Landscape Architecture + Urbanism (M.L.A.+U.)
Landscape Architecture + Urbanism at IIT is where the world comes to learn the skills to build the metropolis of tomorrow.
The Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program is a fundamentally progressive urban enterprise based on three defining principles: the equitable global growth of our urban centers, strong trans-disciplinary collaboration, and the advancement of urban landscape theory in research and in practice. M.L.A.+U students investigate complex socio-environmental challenges through creative inquiry and innovative technological ideation. As the only accredited landscape architecture program in Â鶹APP—and among only a few in large North American cities—we are uniquely positioned to confront these challenges.
Our curriculum amplifies this urban context with courses that investigate critical landscape architecture challenges of the twenty-first century city: the urban design implications of technological innovations, new mobility systems, post-industrial sites, water quality, climate change, social equity, rapid urbanization, and vital public spaces, among others. Our Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board accredited and STEM-certified program prepares technically skilled and intellectually versatile design professionals who share these ambitions across the globe.
This program is open beginning in the fall semester only.
Program Overview
As the only accredited landscape architecture program in Â鶹APP—and among only the few in large North American cities–our students confront the complex socio-environmental challenges of urban landscapes through both research and design.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the M.L.A.+U program go on to excel in high-level positions in sectors like:
- Professional landscape architecture firms
- Government and public agencies
- Nonprofit organizations
- Universities and education
The M.L.A.+U curriculum is organized around course sequences in Design Studios; History, Theory, and Criticism; Ecology and Material Workshops; Design Media; and Professional Practice. The final Advance Design Studios are structured in collaboration with the Architecture Program where students of both disciplines investigate global issues on urbanism.
Applicants must have completed, or expect to complete before the start of the IIT term, an undergraduate degree from an accredited educational institution with at least a B average (GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent). To be admitted without conditions to the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism Program, an applicant is required to have prior college-level coursework in freehand drawing, biology, and earth science.
Featured Faculty
Ronald E. Henderson
Maria Villalobos Hernandez
Nilay D. Mistry
Kelly Murphy
Meg Studer
See Our Student Work
