Department of Landscape Architecture
Accreditation Information
Mission, Objectives, and Goals of the Professional Program
The mission of the Department of Landscape Architecture is to engage the world with creativity and rigor, proactively addressing landscape and community change through socio-spatial and ecological planning and design. We emphasize exploration and experimentation, design research, and community engagement to generate adaptive solutions to landscape-based societal and environmental problems. With a focus on environmental stewardship, cultural understanding, and ethical design practices, we cultivate nimble, innovative professionals committed to intentional, collaborative, and meaningful design and advocacy, contributing to positive change for socio-ecological systems.
BLA Program Goal
The goal of the ESF BLA program is to educate future landscape architects who can anticipate, respond, and lead in a world of dynamic socio-spatial and ecological changes. We achieve this goal through a curriculum that reflects our values.
MLA Program Goal
The goal of the ESF MLA program is to foster the development of innovative leaders with broad-based skills in landscape architecture, experience with design collaboration, and depth of understanding developed through research and practice. Our MLA graduates attain the knowledge and skills necessary for the first professional degree in landscape architecture while also engaging in more in-depth scholarly inquiry through a self-directed independent capstone project.
Program Objectives
- Inquiry and analysis / Application of the sciences to the design of natural and built landscapes
- Intercultural knowledge / Reasoning from the social sciences, arts, and humanities
- Quantitative literacy
- Communication and representation
- Technological and information literacy
- Professional ethics and responsibility
- Critical and creative thinking
- Research and project planning (MLA only)
Program Accreditation
Accreditation is a non-governmental, voluntary system of self-regulation. Its core is the concept of self-evaluation. The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) accreditation process evaluates each program on the basis of its stated objectives and compliance to externally mandated minimum standards. The program conducts a self-study to evaluate how well it is meeting its educational goals. LAAB then provides an independent assessment, which determines if a program meets accreditation requirements. Programs leading to first professional degrees at the bachelor’s or master’s levels in the United States are eligible to apply for accreditation from LAAB.
The BLA and MLA programs at SUNY ESF received renewal of their accreditation in Spring 2024. The next reaccreditation review is scheduled for 2030.
In accordance with the Higher Education Act, our BLA and MLA programs meet the educational requirements for licensure eligibility in New York State.
Cost of Attending
Tuition and Fees
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Annual Tuition: $7,070 (in-state rate for New York residents)
Room & Board:
First year dormitory: $10,610; food: $8,120
Subsequent years housing off campus (standard occupancy): $7,740; food: $4,030
$1,154 required fees per semester + $150 studio fee (typical)
Master of Landscape Architecture
Annual Tuition: $11,310 (in-state rate for New York residents)
Room & Board: $11,770 (reflects standard occupancy off campus)
$971 required fees per semester + $145 studio fee
DLA Program Expenses
In addition to the normal college expenses, students must plan for special expenses such as studio equipment and materials, field trips, and the off-campus semester.
- Studio equipment and materials—In a design studio, students normally incur costs for expendable supplies rather than books as they will for a lecture course. The cost of equipment, printing, and materials for studio courses is typically between $350 and $500 each semester. While projects are normally returned, they may be retained temporarily for display or permanently kept as part of the archives.
- Field trips—Landscape architecture students may be required to participate in a field trip as part of their studio courses. These trips are used to acquaint students with the exemplary works of landscape architecture found in Boston, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington, D.C., or other cities in the Northeast. The typical cost of transportation, meals and lodging for field trips range between $350 and $500.
- Off-campus semester—This is a self-designed and student-budgeted program. If a student plans well, there is no need for this semester to cost any more than one spent in Syracuse. Typical expenses for the off-campus semester during the previous academic year, including tuition and travel to and from the study site, were between $9,000 and $10,000. However, a few students had higher expenses because of the study location they chose and the extracurricular opportunities they enjoyed while abroad. Student financial aid is available to assist with a portion of the costs associated with the off-campus semester program.
- Computers—Proficiency with computers and associated design software is essential to the success of students in the landscape architecture curriculum. Students are required to purchase a laptop computer with appropriate software by the beginning of the fall semester of the sophomore year and are expected to carry them to studio. Equipment guidelines are available from the Department of Landscape Architecture. Anticipated costs for computing equipment (hardware and software) may be between $2,000 and $3,000 over the course of the student’s tenure at ESF.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
A number of forms of financial aid are available to students at ESF. For college financial aid, please review the information provided by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. In addition alumni and friends of the department of Landscape Architecture have established a number of scholarships awarded by the department through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
SUNY ESF Program Data
The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) program is a LAAB-accredited first professional degree awarded by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Department of Landscape Architecture.
The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program is a LAAB-accredited first professional degree awarded by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Department of Landscape Architecture.
The next accreditation visit for the BLA and MLA program is scheduled for 2030.
Accredited Programs Offered
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
126 Academic credits
8 semesters
Master of Landscape Architecture
66 Academic credits
6 semesters
Tuition & Fees
Master of Landscape Architecture
Yearly Tuition: $11,510 (in-state rate for New York residents)
Room & Board Year 1: $10, 180 (reflects standard occupancy off campus)
Room & Board Years 2-5: $10, 180 (reflects standard occupancy off campus)
$954.50 required fees per semester
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Yearly Tuition: $7,070 (in-state rate for New York residents)
Room & Board Year 1: $17, 820 (reflects standard occupancy off campus)
Room & Board Years 2-5: $10, 180 (reflects standard occupancy off campus)
$1,106 required fees per semester
Student Demographics
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
128 students are currently enrolled (AY 24-25). Of these, students self-identify as the following:
| Student Demographic | Number of Students |
| Latinx | 13 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2 |
| Black/African American | 9 |
| Caucasian/white | 92 |
| Multi Racial | 8 |
| Unknown | 3 |
| Female | 72 |
| Male | 56 |
| International Students | 1 |
Master of Landscape Architecture
20 students are currently enrolled (AY 24-25). Of these, students self-identify as the following:
| Student Demographic | Number of Students |
| Latinx | 1 |
| Black/African-American | 1 |
| Caucasian/white | 18 |
| Female | 15 |
| Male | 7 |
| International Students | 0 |
Retention
The 2023-2024 academic year resulted in 100% retention for the MLA program and 92.6% retention for the BLA program.
The 2022-2023 academic year resulted in 100% retention for the MLA program and 93.8% retention for the BLA program.
The 2021-2022 academic year resulted in 100% retention for the MLA program and 76.9% retention for the BLA Program.
Time to Degree
The average time-to-degree for the academic year 2023-2024 was 4.88 years for the 5-year BLA program (n=16) and 3 years for the MLA program (n=7). The first official year of the newly created 4-year BLA program was AY 2024-2025; there is no time-to-degree data yet for the new program.
Entering Students
In the 2024-2025 academic year, 23 students entered the BLA program as first-year students and 16 students entered as transfer students. Eight students entered the MLA program.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, 28 students entered the BLA program and 7 students entered the MLA program.
In the 2021-2022 academic year, 22 students entered the BLA program and 6 students entered the MLA program.
Outcomes
In the 2024-2025 academic year, 9 students graduated from the BLA program and 3 students graduated from the MLA program. The Class of 2024 First Destination Survey (n = 15) indicated that 93% of graduates were employed in landscape architecture after graduation and 7% chose to continue their education in graduate school.
Post-Graduation Employment
The following employment information is taken from a survey of alumni graduating within the past six years (not all alumni responded to the survey).
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
| Current Occupation | Number of Responses |
| Graduate Education | 5 |
| Academic Practice | 1 |
| Private Practice | 56 |
| Government Practice | 2 |
| NGO/Non-profit Practice | 1 |
| Landscape Horticulture/Design Build | 2 |
| Not Employed in Landscape Architecture | 3 |
| Total | 70 |
Master of Landscape Architecture
| Current Occupation | Number of Responses |
| Graduate Education | 1 |
| Private Practice | 26 |
| Government Practice | 1 |
| Landscape Horticulture/Design Build | 1 |
| Volunteer Service | |
| Not Employed in Landscape Architecture | 1 |
| Total | 30 |
Number of Licensed Faculty
Three landscape architecture faculty are licensed landscape architects.