MSc in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design
As an MSc in landscape architecture and urban design, you shape the future urban environments and housing areas, parks and landscapes, so that they provide excellent human and natural settings for many years to come.
You work with design, planning and analyses, and you know what it takes to create attractive, varied and sustainable urban areas and landscapes which people use actively and thus bring to life.
During the MSc programme, you specialise in landscape planning, park management or urban design.
The language of the study programme is English.
Read an interview with the student Louise Røhr Bengtsen.
Content:
Admission requirements
Profile
Career opportunities
Structure
Teaching
Student life
Application
Contact
To get admitted to the MSc programme, you must have a degree from a relevant BSc programme.
A BSc degree in landscape architecture and urban design guarantees direct access to the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture.
The following BSc programmes from the University of Copenhagen give direct access to applying for admission*):
• Natural Resources (core module course in Nature Management)
• The Garden and Park Engineering programme
• This also includes students with a BSc degree in architecture from the schools of architecture in Copenhagen and Aarhus
*) If the number of applicants exceeds 70, the applicants will be evaluated on the basis of grade point averages.
Other BSC degrees in natural science may also give access. Read more about the specific admission requirements here.
Profile
The MSc programme in Landscape Architecture combines creative disciplines and scientific knowledge with an understanding of society.
As a landscape architect and urban planner, you work with designing anything from local beach parks, harbour transformations and green urban areas to overall landscape planning.
You know the conditions governing the development and structure of the cities and regions and are able to plan, design and manage parks and green areas.
And you work analytically and creatively to create unique architecture and perfect solutions for urban and rural areas, resulting in stimulating, well-functioning and sustainable surroundings for people in the future.
As a graduate from the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture, you will also have the competences, for example, to:
- Propose hypotheses and analyse, programme and plan the development of green spaces
- Evaluate the quality of landscape architecture projects – both your own and those of others
- Take a spatial, social and artistic approach in a variety of contexts
As a landscape architect and urban planner, you have many exciting career opportunities. You can, for example, work with developing specific plans for new urban spaces and areas, harbour transformations etc. at a private architectural firm.
Or you can work in the public sector as, for example, nature manager, parks officer or city planner in charge of developing parks and green areas.
Many landscape architects and urban planners also start their own business, where they handle development, design and management tasks for private individuals, companies and public authorities.
Finally, quite a few landscape architects and urban planners work within communication, research or teaching.
The MSc programme consists of a number of elective courses, a compulsory thematic course and a thesis.
You shape your course of study yourself through elective courses on the basis of your academic and personal interests. The electives offer you the opportunity to strengthen your competences within area management, urban ecology and planning of recreational plantings. You can also combine your architectural knowledge with courses such as conflict management, ecology or economics in order for you to acquire specialised competences.
You can use the elective courses to immerse yourself in subjects in which you are particularly interested. This may concern sustainable urban areas and urban ecology, shaping of gardens and parks or policy and landscape management.
You can further enhance your personal profile by choosing between three specialisations alternating between theory and project work:
- If you specialise in Urban Design, you follow courses on politics, theory and methods of urban development. You work on specific projects, where you test your knowledge and come up with new proposals for further development of, for example, urban areas and regions.
- With a specialisation in Park Management, you gain an in-depth understanding of how green areas are managed and of the wishes for the look and contents of a park. You also gain an insight into how parks, forests in the vicinity of cities and other recreational areas are planned, developed and maintained, and you learn how to work with nature in a health-promoting manner.
- If you choose to specialise in Landscape Planning, you learn about theories and methodologies within landscape architecture and landscape planning, enabling you to prepare analyses and specific landscape projects.
The entire MSc programme is taught in English, and there are good opportunities for studying outside the University of Copenhagen in both Denmark and abroad. LIFE – the Faculty of Life Sciences – has also entered into a collaboration agreement with the schools of architecture in Copenhagen and Aarhus on which you can draw.
Thesis
The MSc programme is concluded with the writing of a thesis corresponding to six or nine months of studies.
The thesis may consist of a plan proposal for a specific area or may be a study of an academic problem area which you treat in a scientific context.
In connection with a thesis of 30 ECTS, an additional minimum of 60 ECTS must be obtained through the thematic course and the group of core courses, and, in connection with a thesis of 45 ECTS, an additional minimum of 45 ECTS must be obtained through the thematic course and the group of core courses.
Examples of theses and theme projects:
- Urban development at Nordhavnen
- Life on urban rooftops – ideas for public roof gardens
- General plan and project proposal for industrial site in the city of Fredericia
- Landscape plan for new residential area in the town of Jægerspris
- A child’s perspective on park policy with Esbjerg as case city
- General plan for areas around the port of Aalborg, Denmark
- The greenways in Copenhagen – recreation, nature, production
- Plan for restoration of the Harrestrup Å watercourse
- Garden design with focus on therapy for people affected by stress
- The cemetery as a cultural phenomenon
Thematic course on urban design
You need to follow the compulsory course on the policy, theory and method of urban design as well as the thematic course on urban planning and urban policy where you will be working on a specific project.
You can also follow courses on, for example, urban ecology, people and urban areas, administrative law, economics, conflict management and citizen involvement. The programme will be taught in English.
It is possible to apply for an opportunity to study one semester at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture or at the Aarhus School of Architecture. Such studies will be included in the group of core courses.
The structure of the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture with a thematic course on urban design is as follows:
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Year 2 |
Block 1 |
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Block 2 |
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Block 3 |
MSc thesis (30 or 45 ECTS) |
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Block 4 |
Thematic course on park management
With the thematic course on park management, you gain an in-depth understanding of how parks are managed and of the wishes for the look and contents of a park. You also gain an insight into how parks are planned, developed and maintained, and you learn how to work with nature in a health-promoting manner.
Several of the courses covered under this direction are offered in collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Malmö, and the programme is mainly taught in English.
The structure of the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture with a thematic course on park management is as follows:
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Year 2 |
Block 1 |
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Block 2 |
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Block 3 |
Thesis (30 or 45 ECTS) |
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Block 4 |
Thematic course on landscape planning
The thematic course on landscape planning consists of two parts: In the first part, you learn about theories and methodologies within landscape architecture and landscape planning, while, in the second part, you work with analyses and prepare specific landscape projects.
The structure of the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture with a thematic course on landscape planning is as follows:
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Year 2 |
Block 1 |
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Block 2 |
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Block 3 |
Thesis (30 or 45 ECTS) |
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Block 4 |
A block is 9 weeks long and equals 15 ECTS.
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The dark fields are compulsory courses |
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The medium-coloured fields are courses selected from a list of core courses and the thesis |
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The light fields are elective courses |
Instruction is in the form of lectures, seminars, practical and theoretical exercises, and there will be a good deal of project work. You will be working both independently and in project groups, and the lecturers will make sure that you meet challenges outside the university walls.
As a student on the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture, you also have access to cosy drawing studios where you will have the opportunity to collaborate with your fellow students.
In addition to the many prospects which the programme offers for travelling abroad, there is a well-established collaboration between the students and the business community, e.g. through internships and project collaborations, providing you with a unique experience and a good network.
Student life
Student life at LIFE is absolutely unique – both with regard to the physical and the academic environment. The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular among both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Café Væksthuset located in an old greenhouse for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.
As a student, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre or a special academic subject, there is a club for you.
The faculty has a large number of international students who contribute to the dynamic and exciting student life. You will also have plenty of opportunity to travel abroad in connection with your studies.
Would you like to hear from a student what it is like to study on the MSc programme in Landscape Architecture at LIFE? Then you can read an interview with the student Louise Røhr Bengtsen.
When and how can I apply
Applicants with a BSc degree from Denmark must apply before 1 April to start the programme the following September.
Applicants from Scandinavia, the EU and Lichtenstein must apply before 1 April to start the programme the following September.
Applicants from countries outside Scandinavia and the EU must apply by 1 January to start the programme the following September.
Tuition fees
Read more about application processes, tuition fees and scholarships.
You are always welcome to contact the faculty’s student counselling service, LIFE Student Services, if you have any questions about the programme, student life etc.
You can contact Student Services on tel. +45 3533 3533 or by email to .
Each spring, the faculty’s MSc programmes host open house events. At these events, you have the chance to meet directors of studies and students, who can tell you more about the programme.
Kirsten Jenlev , - last update:13 April 2012