M30-LA Master's Thesis

All students enrolled in the M-LA program must submit a master's thesis approved by their supervisor. The thesis can be prepared and submitted individually or in groups of two students.

Students can choose from a broad range of design, management or planning tasks, and can use methods from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as from design and planning practices in their exploration and conclusion.

The master's thesis is an independent professional design/planning or academic work that involves the student relating their work to the value and knowledge base within the field's current discourses and best practices in landscape architecture. Students should interpret the landscape professional or relevant research context that the thesis is a part of and formulate a problem statement for design/planning professional or academic investigation. Students should argue for and conclude with a final proposal or research result.

During the process, students will receive guidance (up to 40 hours, including grading and final review) in the selection and development of the design/planning task or academic investigation, choice of methods, as well as the composition of the work's written and visual final presentation.

Conducting a master's thesis is a comprehensive process that should provide the student with practical experience in:

• Planning and executing an independent research or design project within a timeframe of approximately six months.
• Identifying and formulating a research question or a planning or design problem.
• Collecting, analyzing, and critically reflecting on data and information (depending on the type of task) by activating:
  • Relevant design references and design methods acquired during the study, which are necessary to solve the formulated problem.
  • The theoretical perspectives and research methods required to answer the posed question.

Throughout the entire work process, the student will acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies:

KNOWLEDGE

The student should be able to demonstrate:

• Advanced humanistic, social science, and/or natural science knowledge regarding the specific practice-related or scientific field of the thesis.
• A good understanding of key concepts related to the thesis field.
• Knowledge of the history and state-of-the-art within landscape architecture's engagement with the thesis field.

SKILLS

The student should demonstrate:

• Advanced skills in formulating academic questions or landscape professional issues, and presenting these effectively with reference to their societal relevance, local context, and timeliness.
• Advanced skills in:
  • (A) Systematically pursuing a design/planning process - from an overarching design concept linked to problem analysis, through the selection of appropriate design methods and tools, to a discussion and decision on the best design or planning measures, or
  • (B) Systematically pursuing a research process - from theoretical/conceptual anchoring of a question, through the selection and application of relevant methods, to a sound academic discussion and conclusion regarding the conducted investigation.
• Presenting arguments in an understandable and effective manner, both verbally and visually.
• Using tools as well as concepts consistently.

COMPETENCE

The student should be able to demonstrate high-level competence in working independently or in a group to carry out a major project that involves:

• Establishing contacts with professionals within academia, the profession, or public administration.
• Collecting various types of information from primary or secondary sources in a respectful, ethical, and transparent manner.
• Critically assessing this information for relevance and value to the defined problem.
• Prioritizing time and what should be included in the final argument and presentation of the thesis.

Additionally, the student should be able to demonstrate a critical attitude and advanced level of reflection regarding:

• The relationship between theoretical perspective, concepts, methodological approach, and results/conclusions in the conducted investigation or design task.
• Their own contribution to the investigation's outcome or the solution of the task, compared to the sources and references used.
• The relationship between political goals, academic and professional insights, and traditions.
• General ethical issues related to design and consulting work and academic research.

The student should be able to reflect on the role and contribution of the landscape architect's perspective concerning the type of problem addressed by the master's thesis.