We place emphasis on understanding, interpreting and designing inhabited landscapes, and study the Irish landscape in particular. This is an advanced programme in which students are encouraged to identify issues present in contemporary Irish society, and address them through design. Our programme focuses on designing with nature in a context that pushes typical urban analytical and project boundaries outwards from the city. Embedded in the real-world, our studio sites are large and include coasts and rivers, hills and valleys, farmlands and woodlands as well as towns and villages. We review traditional planning and engineering approaches critically and explore alternatives, seeking better, more beautiful, more sustainable solutions that work with nature to the benefit of all.

Graduates of this programme are critical thinkers, interdisciplinary debaters and skilled in graphic and written communications. Graduates have developed research skills, are able to think and work independently and are used to functioning as part of a team. Each graduate has developed a personal set of skills and competencies that enables them to work within the broad domain of landscape architecture, as a strong member of a multidisciplinary team.

The Master of Landscape Architecture Programme is a 2-Stage (2-Year) full-time Level 9 Masters programme comprising 120 credits.*** Students are required to take 60 credits in each Stage (Year) of the programme with a balanced workload of 30 credits per trimester in EACH STAGE (YEAR). ***Each Stage (Year) comprises Core Modules and Options, and may include negotiated option modules to enable students negotiate and tailor their learning. If students would prefer to take one or more Option modules not listed, per trimester, that may be possible as a negotiated option.  ***Any requests to take a module that is not listed as an Option Module will require approval of the Governing Board. ***In Stage 1 (Year 1) the 60 credit total comprises 50 Core credits, and 10 Option or negotiated option credits. ***For Stage 2 (Year 2) the MLA students must take 50 Core credits, and 10 Option or negotiated option credits.  ***A taught masters programme at UCD must have at least 70 credits at Level 4. ***Students are advised to contact the Programme Director before the start of each Year/Stage to agree their preferred Options/negotiated options.