Overview

IIT M.LA+U moves towards Design Justice and welcomes all to practice skills for tomorrow’s equitable, participatory, and prosperous landscapes. The program emphasizes equitable landscapes rooted in ecology, history, and community involvement. It tackles climate change and advocates for equity and ecological and cultural preservation while promoting ethical and technological advancement worldwide and wealth generation.

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The program centers on the landscape’s biodiversity and ecological richness, emphasizing design methodologies that prioritize community participation and empower local organizations. The program addresses climate change, creates inclusive spaces, preserves historical significance, promotes ethical and technological advancement, and advocates equitable wealth generation through adaptable public spaces and landscapes.

The combination of landscape and urbanism over the past decade has proven potent, enabling an expansion of the field in theory and practice. Thus, we understand that landscape architecture should be a fundamentally forward-looking process through the lens of social and environmental justice. We shall prepare technically skilled, intellectually versatile, and ontologically diverse landscape professionals who share those ambitions.

Curriculum

The Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism curriculum tackles twenty-first century landscape challenges, including social and environmental justice, water management, and urbanization. By collaborating with IIT’s architecture programs, we continue the legacy of design and technological innovation, preparing students to lead in landscape architecture.

An overview of the full curriculum of the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program.
Fall	Spring
	Continued development of the core tools of the discipline of landscape architecture focusing on the 21st century city. Rigorous site analysis will include emphasis on material, cultural, and ecological expression of city-scale networks and flows at the site scale. Design investigations will explore the site itself, its adjacent conditions, and the larger neighborhood or civic milieu. Prerequisites: LA 541 with min. grade of C
Inquiry of natural factors and ecology (soil formations, geological features, hydrological patterns, catastrophic events, etc.) in the settlement and development of cities. The work of the seminar will include an inventory of these factors in selected global cities, including Chicago, and their influence on urban design and site-specific landscape architecture projects.
Drawings (manual and digital) and models (physical and digital) will be employed to explore and interrogate landscape processes and envision ideas particular to landscape architecture such as mapping, time, movement, line, contour, texture, and materials, among others, while also developing a mastery of drawing conventions and media.	Using digital tools to clarify, conceptualize, represent, and communicate designed and engineered environments. A fluidity between critical, visual, and quantifiable digital techniques will be cultivated and will ground the management of information across software platforms. Prerequisites: LA 525 with min. grade of C
The plants of the Western Great Lakes Basin, emphasizing both prominent native and commercially available species. Understanding and identifying species as found within typical plant communities. Familiarization with plant physiology as determined by climate, geology, topography, hydrology, soils, wildlife, and disturbances.	The qualities and characteristics of landscape materials with emphasis on a quantitative and interrelated understanding of the design of landform (grading) and water. Covers the influence of climate, geology, soils, hydrology, and disturbances on the design of a site's constituent elements including paths and streets, infrastructure, plants, and water.

An overview of the full curriculum of the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program.
Fall	Spring
The integration of local ecologies, projected use, and the performance of ephemeral, semi-permanent, and permanent site interventions into cohesive and resilient design proposals for varied urban sites. Introduction to a wide range of site-specific professional design standards including the Americans with Disabilities Act and barrier-free regulations. Prerequisites: LA 542 with min. grade of C	Development of landscape architecture as a multi-scalar framework for designing dynamic urban processes and sites. Emphasis on research and design strategies that focus on the region as an analytical lens for site-specific design. Prerequisites: LA 541 with min. grade of C or LA 543 with min. grade of C

Investigate advanced digital fabrication and modeling techniques necessary to understand complex three-dimensional surfaces, objects, and space, as well as dynamic landscape and urban processes. Modeling, rendering, scripting, and animation skills are used to conduct, generate, and communicate research. Prerequisites: LA 525 with min. grade of C and LA 526 with min. grade of C	Develop expertise in professional practice. Lectures, research assignments, and case studies will investigate practice models, proposals and contracts, schedules and budgets, project phases, project and client types, project team structure, the role of competitions, professional development, and licensure. In addition, the role of landscape architects, urban planners, real estate trusts, government agencies, developers, and others in directing the economic, professional, political, and socio-cultural concerns and responsibilities to initiate and manage landscapes will be investigated.
	Techniques and technologies to analyze, construct, remediate and/or restore urban sites including those that have been subjected to complex human disturbances such as landfills and brownfields. Includes special needs construction practices such as structured soils, phytoremediation, green roofs, and rooftop gardens.

An overview of the full curriculum of the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program.
Fall	Spring
The cloud studio is a research-based design studio focused on investigating the complex forces that shape the built environment and proposing new strategies for urban development. The aim of the studio is to build a commentary and transformative agenda toward the future metropolis and to drive urban, architectural and landscape design solutions with the most advanced technologies and critical thought. The studio production is oriented toward the development of new strategies and future urban models with the aim of advancing the knowledge of relationships between urban thinking and materiality, technology, energy, ecology, emerging media, and socio-political and cultural concerns. Strong emphasis is put toward engagement with external parties and agencies to connect the academic environment with the professional practice and to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration. Students will be able to select from a variety of studio topics. Vertical studio integrating advanced B.Arch., M.Arch., M.S.Arch., M.LA+U, and Ph.D. students. Prerequisites: LA 544 with min. grade of C	The design-based research studio is a continuation of the LA 545 research-based design studio. It is focused on the development of the specific proposals based on the critical findings of LA 545. The aim of the studio is to develop formal solutions which address the complexities of modern metropolis and advance disciplinary knowledge at large. The studio production is oriented toward the development of projects in a variety of scales from large-scale master plans, urban designs, and landscape designs to new urban typologies and singular buildings, all of which can address a variety of the issues pertinent to the modern metropolis. The studios are formed in few thematic clusters which complement each other or serve as dialectical opposites. Each studio explores variety of techniques from parametric design, digital fabrication, model making, and advanced geospatial software to cultural and theoretical discourses. Vertical studio integrating advanced B.Arch., M.Arch., M.LA+U, M.S.Arch., and Ph.D. students. Students will be able to select from varied studio topics. Prerequisites: LA 545 with min. grade of C
Investigations of gardens, landscapes, infrastructure, and cities as they are conceived, mature, and change over time. Study of landscapes designed for successional processes, weathering, biological growth and decay, seasonality, preservation and conservation of historic landscapes, and other topics.	(3 Credits) Landscape Architecture Elective
(3 Credits) Landscape Architecture Elective	(3 Credits) Landscape Architecture or Architecture Elective
(3 Credits) Landscape Architecture or Architecture Elective	(3 Credits) Landscape Architecture or Architecture Elective

Faculty

Comprised of award-winning landscape architects, planners, horticulturists and scholars, our faculty believe in landscape architecture education as a journey towards environmental and social justice through design, the knowledge of plants, and direct exchanges and experiences with the living world.

Maria Villalobos Hernandez

Associate Professor, M.LA+U Degree Program Director, Advanced M.LA+U Studio Coordinator

Frank Balestri

Adjunct Professor

Charles Haller

Adjunct Professor

Ron Henderson

Professor, Second Year M.LA+U Studio Coordinator

Mark Jirik

Adjunct Professor

Kris Lucious

Adjunct Professor

Nilay Mistry

Associate Teaching Professor, First Year M.LA+U Studio Coordinator

Jonathan Miller

Associate Teaching Professor

Michael Skowlund

Adjunct Professor

Jay Womack

Adjunct Professor

Studios

Year One: Processes & Site and City

The first-year studios lay the groundwork for students to embrace the core tools of landscape architecture, directly contributing to the program's mission of design justice. In Studio I, Processes, students explore the dynamic relationships between time, movement, space, light, and materials, emphasizing the representation of these shifting elements in the landscape. This foundational understanding encourages students to think critically about how landscapes evolve and adapt, aligning with the program’s focus on justice and equity.

The second-semester studio, Site and City, builds on this knowledge by focusing on 21st-century urban landscapes. Students conduct rigorous site analyses, investigating material, cultural, and ecological networks at various scales. The design investigations in this studio explore the site and its relationship to adjacent conditions and the larger civic context, helping students develop a deeper understanding of how to shape equitable, just, and resilient urban environments. Students engage with landscape architecture’s technical and ethical dimensions through these studios, preparing them to contribute meaningfully to a more emphatic and just society.

Electives

A variety of electives are available for M.LA+U students, not only in the College of Architecture, but also in the university’s Armour College of Engineering, Institute of Design, and Stuart School of Business. Full program students are required to take 15 credits of landscape architecture electives and advanced standing students are afforded 12 credits of landscape architecture electives. Electives may be chosen from any LA or ARCH 400- or 500-level course with adviser approval, subject to 400-level course limit restrictions.

A overview of the elective courses for the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program and the semester in which they are typically offered.
Fall	Spring
This significant Midwestern style of architectural and landscape design evolved from social reform and nationalist tendencies but also from the beginnings of ecology and modern design. This course focuses on the work of Prairie School architects and landscape architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, Jens Jensen, and IIT's Alfred Caldwell. Field trips explore the evolution of 19th century Romantic Styles into Prairie School designs, ending with 20th century modernism and organic architecture. The collaboration between planners, architects, landscape architects, and craftspeople will be explored throughout the course.	Survey of the history of landscape design throughout the world, including contemporary projects. The course emphasizes both analytical and holistic approaches to the study of historic designs, highlights the relationship between architecture and landscape, and stresses major concepts that directly influence present day designs. One field trip.
This class is devoted to the close observation, description, and analysis of works of architecture from 1900 to the present. We will read exemplary texts of architectural criticism and history. Conducted as a seminar, this course studies writings and buildings through research papers, presentations, and other projects.	This class is devoted to the close observation, description, and analysis of works of architecture from 1900 to the present. We will read exemplary texts of architectural criticism and history. Conducted as a seminar, this course studies writings and buildings through research papers, presentations, and other projects.
This seminar surveys the interaction between media and the city from the 19th century to the present. Any consideration of contemporary urban issues must take into account the roles that media and information technologies play in our lives. Every space we encounter or create has to be considered mediated. Course work will include assigned readings, assigned screenings, and creative design problems related to the issues considered in class.	This seminar surveys the interaction between media and the city from the 19th century to the present. Any consideration of contemporary urban issues must take into account the roles that media and information technologies play in our lives. Every space we encounter or create has to be considered mediated. Course work will include assigned readings, assigned screenings, and creative design problems related to the issues considered in class.
This seminar employs comparative studies of other arts, in particular cinema, to illuminate architectural aesthetics and the creative process. It has a dual focus: it undertakes an introduction to film studies through the analysis of films and readings in film theory and aesthetics; at the same time, it will consider architectural concepts and artifacts. The aim is not primarily to study cinema nor to make a definitive conclusion about the congruence or divergence of architecture and cinema. The course intends to cultivate a way of seeing: to illuminate the relations between media, technology, geography, architecture, and ideology. Prerequisites: ARCH 108 or ARCH 508 with min. grade of C	This seminar employs comparative studies of other arts, in particular cinema, to illuminate architectural aesthetics and the creative process. It has a dual focus: it undertakes an introduction to film studies through the analysis of films and readings in film theory and aesthetics; at the same time, it will consider architectural concepts and artifacts. The aim is not primarily to study cinema nor to make a definitive conclusion about the congruence or divergence of architecture and cinema. The course intends to cultivate a way of seeing: to illuminate the relations between media, technology, geography, architecture, and ideology. Prerequisites: ARCH 108 or ARCH 508 with min. grade of C
Intended to build on the knowledge and abilities gained in the foundational architectural history and theory courses, these seminar courses focus on topics in history, theory, and criticism. Students select from varying and diverse topics such as urbanism, sustainability, design methodology, aesthetics, ethics and law, history of technology, and architecture in relation to other arts. Critical reading and writing skills are emphasized. Prerequisites: (AAH 119 and AAH 120) or ARCH 501	Intended to build on the knowledge and abilities gained in the foundational architectural history and theory courses, these seminar courses focus on topics in history, theory, and criticism. Students select from varying and diverse topics such as urbanism, sustainability, design methodology, aesthetics, ethics and law, history of technology, and architecture in relation to other arts. Critical reading and writing skills are emphasized. Prerequisites: (AAH 119 and AAH 120) or ARCH 501

A overview of the elective courses for the Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism program and the semester in which they are typically offered.
Fall	Spring
This research seminar examines advances in the technologies that affect the practice of architecture. The course examines leading technologies, processes, and applications, and their role in building design and production. The course will navigate the broad and varied materials related to advanced technologies in architecture by focusing on specific applications for specific projects. Students may select between varying and diverse topics offered by the faculty that may include building envelopes, architectural materials, building and environmental systems, advanced structural design, energy and sustainability, architectural acoustics and lighting, fabrication, and computer-aided design technologies. Prerequisites: ARCH 215 and ARCH 230 and ARCH 404 and ARCH 335 and ARCH 403 and ARCH 334	This research seminar examines advances in the technologies that affect the practice of architecture. The course examines leading technologies, processes, and applications, and their role in building design and production. The course will navigate the broad and varied materials related to advanced technologies in architecture by focusing on specific applications for specific projects. Students may select between varying and diverse topics offered by the faculty that may include building envelopes, architectural materials, building and environmental systems, advanced structural design, energy and sustainability, architectural acoustics and lighting, fabrication, and computer-aided design technologies. Prerequisites: ARCH 215 and ARCH 230 and ARCH 404 and ARCH 335 and ARCH 403 and ARCH 334
Architecture has always been a complex interdisciplinary business, where the management of allied professions and industry affiliates is critical to the success of any endeavor of significant scale. The introduction of BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an advance in project delivery tools which should be viewed as a multi-dimensional expansion of the mechanisms of management and accommodation of an ever-broadening range of participants in the organization of a project, allowing the development of a new delivery protocol, IBPD (Integrated Building Project Delivery). BIM is currently recognized as consolidating the basis for a range of functions including drawing, modeling, document management, clash detection, interdisciplinary coordination, estimating, scheduling, constructability review, production modularization, fabrication protocols, and for the analysis of myriad physical and proscriptive demands such as energy consumption, daylighting, code compliance, egress, circulation, and operation scenarios. The breadth of information embedded in a BIM model will require the emergence of facilitating professionals to an extent previously unknown in the practice and the industry. This course explores the state of the profession and the anticipated ramifications.	Architecture has always been a complex interdisciplinary business, where the management of allied professions and industry affiliates is critical to the success of any endeavor of significant scale. The introduction of BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an advance in project delivery tools which should be viewed as a multi-dimensional expansion of the mechanisms of management and accommodation of an ever-broadening range of participants in the organization of a project, allowing the development of a new delivery protocol, IBPD (Integrated Building Project Delivery). BIM is currently recognized as consolidating the basis for a range of functions including drawing, modeling, document management, clash detection, interdisciplinary coordination, estimating, scheduling, constructability review, production modularization, fabrication protocols, and for the analysis of myriad physical and proscriptive demands such as energy consumption, daylighting, code compliance, egress, circulation, and operation scenarios. The breadth of information embedded in a BIM model will require the emergence of facilitating professionals to an extent previously unknown in the practice and the industry. This course explores the state of the profession and the anticipated ramifications.
The course teaches future architects the practical aspects of entrepreneurial small business management, to develop a comprehensive opportunity assessment and to develop the skills necessary to improve the odds of success. The course will consider strategies to leverage limited resources for maximum effect. The course will also cover small organization and group behavior, performance, leadership, and motivation in small business settings and will focus on the owner/manager as the principal success factor in the context of a small organization. Emphasis is placed on the circumstances and opportunities of the professional practice of architecture: practice as profession, process, organization, business, and evolving models of practice are covered. The course also provides a series of concepts, frameworks, and heuristics that enable the entrepreneur to anticipate and deal with the challenges that accompany growth of an existing business. Cases, exercises, lectures, and speakers are used to focus on choosing opportunities, allocating resources, motivating employees, and maintaining control while not stifling innovation. A key component of the course is how to sustain entrepreneurial thinking in mid-sized ventures as they continue to grow.	The course teaches future architects the practical aspects of entrepreneurial small business management, to develop a comprehensive opportunity assessment and to develop the skills necessary to improve the odds of success. The course will consider strategies to leverage limited resources for maximum effect. The course will also cover small organization and group behavior, performance, leadership, and motivation in small business settings and will focus on the owner/manager as the principal success factor in the context of a small organization. Emphasis is placed on the circumstances and opportunities of the professional practice of architecture: practice as profession, process, organization, business, and evolving models of practice are covered. The course also provides a series of concepts, frameworks, and heuristics that enable the entrepreneur to anticipate and deal with the challenges that accompany growth of an existing business. Cases, exercises, lectures, and speakers are used to focus on choosing opportunities, allocating resources, motivating employees, and maintaining control while not stifling innovation. A key component of the course is how to sustain entrepreneurial thinking in mid-sized ventures as they continue to grow.
Since the introduction of basic zoning laws to the numbers and complexity of ordinances attached to any land parcel have proliferated to include those addressing land use, development, density, environmental concerns both on and off site, aesthetic mandates, energy use, quality of life concerns, and infrastructure development, the growing understanding that comprehensive and integrated systems must be managed across property lines to effect sustainable planning and communities will accelerate the number of prescriptive and policy ordinances enforced at the development of a parcel. Many agencies have further created extra-legal linkages between approvals for land development and the provision of social and ideological benefits to the community. The impact on the profession of architecture of the panoply of planning options and governmental goals is the result that the navigation of the system of mandated design determinates is one of the initial and potentially most creative acts in the process of project delivery. Project designers must understand the ramifications and trade-offs inherent in the system, especially in any attempt to achieve the best use of any parcel of land and position the most appropriate built environment.	Since the introduction of basic zoning laws to the numbers and complexity of ordinances attached to any land parcel have proliferated to include those addressing land use, development, density, environmental concerns both on and off site, aesthetic mandates, energy use, quality of life concerns, and infrastructure development, the growing understanding that comprehensive and integrated systems must be managed across property lines to effect sustainable planning and communities will accelerate the number of prescriptive and policy ordinances enforced at the development of a parcel. Many agencies have further created extra-legal linkages between approvals for land development and the provision of social and ideological benefits to the community. The impact on the profession of architecture of the panoply of planning options and governmental goals is the result that the navigation of the system of mandated design determinates is one of the initial and potentially most creative acts in the process of project delivery. Project designers must understand the ramifications and trade-offs inherent in the system, especially in any attempt to achieve the best use of any parcel of land and position the most appropriate built environment.
The Art of the Deal, with the emphasis on Art, is a term best positioning the financial structuring behind any project. The ability of the project team leader in integrated practice to understand and appreciate the motivations and opportunities inherent in the initiation of the project will be essential in guiding team decisions and maintaining a leadership position. The understanding of the financial underpinnings of a project is of paramount importance to those intending to actually engage the process of initiating and effecting a construction activity. The sources, costs, and sequence of funding, budgeting, cash flow, incentives options, and tax ramifications regarding a project are to be addressed as component knowledge to an understanding of integrated project management.	The Art of the Deal, with the emphasis on Art, is a term best positioning the financial structuring behind any project. The ability of the project team leader in integrated practice to understand and appreciate the motivations and opportunities inherent in the initiation of the project will be essential in guiding team decisions and maintaining a leadership position. The understanding of the financial underpinnings of a project is of paramount importance to those intending to actually engage the process of initiating and effecting a construction activity. The sources, costs, and sequence of funding, budgeting, cash flow, incentives options, and tax ramifications regarding a project are to be addressed as component knowledge to an understanding of integrated project management.
Two options are available to the student for the acquisition and assimilation of the breadth of knowledge required to bring project ideas to fruition. The Comprehensive Development Project is a capstone effort which will demonstrate project concept, planning resolution, land acquisition strategies, estimating, scheduling, financial pro-forma, and value capture intents. The practicum would entail employment at a vetted office engaged in the actual process of project assembly. A position requiring a minimum of 20 hours per week, prior review and approval of the work plan, and submittal of documentation of the work undertaken would be required for this scenario. The ultimate objective is to provide a roadmap of the interaction between the architect-entrepreneur, market opportunities, and integrated building delivery practices which facilitate the development of student skills necessary to compete in a rapidly changing socio-economic environment. This course is designed to help students learn and use tools and frameworks to create, implement, and update a strategic plan to shape the future and guide an entrepreneurial organization on its path to success. This course will entail collaboration with real world organizations including city agencies, community development corporations, IIT Department of Community Affairs, or private developers.	Two options are available to the student for the acquisition and assimilation of the breadth of knowledge required to bring project ideas to fruition. The Comprehensive Development Project is a capstone effort which will demonstrate project concept, planning resolution, land acquisition strategies, estimating, scheduling, financial pro-forma, and value capture intents. The practicum would entail employment at a vetted office engaged in the actual process of project assembly. A position requiring a minimum of 20 hours per week, prior review and approval of the work plan, and submittal of documentation of the work undertaken would be required for this scenario. The ultimate objective is to provide a roadmap of the interaction between the architect-entrepreneur, market opportunities, and integrated building delivery practices which facilitate the development of student skills necessary to compete in a rapidly changing socio-economic environment. This course is designed to help students learn and use tools and frameworks to create, implement, and update a strategic plan to shape the future and guide an entrepreneurial organization on its path to success. This course will entail collaboration with real world organizations including city agencies, community development corporations, IIT Department of Community Affairs, or private developers.

Advising

Advising provides students with academic guidance as they fulfill their degree program requirements. All degree seeking graduate students will be assigned a primary academic advisor by the College of Architecture. New graduate students will be required to meet with their primary advisor prior to registering for the following semester.

For more information please visit Student Resources.

The GP Graduate (Program) Advising Hold becomes active before the next semester of registration opens for the following:

Co-Terminal students in the first semester of graduate co-terminal enrollment
Traditional masters students at 9 earned or enrolled credits
Doctoral students at 18 earned or enrolled credits

The GP Hold prevents registration before the following semester until lifted by the advisor. The mandatory advising session is required for the student to clear the advising registration hold.

Students will be notified by their primary advisor how to best schedule their required advising appointment. In general, students may begin scheduling their advising appointments two weeks prior to the first day of registration for the following semester.

At this advising appointment, students will receive a Registration PIN (also referred to as an alternate PIN) and the registration block, which is placed on a student’s record by the Graduate College, will be removed. This will be the only required advising appointment for Graduate students. After their first semester, Graduate student Registration PINs will be visible in the myIIT portal page (under IIT Personal ID numbers).

All graduate students registering for research courses numbered 591, 594, 597, and 691 must receive approval from their faculty advisor, in the form of an electronic permit, before registration.

Student Work

Hosting Life: Garden of Clay (Fall 2023)
Jincheng Chen

Hosting Life: Urban Rewilding (Fall 2023)
Jorge Mayorga

Hosting Life: Botanical Parasites (Fall 2023)
Juliana Cardozo Chamorro, Zhicong Fang

Hosting Life: Chicago's Hanging Gardens (Fall 2023)
Mohammad Arabmazar

Living Creek (Spring 2024)
IIT MCHAP Studio

Living Creek: Living Encounters, Large Scale Riparian Wetland Infrastructure System (Spring 2024)
Mohammad Arabmazar, Omar Rodriguez, Sadiqul Islam Shehab

Interconnected Water Systems (Spring 2024)
Jonathan Cienfuegos

Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism Master of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism

Overview

Curriculum

Fall

Spring

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Faculty

Studios

Year One: Processes & Site and City

Electives

Fall

Spring

400 Level

500 Level

Advising

Student Work