Adopted:
WHEREAS, in addition to design, the Columbia program requires students to study landscape history and theory; to develop a broad plant vocabulary, and to master a range of technical knowledge which, while not as extensive as that required of a landscape architect, is nonetheless deeper than that acquired in certificate programs which are offered elsewhere;
Education Committee subcommittee review
MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN
The proposed program is well designed and the syllabi that have been submitted indicate appropriate depth for a graduate program of this kind.
The program is different from a program that leads to a degree in Landscape Architecture, and was supported in concept by the former dean of the School of Architecture. The program prepares students to work as landscape designers, who, unlike landscape architects, do not require licenses.
There is no overlap with existing programs or courses inside the University. No courses offered by other units of the University are available for students enrolled in this proposed program, whose courses are all newly planned.
The subcommittee noted that the program has no electives at this time. The intent of SCE is to test the market with the proposed core. If students call for additional courses, they may be added later. There are plans for some intensive non-credit seminars for the students, particularly in business and computer-assisted design.
The academic director of the program, Joseph Disponzio, has a distinguished scholarly background. He will be responsible from the start to recruit additional faculty and oversee curriculum development to bring the program to maturity. The large community of landscape designers in the greater metropolitan area suggests that SCE will have no problem recruiting high-caliber faculty for this program.
The subcommittee recommends approval.
School of Continuing Education
Proposal for an MS in Landscape Design
INTRODUCTION
Columbia’s MS in Landscape
Design (MSLD) prepares students for careers as landscape designers specializing
in residential and smaller-scale design projects. The rigorous program of study emphasizes
studio work in order to develop students’ technical and design competence and
to enable them to begin professional practice upon graduation.
The MSLD targets individuals
who wish to pursue a professional career in landscape design, but who choose
not to enroll in a full-time program of study leading to a professional degree
in landscape architecture. Ideally
suited for working professionals or those in career transition, the MSLD is a
part-time program, with all courses offered in the evening or on Saturday. Instructors hold terminal degrees in their
respective fields and studio design instructors are professionally licensed
landscape practitioners.
CURRICULUM
The 34 pt. program is
composed of 11 courses and an internship.
Four studio courses lie at the core of the curriculum (16 pts). In addition, students are required to take a
course in the history of gardening and landscape design (3 pts.); three plant
material courses (6 pts); and three technical courses (6 pts.) devoted to
drafting, graphic representation and landscape construction. The supervised internship (3pts) is taken
immediately prior to the last term of study.
In their first term, students
enroll in two courses which form the foundation for further study. LAND K4200, History and Theory of Gardening
and Landscape Design, is a comprehensive survey that focuses on the key periods
and styles that distinguish the Western tradition, providing students with a
basic design vocabulary and introducing them to the seminal theories of
landscape design. Design 201, Landscape
Representation: Graphics and Landform
Modeling, is a studio course intended to cultivate students’ capacity to
represent design ideas graphically.
At the center of each of the
four subsequent terms of study is a studio course. The first three studios are devoted to
specific themes: analysis and schematic design; design development; and
planning and design of landscapes. The
final studio calls on students to design a residential garden, using a real
site and developing a realistic program capable of implementation.
Complementing each of these
studios are plant material and technical courses. Conducted almost entirely in
the field, the plant material courses allow students to develop an increasingly
extensive plant vocabulary. Moreover,
they cultivate the students’ understanding of plant characteristics and maintenance
requirements as well as their sense of how best to incorporate plants into
landscape designs. The technical courses
introduce students to the plastic qualities of landscapes, train them to read
topographical maps, and explore in depth site grading and drainage as well as
landscape construction.
In their supervised
internships, students either serve as apprentices in professional landscape
design firms or complete a practicum in a privately owned garden. Designed to immerse students in a professional
setting prior to graduation, internships require a full-time commitment for a
minimum of two weeks. Internships may be
arranged locally or anywhere throughout the world depending on student interest
and talent.
Degree Requirements
Term I
LAND K4200 History and Theory
of Gardening and Landscape Design. 3
pts.
LAND K4210 Graphics and
Landform Modeling. 3 pts.
Term II
LAND K4404 Landscape Design
Studio I – Site Analysis and Schematic Design.
4 pts.
LAND K4102 Plant
Materials: Woody Trees and Shrubs
I. 1.5 pts.
LAND K4112 Landscape
Technology. Site Grading and Drainage.
1.5 pts.
Term III
LAND K4405 Landscape Design
Studio II – Design Development. 4 pts.
LAND K4103 Plant Materials:
Woody Trees and Shrubs II . 1.5 pts.
LAND K4113 Landscape Technology. Construction and Site
Details 1.5 pts.
Term IV
LAND K4406 Landscape Design Studio III – Planning and
Design of Landscapes 4pts.
LAND K4215 Internship 3 pts.
Term V
LAND K4407 Landscape Design Studio IV – Advanced
Planting and Design. 4 pts.
LAND K4220 Planting Design. 3 pts.
Satisfactory Progress toward
the Degree
The academic progress of each student is reviewed shortly after the end
of each term. The School of Continuing Education considers a student’s academic
progress to be satisfactory when it is at a rate that allows the student to
complete all requirements for the M.S. degree within four years (12 terms,
including summer terms). In this regard, marks of INC or UW do not indicate
satisfactory progress and will be taken into account in the review of each
student’s performance. Those not meeting this satisfactory progress requirement
will normally be dismissed.
Satisfactory progress is also assessed on the basis of grades. Degree
candidates must complete all courses required for the degree with an overall
average of 3.0 (B) or better. Every course creditable to the degree must be
taken for a letter grade, although students may register for one additional
approved course per term on a Pass/Fail or R credit basis. If a student’s average
falls below 3.0, or if 50 percent or more of the student’s program shows marks
of INC or UW in any given semester, the student will be placed on academic
probation. Students who have a second academically unsatisfactory term will be
dismissed from the program, as will any student who receives two final grades
of C (including C+ or C-) or any student who receives a final grade of D or F.
A student receiving a grade of C in any semester may take only one course the
following semester. All decisions to place a student on academic probation or
to dismiss a student for academic reasons are subject to appeal (see below).