The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) is a STEM-designated degree and fully accredited program that prepares graduate students for the rigors of professional practice, research, leadership, and community engagement. Students combine critical design thinking with creativity, and passion to address a range of landscape architecture and environmental planning projects. For the program’s metrics and Fact Sheet, click here.
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🌿 LAR 503: Design Development Studio focused on the historic Biltmore Village, where students engaged with real-world challenges such as resiliency, flooding, tourism, and urban growth. Under the instruction of Ben Monette and Stephen Faber, and through collaboration with community members and local experts, they developed landscape architecture solutions that respond to cultural context and environmental pressures. The semester concluded with the presentation of finalized design development and construction documentation.
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Photos by Susanna Lohmar
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🌆 LAR 507 Advanced Topics Studio: Mexico City, led by Maria Bellalta and Claire Henkel, students developed design proposals for sites across Mexico City, engaging directly with the city’s complex urban fabric. By examining the layered histories and contemporary challenges of neighborhoods such as Tlatelolco and Atlampa, students crafted resilient, community-centered landscape strategies that respond to social, cultural, and environmental dynamics.
Photos by Susanna Lohmar.
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LAR 501: Intro to Design Studio, taught by Carla Delcambre and Dong-Jae Yi, centered its final project on the redesign of Durham’s Paper Streets—small, undeveloped strips of public land. Through research into Durham’s history, ecology, and citywide goals, students developed proposals that strengthen connectivity, advance sustainability, and reimagine these overlooked corridors as meaningful community assets.
Photos by Susanna Lohmar.
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Join us for the remainder of our final reviews! (poster designed by Katherine Backlund)
🌱 The Introduction Studio explored the redesign of Durham’s Paper Streets—small strips of undeveloped public land. By engaging with Durham’s history, ecology, and citywide goals, students proposed designs that strengthen connectivity, enhance sustainability, and reimagined these overlooked corridors as community assets.
🌿 The Design Development Studio focused on the historic Biltmore Village, where students engaged with real-world challenges such as resiliency, flooding, tourism, and urban growth. Through collaboration with community members and local experts, they developed landscape architecture solutions that respond to cultural context and environmental pressures. The semester concludes with the presentation of finalized design development and construction documentation.
🌆 The Advanced Topics Studio: Mexico City students developed design proposals for sites across Mexico City, engaging directly with the city’s complex urban fabric. By examining the layered histories and contemporary challenges of neighborhoods such as Tlatelolco and Atlampa, students crafted resilient, community-centered landscape strategies that respond to social, cultural, and environmental dynamics.
#ncstatelaep #thisislandscapearchitecture
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Please join us next Wednesday, November 12th at 6pm in Burns Auditorium, for the final lecture in our Fall 2025 series: “Building Resilient Futures: Ecology, Community, and Our Habitat.”
We’re thrilled to welcome Grant Meacci, PLA, FASLA, for his talk:
“There and Back Again: Mountains to Sea in the Southeast.”
For nearly 30 years, Grant has led transformative urban design efforts that advance equitable growth and sustainable planning across the Carolinas and beyond. By blending design, policy, and public service, he’s helped shape both large cities and small towns—making them more people-focused, inclusive, and resilient.
Close out the season with us with an inspiring discussion about how design can drive meaningful change in our communities and landscapes.
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Join us next Wednesday, October 29th at 6 PM in Burns Auditorium for a lecture by Megan Foy, Senior Landscape Architect and Environmental Engineer at @equinox_environmental.
Equinox Environmental is a landscape architecture, planning, and ecological services firm based in Asheville, NC.
In her lecture, “NATURE, COMMUNITY, AND RECOVERY: Our Role After Disaster,” Megan will share her holistic approach to designing parks, greenways, and outdoor recreational spaces that integrate ecological restoration and stormwater management. Drawing from her recent work in Western North Carolina, she will discuss how her practice has evolved to emphasize resilience and recovery in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and how community voices play a vital role in guiding both recovery efforts and preparation for future storms.
Be sure to be there Wednesday!
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We’re pleased to welcome one of our own as the next speaker in our Fall 2025 Lecture Series. Professor Gavin Smith will share insights from a career shaped by some of the most defining moments in climate and disaster policy in recent history.
His lecture, “From Katrina to the Present: Planning for a Changing Climate,” comes on the 20-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene—two pivotal events that have significantly influenced disaster recovery, resilience planning, and climate policy.
Professor Smith will explore the evolution of these efforts, beginning with his post-Katrina policy counsel and culminating in his recently published book focused on climate change adaptation.
Join us this Wednesday 10/8 at 6 pm in Burns Auditorium!
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Another round of reviews is in the books for our MLA program. Time is flying by and we can’t believe the semester is halfway over!
#ncstatedesignlife #thisislandscapearchitecture #ncstatecollegeofdesign #landscapedesigners
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Join us tomorrow for our first guest lecture of the Building Resilient Futures series! Kate Ancaya`s lecture titled "The Overlooked Landscape: Reimagining Roofs and Discovering Purpose Above Ground" will begin at 6pm in Burns Auditorium. Don`t miss it!
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Join us for our lecture series starting this week!
All lectures will be held at 6pm in Burns Auditorium
OCT 01: Kate Ancaya @livingroofsinc @ka_lri
"The Overlooked Landscape: Reimagining Roofs and Rediscovering Purpose Above Ground"
OCT 08: Gavin Smith @ncstatelaep
"Community-led Relocation in an Era of Climate Change: Lessons from 20 Years of Research and Practice"
OCT 29: Megan Foy @mailmeg @equinox_environmental
"Nature, Community, and Recovery: Our Role After Disaster"
NOV 12: Grant Meacci @communitystudio @boltonmenk
"There and Back Again: Mountains to Sea in the Southeast"
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Reminder that our fall open house is happening soon!
Join us for our open house on October 24th featuring a student-led tour, lunch, and presentations from our esteemed faculty Professors Andy Fox, Meg Calkins, Elen Deming, Gavin Smith, Celen Psalar, and Nilda Cosco.
This is a great opportunity to meet with Professor and Department Head Maria Bellalta and Director of the Graduate Program Associate Professor Carla Delcambre.
At both events, detailed curriculum information will be shared with prospective students, including which track would best suit their academic pursuits.
Our MLA program is fully accredited by the landscape Architecture Accredidation Board (LAAB) and is a STEM classifed professional degree.
Please RSVP for in-person or virtual in the links in the bio.
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Join the Department of Landscape Architecture + Environmental Planning for our Alumni and Friends Reception during ASLA in New Orleans!
We look forward to mingling together and celebrating with all of you.
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October 11, 2025 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Mulate’s 201 Julia Street, New Orleans, LA
Drinks & Appetizers will be served
Please RSVP by September 26, 2025. Link in bio.
#ncstatelaep #thisislandscapearchitecture #landscapearchitecture #ncsu #ncstatecollegeofdesign #ncstatedesignlife #thinkanddo #ncasla #sasla #wxla
#asla2025 #asla
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Our mission is to inspire and guide design students in their scholarship and application of landscape architecture through design solutions focused on social and environmental principles impacting communities across multiple scales and global territories.
We prepare the next generation of landscape architects to engage in challenges and opportunities focused on:
- Landscape dynamics and resilient design;
- Community planning and design;
- Design for children and families;
- Research and evidence-based design strategies;
- Emerging digital design tools for representation, simulation, and evaluation.
Graduate Landscape Architecture
The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) is a STEM-designated degree and LAAB accredited program that prepares graduate students for the rigors of professional practice, research, leadership, and community engagement. Our students, faculty, and local design community seek to understand the impact of human actions on the land and to respond with community-based design strategies. We are dedicated to teaching, researching, and practicing design processes that acknowledge the interdependence of built landscapes and ecological, social, and economic systems.
The department offers three main academic curriculum tracks:
The first half of the academic program prepares students for the current practice and discipline of landscape architecture. It equips them with the core knowledge base, tools, processes, and skills in design, site works, history and theory, planning, research and the culture of professional practice.
The second half of the academic program propels students into the profession and discipline of the future that they will help evolve and lead. It positions students to pursue substantive inquiry into their own, those of the faculty, and those of the larger extended community. Students master bodies of knowledge, pursue evidence-based research, and hone verbal, written, and graphic communication skills.
Throughout their program of study, students combine critical design thinking talents with their intelligence, creativity, and passions to frame, engage and challenge the questions, problems, and situations of landscape that involve health, safety, wellbeing, and quality of life.
The department also offers the following certificates and programs:
- Graduate Minors and Certificate Programs
Graduate minors are available to all students and consist of nine credit hours of courses, in another graduate degree-granting discipline, listed as 400-level or above. A member of that degree’s faculty may serve as a third member of the student’s final project committee. Certificates offered in GIS, Public Policy and Horticultural Science may be of particular interest. Please visit the Graduate Minors and Certificate Page for more information.
- Inter-Institutional Study
Students at NC State University may also register for courses at local universities (UNC–Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, and Duke University) paying NC State University credit fees. Our students have an exceptional range of courses and programs open to them through these inter-institutional study opportunities. Students may also take courses at the other Raleigh colleges that are members of the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges organization. Please visit the Inter-Institutional Study Page for more information.
