Landscape Architecture

Landscape architecture is one of today’s most relevant design disciplines. As climate change, rising sea levels, urban growth and the energy transition reshape our world, landscape architects help design resilient, sustainable places where people and ecosystems can thrive. From cities and public spaces to rural landscapes, wetlands and coastal environments, your work can make a real difference. UCD is Ireland’s leading centre for Landscape Architecture education and the country’s only undergraduate programme in the discipline. Accredited by the Irish Landscape Institute and recognised by IFLA Europe, the course suits creative, ecological, socially conscious thinkers who want to tackle big challenges through design. 

Click here to Download Course Pathways document.

The design studio is at the heart of Landscape Architecture at UCD. You’ll learn through a collaborative, hands-on approach, working alongside students from different years in a supportive vertical studio environment. Through Design Research Studios, you’ll explore real-world challenges, combining research, creativity and experimentation. You’ll develop skills in fieldwork, reading, mapping, analysis, design, presentation and critical thinking. You’ll investigate how landscapes function and change, tackling environmental, social and spatial challenges through projects developed with professional and institutional partners. You’ll experiment, test ideas and learn through research, design and reflection, building confidence in your creative approach. You’ll also explore how landscape architecture connects with ecology, climate, society and the built environment.

Projects may take you from urban spaces and public places to rural landscapes, woodlands, waterways and other environments. You’ll learn to understand places in depth, identify opportunities for positive change and communicate ideas through drawings, models, maps, digital tools and presentations. In your final year, your studio project becomes your undergraduate thesis—an ambitious, professionally focused body of work showcasing your skills to employers or universities.

• Digital Landscape Design
• Landscape Theory and History 
• Landscape Plants 
• Soil Resources
• Building Biodiversity 
• Socio Environmental Studies & Interventions
• Trees & Woodlands in the Irish Landscape
• Landscape Research
• GIS
• Climate Policy and Politics
• Landscape Ecology

UCD Landscape Architecture offers international study opportunities through the European Landscape Education Exchange (ERASMUS), a network of 11 European universities. Students can take part in field trips, intensive design studios or a semester abroad in third year at a partner university.

Graduates develop transferable skills that open up opportunities in Ireland and around the world. Graduates work in private practice, government, environmental consultancy, real estate and NGOs, while others establish businesses or pursue further study. Many graduates become professional landscape architects. After two years of recognised professional experience, graduates can sit the Irish Landscape Institute (ILI) professional examinations, leading to full professional membership.

Career opportunities include:

• Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning: SWA Group, ARUP, AECOM, Hargreaves Associates
• Environmental Consultancy: MKO, ERM, Tetra Tech, Jacobs
• Real Estate Development: Remcoll, LDA, Lendlease
• Government & Public Bodies: EEA, EPA, NPWS, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
• Non-Profit Organisations: European Landscape Convention, Irish Environmental Network, Heritage Council of Ireland

An optional 6–8 month internship in third year provides valuable professional experience with employers including AECOM, Austen Associates, Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects, South Dublin County Council and Summerhill Landscapes, New York.

• Level 5/6 QQI-FET


• Mature Entry Route


• DARE Entry Route


• HEAR Entry Route

By joining the UCD College of Engineering and Architecture, you will be part of a vibrant community of students and faculty who are committed to creating a more sustainable and equitable future. The mission of the College of Engineering and Architecture is to affect a just transition to a more sustainable and equitable future through our education of professionals in engineering, architecture, planning and policy, and our research in technology, design, and policy. The College, in our engineers and architects, brings together the technical expertise to deliver and create infrastructure and technologies that can create a more sustainable future and, uniquely, the College, in our planners and environmental policy researchers, also brings together the research and professions required to create the policies and the regulatory environment that supports technological and infrastructure development, and that can also scrutinise and investigate the behavioural changes affected by our technologies.

The programmes at UCD are designed to equip students with the best education in their chosen field, while at the same time embedding the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in their education where most relevant.

Architecture and Landscape Architecture

UCD Architects and Landscape Architects have the opportunity to contribute positively to many of today’s challenges including climate change, inequality, poverty and urbanisation. UCD architects and landscape architects use innovative design practices to consider sustainable design solutions, energy-efficient buildings, community engagement, life on land to enhance the quality of the lives for whom they are designing for while minimising environmental impacts.

• Clean water and Sanitation (SDG 6)
• Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7)
• Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11)
• Climate Action (SDG 13)
• Life on Land (SDG 15)

“I chose to study Landscape Architecture at UCD due to my love of design, nature and the outdoors. I was always interested in society and the way that people live. This course at UCD offers a wide range of exciting modules in various related topics such as land use, the environment, planning, ecology, and urban design. The design studio is central and has prepared me for my future career by allowing me to build on my environmental knowledge, design skills while using technical and technological approaches. This degree has offered me a wide range of exciting opportunities, e.g. a trimester abroad, various class trips around Ireland and Europe and an internship in a Landscape Architecture firm. I completed my exchange at The University of Hong Kong, which proved to be the most exciting and rewarding opportunity of my life.”

Niamh Conlon - Graduate

Non-EU Undergraduate Fee information can be found here.

UCD offers a number of competitive undergraduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD undergraduate degree programme. For information on Undergraduate Scholarships, please see the UCD International Scholarships webpage.