MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE (MLA) The rapidly-changing environment of the Pacific Northwest offers an excellent opportunity for courses and thesis projects to explore the connections between culture and nature, and to test ideas for how social and spatial conflicts between development and conservation might be addressed. Our faculty are particularly interested in urban ecological design and the changing roles of familiar urban and suburban landscapes, as these areas are increasingly expected to function as part of an ecological infrastructure. At the same time, diverse human cultural communities have developed with differing perceptions of and values for these changing landscapes. This department offers students the opportunity to study the rich cultural resources of these human communities as they develop new relationships to their environments, and to participate in this overlap between natural and cultural processes. Currently, the Department offer students exposure to the social, cultural, and natural environment of central Mexico as an international example of community development and design.
Design Leadership The faculty are committed to training students who will be leaders in design practice and education. This includes the education of both children and adults to understand the consequences of human transactions with the natural environment. Courses are offered and research is being conducted on designing outdoor educational environments. Graduate students are also encouraged to develop independent leadership skills which will provide them with self-confidence and adaptability in a rapidly-changing professional world. The primary areas in which students are encouraged to develop leadership abilities are in the definition and practice of design as a basis for interdisciplinary work, environmental education and the application of ecological concepts to urban design, the use of communication technology to develop creative solutions to cultural and environmental conflicts, and international design-build projects in which students confront the global nature of contemporary development issues. The graduate program considers applicants with and without previous design education, and encourages applications from persons with diverse academic and professional backgrounds. The faculty are experienced in teaching mature students, and seek to admit students with a range of ages, backgrounds, and interests. Each student is encouraged to benefit from the location of the department within a broad and excellent research university by adding elective courses in other disciplines to their core curriculum. In addition, graduate students may elect to participate in College-wide certificate programs in Urban Design, and Preservation Planning and Design. See program descriptions in the preceding College section. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact the MLA advisor, Prof. Jeff Hou, at (206) 543-7225 or at jhou@u.washington.edu |
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