The Department of Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona (CPPLA) welcomes graduate students from any academic discipline who wish to pursue careers in the public or private sector, designing sustainable landscapes, creating just and healthy communities, or managing conservation programs and land trusts. We have a 50+ year legacy of training graduate students in advanced eco-systemic design methods to establish strong, well-defined, and mutually life-sustaining and enhancing relationships between people and the land. Our department's motto is ‘Bravely Curious’, inspired by how we embrace expanding the practice of landscape architecture in pursuit of making the world a better place.

Our LAAB accredited Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) curriculum (see below) emphasizes collaborative learn-by-doing assignments at scales varying from small sites to large complex regions, with a focus on projects that engage the public, especially those from disadvantaged communities. Our studio culture embraces collaboration as a means of enabling every student to excel based on their individual abilities, interests, and values. Our graduate studios are next to each other in the Boltz Courtyard of Building 2, the cultural heart of our BSLA and MLA programs.

MLA Program Tracks

We offer two MLA program tracks:

1. General Standing: 72-unit/3-year (MLA I) – for applicants with undergraduate degrees in non-design disciplines. General Standing students complete a year-long series of foundational courses preparing them for the intermediate and advanced courses in the second and third years of the program.
2. Advanced Standing: 48-unit/2-year (MLA II) – for applicants with an accredited degree in landscape architecture or other environmental design disciplines, joining the General Standing students in the second and third years of the program.