Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability

Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability

Master of science (2 year) Full time

Global development leads to formidable environmental, societal, and territorial challenges.

Global development leads to formidable environmental, societal, and territorial challenges.

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Ready to engage in the most pressing issues of our time? Combining practices from landscape architecture and studies in global development, planning and ecology, this programme offers a unique approach to global environmental and social challenges.

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Requirements

Bachelor in Landscape architecture or other related studies

Application deadline:

April 15th
International applicants:
December 1st

Number of students
25
Study start
Autumn 2022
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Study advisor(s)
Contact study advisors
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Contact info

Admission Office:
opptak@nmbu.no
Phone:  67 23 01 11

Shaping livable spaces is the goal of landscape architecture. It is concerned with planning, designing and managing functional, attractive, and future-proof spaces that respond to human as well as ecological needs. In this study programme we will address some of the planet’s most urgent issues; climate change, environmental deterioration, natural hazards, regional conflicts, poverty and migration. 

The programme offers unique opportunities of studying and designing contested landscapes and territories. Contested landscape and territories are the object of contention or competition; human beings struggle for it.

The programme contains a sequence of three studio courses that apply a critical question-driven approach. Constant exchange of diverse disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives within participants will be encouraged and supported.

Job opportunities

Career possibilities: "Water, wind and solar powered" - Interview with former students

Candidates graduating from this programme will be affiliated with the profession of landscape architecture. Their environmental problem-solving skills suit potential future jobs at a variety of scales, for example in:

  • regional land-use planning
  • land management
  • environmental rehabilitation
  • master-planning
  • blue-green infrastructure
  • community activism, and site-design interventions, nationally as well as internationally.

Learning outcomes

The programme has a transdisciplinary focus and spans the traditional landscape architecture curriculum from landscape management, planning and design, including landscape ecology, as well as theory and methods from development studies. The programme has a research focus and is at a master level. The programme builds up from the Bachelor’s level of landscape architecture and related studies to an advanced level of global landscape architecture.

We're proud to be able to present students and their work on these webpages: https://www.nmbu.no/forside/studentutstillinger

Exchange opportunities

The programme is developed as an international master’s degree programme, where students will be attracted from different parts of the world. The courses include group work that will provide many opportunities for the exchange of intercultural experience and knowledge. Courses will cover ethical concerns as well as knowledge about working internationally and experiencing cultural differences.

NMBU has exchange agreements within many disciplines and with many universities across the world. You will find more information at NMBU's website HERE

Admission requirements

Admission requires a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent background in one of the following fields: Landscape Architecture, Landscape engineering, Architecture, Landscape planning, Urban Design, and Urban and Regional Planning.

Applicants must meet the University’s requirement for English language proficiency and include a 1-page (A4) motivation letter.

Applicants are expected to be able to express themselves visually. All applicants must send a motivation letter of a maximum of 600 words where the questions listed below must be answered.  Admission will be partly based on the applicants' transcripts from previous educations and the motivation letter to ensure that well-qualified and motivated applicants are admitted. Those applicants who have no formal education within visualization are recommended to address their experience with visualization in their motivation letter.

  1. In what way do you think studies in landscape architecture will supplement your current academic qualifications and what career path do you imagine that the education at NMBU will give you?
  2. In what way do you think your personal background and your current professional qualifications may expand the academic perspective and enrich the learning environment of the NMBU Master programme?
  3. On one extra A4 page, present graphically one of your professional or academic projects/assignments that relate to the Master you want to enroll in.

The study program Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability comprises field trips (not mandatory). Students must be prepared to cover their own travel expenses. Please contact the study advisor of the program for more information. 

NMBU requires that you have your own personal laptop in connection with learning activities or forms of assessment.

You can find general information on admission to NMBU here.

 

 

 

Combining practices from landscape architecture and studies in global development, this programme offers a unique approach to environmental and social challenges across the globe.

Study structure

Programme structure

An introduction to Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability (GLA301) with its essential challenges like global urbanization, migration, climate change, loss of biodiversity, to name a few, in the first semester will be followed by extensive fieldwork abroad (GLA302). The topic of the first field course in autumn 2022 will be ‘water’ and adaptation to water-caused challenges. The comprehensive data, and rich experience—gathered in the field—will be subsequently processed within a design studio framework. Scientific analysis will be accompanied by theoretical and empirical reflection. Theoretical and historical perspectives on landscapes in a globalized world will be provided (GLA303).

Content touched upon in the first semester, will be furthered in the second studio course in a Nordic context (GLA304). In addition, students choose courses from a list of recommended courses focusing on either development, ecological or planning perspectives. These courses provide the opportunity to acquire deeper empirical and theoretical knowledge within the chosen perspective.

The third studio course (GLA305) follows up the thematic line of GLA302 and GLA304. Students are encouraged to start preparing for their master thesis. Moreover, students proceed with their thematic deepening by choosing courses from the list of recommended courses.

The last semester is reserved for the master’s thesis.



 

 

Study content

Social relevance:

Global transformation processes, developments towards the planet’s limits to growth, drive systemic landscape change at a global scale; increased frequency of environmental disasters, climate change and migration, affect how people interact with and perceive their everyday surroundings. Shaping these surroundings in a manner that is locally responsive to such challenges is the goal of a landscape architecture which takes a global perspective. Landscape architecture education in a globalized world provides specific skills for working in ways that are sensitive to different socio-cultural and ecological contexts. The programme responds to the dynamic evolution of the landscape profession to navigate the challenges our environment presents. As such, it will train and prepare professionals who will work in designing, planning and managing sustainable and resilient places. Students will learn skills and methods to be equipped when confronted with undeterminable /(unknown) future challenges.

Learning outcomes:

Graduates of this programme shall have the following knowledge, skills, and general competences:

Knowledge: Graduates will have advanced knowledge within landscape architecture and particular insight regarding landscape practices in a global context that consider sustainability, climate change, post-disaster and post-conflict situations. They will have in-depth knowledge of the design-thinking approach along with field-based methods for qualitative research, landscape- and context analyses. Their exposure to inter- and trans-disciplinary teamwork will prepare them to apply and assess knowledge from different disciplines and to develop original and suitable landscape architecture projects. They will further understand historic and contemporary theory in landscape architecture related to global sustainability.

Skills: Graduates will have the skills to analyse and critically consider different information sources and apply these to argue for their landscape architecture projects. They will be able to critique and apply landscape design theories and methods to respond to particular physical, social, environmental, and governance contexts with independent theoretical and practical proposals. They will be able to identify landscape analysis purposes, as well as use them to inform sustainable scenarios – both individually and in teams.

General competences: Graduates will be able to apply research methods and ethics while responding to contemporary critical concerns with landscape architecture proposals. The programme will prepare them to apply their knowledge and skills to landscapes in crisis due to environmental, societal, and territorial challenges. The studio courses will prepare the students to independently communicate and disseminate their ideas through various modes of representation, while accepting and incorporating critical feedback. The programme will prepare the students to contribute with new approaches and innovation in landscape practices, by looking across geographical scales and disciplinary boundaries for inspiration and understanding. Students will be encouraged to critically reflect on and advance their work by recognizing historical and theoretical perspectives.

Contents and structure:

The programme is an international programme accredited by the International Federation of landscape Architects. The program is research, question and project driven. The core of the curriculum is project work developed in a sequence of three studios culminating in a thesis. The programme is developed as an international master’s degree programme, where students will be attracted from different parts of the world. The courses include group work that will provide many opportunities for exchange of intercultural experience and knowledge. Courses will cover ethical concerns, a suite of methods as well as knowledge about working internationally and experiencing cultural differences. We encourage students to explore and develop contemporary ways to work, which advance landscape architecture as a productive, generalist profession between science knowledge and artistic methods. These methods involve processes of iteration, with regular presentations and feedback.

Academic breadth (area, level, scope)
The programme has a transdisciplinary focus, and spans the traditional landscape architecture curriculum from landscape management, planning and design, including landscape ecology, as well as theory and methods from development studies.

Academic depth (area, level, scope)
The programme has a research focus and is at a master level.

The internal disciplinary connections
The programme builds up from the Bachelor’s level of landscape architecture and related studies to an advanced level of global landscape architecture.

Compulsory parts and electives
The programme consists of 60 ECTS compulsory credits including an introduction to Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability, a theory course about ‘Landscape in a globalised world’ and a series of three studio courses with a focus on analysis and design of contested landscapes.

In addition, 30 ECTS are electives and the master thesis is 30 ECTS, both of which can be chosen by the students together with study and academic advisors.

Learning activities:

Preparation for and participation in lectures – with the use of academic literature and case studies will support the knowledge and critical thinking dimensions of the learning outcomes. Students will be able to connect their experiences and specific cases to relevant theoretical literature.

Participation in seminars with teachers present – will teach the students to discuss subjects across disciplinary backgrounds and to explore and interrogate different sides to global and local landscape challenges. Students will be able to develop and frame their own projects and will review and critically assess relevant literature and case-study material, upon which to base the development of their projects.

Studio-based project work will be related to physical sites with diverse contexts that the students must learn to analyse in order to develop their proposals. This studio work will offer both independent and group work projects, and group presentations will call upon the students to critique and constructively argue for and against each other’s work. The studio courses provide opportunities for and expect students to work independently within the thematic framework of the courses. Peer teaching based on an exchange of diverse disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives among participants will be encouraged and supported.

Exercises – will be assigned in and outside the classroom for the students to practice different analysis methods, modes of representation and presentation skills. These will allow each student to spend time with a variety of methods, which they can later apply independently to project and research work.

Fieldwork will be encouraged in order for students to experience new contexts, so that they can reflect upon contextual differences and ground their master’s research and proposals on complex, real-life situations. The students will be able to determine and design their own fieldwork experiences according to their particular interests, learning goals and needs, with the help of study advisors.

Evaluation:

The learning objectives of each course will be assessed through written assignments and project presentations, written and oral. The final presentations and written assignments must show and describe the student’s progress, process and use of methods throughout each term. Studio courses will include one-to-one feedback sessions throughout the term, as well as mid-term presentations or group discussions, along with the final presentations. Periodic course assessments to obtain student feedback will be run by the course responsible in the middle and end of each term.

Admission requirements:

Admission requires a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent background in one of the following fields: Landscape Architecture, Landscape engineering, Architecture, Landscape planning, Urban Design and Regional Planning.

Admission will be partly based on the applicants' transcripts from previous educations, but to ensure that well-qualified and motivated applicants are admitted, all applicants must send a motivation letter of a maximum of 600 words where the following questions must be answered:

In what way do you think studies in landscape architecture will supplement your current academic qualifications and what career path do you imagine that the education at NMBU will give you?

In what way do you think your personal background and your current professional qualifications may expand the academic perspective and enrich the learning environment of the NMBU Master programme?

On one extra A4 page, present graphically one of your professional or academic projects/assignments that relate to the Master you want to enroll in.

Applicants are expected to be able to express themselves visually. Those applicants who have no formal education within visualization are recommended to address their experience with visualization in their motivation letter.

The study program Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability comprises field trips (not mandatory). Students must be prepared to cover their own travel expenses. Please contact the study advisor of the programmme for more information.

NMBU requires that you have your own personal laptop in connection with learning activities or forms of assessment. The university provides the necessary software licenses.

You can find general information on admission to NMBU here.

Applicants must meet the University’s requirement for English language proficiency

Cooperation with other institutions:

During their master’s thesis, students are encouraged to work with national and international firms, institutions or governmental bodies.

Arrangements, incoming exchange students:

Courses from the first two semesters can be offered to students from partner universities.