SUNY ESF
Master of Landscape Architecture
Policies and Requirements
The Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) degree is the first professional degree in landscape architecture. This degree requires successful completion of a minimum of 66 credit hours of which at least 42 must be graduate course work. The student’s study plan must be approved by the major professor, steering committee and Department Chairperson. All steering committee members should sign the 3B form before the end of the last year of the student's program.
Communication Skills
All students entering graduate programs at ESF are expected to be proficient in communication skills, including technical writing and library skills. Students are required to have completed at least one course in technical writing and one course in library usage, either as an undergraduate or as a graduate student. Credits for such courses taken during the graduate program are not counted towards degree requirements. Alternatively, graduate students can meet the requirement by demonstrating the equivalent in experience in writing and library skills, as determined by the steering committee.
Academic Performance
All graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.000 cumulative grade point average (4.000 =A) for graduate level courses. Students who do not maintain this average, or who receive two or more grades of Unsatisfactory (U) for work on the thesis or project, will be placed on probation or suspended from ESF by the Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the College Subcommittee on Academic Standards.
Credit Hour Load
To meet academic requirements, graduate students must be registered for at least one credit each semester, excluding summers, from the first semester of matriculation until all degree requirements have been completed. Students are required to register for at least one credit in the summer if they will complete all requirements during that time. There is no full-time credit hour load to meet academic requirements.
To qualify for various forms of financial support, the following credit hour loads are defined: Graduate students who hold an assistantship must be registered for at least nine credits each semester while holding such an award. Graduate students not holding an assistantship are considered full-time if they are registered for at least 12 credits each semester.
Graduate students, holding an assistantship or not, in their last semester of study who have met all academic requirements except for the completion of their thesis or an examination may be considered full-time if registered for at least one credit and have their major professor verify they are working full-time on the completion of degree requirements.
Transfer Credit
Credit hours appropriate to the graduate degree in which a minimum grade of B was earned from an accredited institution can be transferred to the college, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred.
- Up to six credits of graduate course work not used to complete another degree may be accepted toward completion of a master's degree as approved by the steering committee.
- Students may transfer no more than nine credits of credit-bearing non-degree ESF course work to graduate degree programs.
All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that official, final transcripts are sent to and received by the college.
Time Limits
Graduate students must complete all requirements for the Master of Landscape Architecture degree within four years of the first date of matriculation.
Graduate Program of Study (3B)
The study plan must include the sequence of courses that must be completed and a plan for research. The study plan, developed by the student with the advice and approval of the major professor and other members of the steering committee, must be submitted to your Department Chairperson for approval, and then forwarded to the Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School at least by the end of your third semester. This study plan can be changed during the course of your studies. Changes must be approved by your major professor, Department Chairperson, and the Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School.
Major Professor
The student’s major professor is appointed by the Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of the Graduate School, upon the recommendation of the Department Chairperson. A major professor may be appointed upon the student’s matriculation into a graduate program. For the graduate student accepted into a graduate program but lacking a major professor, a temporary advisor will be appointed by the Department Chairperson. However, every effort should be made to expedite appointment of a major professor as soon as possible.
It is the duty of the major professor to fulfill a primary role as the student’s mentor. Aided by other members of the steering committee, the major professor guides the student in the development and implementation of the study plan, including course selection, research planning, choice of the professional experience, and facilitation of the examination schedule. The major professor also guides the student in reviews of thesis or dissertation drafts, including a complete review of the thesis before the final copy is presented for defense.
- Request for major professor or steering committee (Form 2A)
Master of Landscape Architecture students must complete an integrative experience, participate in the capstone studio during the final semester of the program, and disseminate the results of their integrative studies through capstone seminars.
Steering Committee
The steering committee for Master of Landscape Architecture is composed of the major professor and at least one other faculty member or other qualified person. Other qualified people include faculty at other institutions or other recognized professionals. The student’s steering committee is appointed by the Associate Provost for Instruction and Dean of the Graduate Schools upon the recommendation of the Department Chairperson. For all students, the steering committee must be established and must have met by the end of the third semester of graduate study. The steering committee assists the student in the development of the program of study (3B), including the development of the student’s research or professional experience. All steering committee members should sign the 3B form before the end of the last year of the student's program.
Request for major professor or steering committee (Form 2A)