
Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Landscape architects combine critical design thinking, planning and design, and knowledge of physical and social sciences, to engage situations of landscape involving health, safety, and wellbeing
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 diverse landscape architecture and environmental planning projects.
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Be sure to join us TOMORROW for a great lecture from Cody Klein at @ojbla!
The lecture starts at 6pm in Burns Auditorium and will be broadcast over zoom. Cody will be discussing how parks and the public realm contribute to healthy communities.
To register for the zoom lecture go to: design.ncsu.edu/news/lectures
Park(ing) Day is this Friday, October 21st from 10am-5pm at the corner of Research Dr + Main Campus Dr on Centennial Campus. Come hang out, get lunch from food trucks, and find some new threads at the Sustainable Stewards’ pop-up thrift store. Hope to see you there!
#ncstatedesign #sasla #landscapearchitecture
Join local professionals and fellow LAEP students for this evening of conversation around gender justice in landscape architecture! We will discuss some of the barriers to gender equity in the workplace, strategies for change, new models of working, and more general questions about working in the field. Though this is a WxLA sponsored event, people of all gender identities are welcome to attend. There will be food provided! A google calendar invite will be sent separately, please RSVP so we know how much food to order.
NC State Students and the Coastal Dynamics Design Lab have won a total of 5 ASLA awards this year! Big congratulations to all the winners for their spectacular work! The winners are:
- Coastal Dynamics Design Lab - Honor Award in Analysis and Planning for their Pollocksville Community Floodprint.
- Marybeth Campeau - Honor Award in Student Analysis and Planning for her Eagles Island,NC work.
- Markayla Esposito, Lauren Joca, Hassan Shata, Davis Turner, and Brian Vaughn - Excellence Award in Student Collaboration for their Wilmington, NC project.
- Spencer Stone, Madison Sweitzer, William Stanton, Rebecca Asser, Sarah Hassan, Martha Tack, Anna Edwards, Tianyu Shen, Ruixin Mao, and Sara Fetty - Excellence Award in Student Community Service for their work with the Princeville, NC Community.
- Britt Davis - Honor Award in Research for her research of environmental toxins in Mecklenburg, Union, and York Counties, NC and SC.
Great work everyone!
#landscapearchitecture #ncstatedesign
Are you or someone you know interested in joining our program? We’re hosting an Open House for prospective students on Wednesday, October 19th, come learn about our program! Please register with the link below by October 10th.
https://calendar.ncsu.edu/event/laep_open_house
#landscapearchitecture #ncstatecollegeofdesign

Our mission is to teach, learn, research, and apply state-of-the-art practices that create innovative and resilient landscapes focused on human and ecosystem health, safety, well-being, social equity, and quality of life.
We prepare the next generation of landscape architects to engage 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:
- First Professional Masters of Landscape Architecture (Track III)
- First Professional Masters of Landscape Architecture, Advanced Standing (Track II)
- Post-Professional Degree (Track I)
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.
Graduate Certificate in City Design
The Graduate Certificate in City Design focuses on design at the scale of the city, and within neighborhoods and urban districts. Studios and seminars focus on the challenges, and opportunities facing communities and cities in the 21st century, with a particular emphasis upon principles of sustainability and urban ecology.
Learn more
Disaster Resilient Policy, Engineering and Design Certificate
The imperative motivating the Graduate Certificate in Disaster Resilient Policy, Engineering and Design is to educate the next generation of practitioners and scholars to apply knowledge gained in the classroom and in the field to reduce the rise in disaster losses and assist communities to adapt to a changing climate.
Learn more
- 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.
Undergraduate Minor in Landscape Architecture
While we no longer offer a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, it is possible for NC State University undergraduate students to take certain landscape architecture courses as electives. Please visit the Undergraduate Minor in Landscape Architecture Page for more information.
See Student Work
See more examples of student work here: Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Student Work
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Thanks to scholarships funded by #GivingPack, Elyse is able to make an impact on representation through design. ✍🏾👩🏾🎨🐺
Using her degree in Media Arts, Design and Technology, she’ll be able to bring communities closer together through the art of storytelling. Take design further on 3.22.23: ➡️ Link in bio to learn how.