able to complete their program of study in evening hours. Many of the students work part-time, however, applicants should not expect to be able to hold a full-time job while in their program of study.