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Landscape Architecture- Master´s Programme

Scope:
120 ECTS

Level affiliation:
2 - Second cycle

Degree
Degree of Master of Science

Programme code:
LM006

Responsibe faculty:
Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

Applies to students admitted in
1.    Autumn 2011
2.    Autumn 2012    Visas nedan 
3.    Autumn 2016
4.    Autumn 2018
5.    Autumn 2019
6.    Autumn 2020
7.    Autumn 2022

Appendices

1. Decision

The Board of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) decided on July 2, 2010 to establish a Landscape Architecture – Master’s programme.

The programme syllabus was approved by the Faculty Board at the Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences in Nov 10, 2010, to be valid from the academic year 2011/2012. The latest revision was due to the decision of the Vice-Chancellor on 29 June 2012, and apply from the academic year 2012/13.

Students who have fulfilled all the requirements for a degree on the Landscape Architecture – Master’s programme, corresponding to 120 credits, will be awarded a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture. The programme has the following programme code: LM006.

2. Prior knowledge and other requirements

2.1 Previous studies
To be eligible for the Landscape Architecture - Master’s programme, the requirements are a Bachelor´s degree (undergraduate cycle) corresponding to a minimum of 180 credits, including 90 credits specialisation in one of the following subjects/educational areas:

- Landscape Architecture
- Landscape Planning
- Architecture
- Spatial Planning
- Geography*
- Water and Infrastructure Engineering*
- Surveying and Land Management*
- Cultural Heritage*
- Ecology*
- Built Environment Planning*

For subjects/teaching areas marked * a portfolio must also be submitted.
The submitted portfolio will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- Relevance to the subject area – has the student worked on issues within landscape architecture?
- Level of knowledge – has the student formulated the task in a relevant theoretical context?
- Skills – has the student demonstrated an ability to formulate the task in a comprehensible way in text or pictures?
An assessment of the ability of the individual to undertake the Master’s course will be made by Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences. The verdict of the Faculty will be one of the criteria on which subsequent acceptance into the programme is based.

Alternatively, one of the following professional degrees must have been obtained:

- Degree of Master of Science in Landscape Architecture, Degree of Master of Science in Architecture.

The specific admission requirements according to the above can also be fulfilled by those having corresponding qualifications from present or former Swedish colleges or learning establishments. The requirements are also fulfilled if corresponding qualifications have been obtained in alternative ways.

In addition, specific admission requirements including English language proficiency demonstrated as:
- English B (Swedish secondary school) or equivalent.

For entry to the different courses included within the programme, the specific entry requirements prescribed for each individual course apply.

2.2 Other selection criteria
In selection of students, the following aspects will be considered:
- previous relevant professional experience (if applicable)
- previous academic studies (with emphasis on relevant courses and grades)

3. Intended learning outcomes

3.1 General learning outcomes
According to the Swedish Higher Education Act, Chapter 1, Section 9 (Högskolelagen 1 kap, 9 §)

“ Second-cycle courses and study programmes shall involve the acquisition of specialist knowledge, competence and skills in relation to first-cycle courses and study programmes, and in addition to the requirements for first-cycle courses and study programmes shall:
- further develop the ability of students to integrate and make autonomous use of their knowledge
- develop the students´ ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations, and
- develop the students´ potential for professional activities that demand considerable autonomy, or for research and development work. Ordinance (2006:173).”

3.2 Specific learning outcomes for a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits)
The student must achieve the following learning outcomes, in accordance with the supplement to the Ordinance for Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU):

Knowledge and understanding
For a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits), the student shall
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
- demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study

Competence and skills
For a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits), the student shall
- demonstrate the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
- demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, autonomously and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake specialised tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work
- demonstrate the ability in speech and writing both nationally and internationally to report clearly and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
- demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or autonomous employment in some other qualified capacity.

Judgement and approach
For a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits), the student shall
- demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical considerations and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
- demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
- demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.


3.3 Detailed learning outcomes for the Landscape Architecture – Master’s programme
Within the framework of the objectives listed in the syllabus, SLU has specified the following objectives for the Landscape Architecture – Master’s programme in Alnarp:

Knowledge and understanding
For a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture , the student shall
- demonstrate knowledge of the scientific and artistic foundations of landscape architecture insights into relevant research and development work
- demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of the theory and history of landscape architecture and a deeper understanding of various processes for designing, planning and developing landscapes, professional methods, techniques and material, and relevant legislation and regulations.
- demonstrate knowledge of how people’s various needs, experiences and uses of the physical environment are affected by, and affect, the physical environment and the landscape.

Competence and skills
For a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture, the student shall
- demonstrate an ability to initiate and formulate independently and critically processes for designing, planning and developing landscapes
- demonstrate an ability to carry out and appraise qualified and creative tasks independently, critically and creatively, using appropriate landscape architectonic methods, within the established frames of the area of landscape architecture
- demonstrate an ability to involve different competences and users in design, planning and transformation processes
- demonstrate an ability to integrate knowledge from relevant areas critically and systematically and to analyse, assess and manage complex phenomena and issues, particularly concerning sustainable development of the landscape
- demonstrate an ability to clearly report and discuss in picture and model, orally, in writing and in other ways, the conclusions reached and the knowledge and arguments that form the basis for designing, planning and developing landscapes, in dialogue with various target groups, and thereby contribute to the development of the subject.

Judgement and approach
For a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture, the student shall
- demonstrate an ethical and moral approach to the role of landscape architecture in society and in the world
- demonstrate an ability to balance relevant scientific, societal, aesthetic, environmental and ethical considerations in making assessments and evaluations, while at the same time taking into consideration people’s relationship with, and use of, the landscape and the physical outdoor environment
- be capable of teamwork and cooperation in groups of different types, demonstrate an ability to identify a need for further knowledge and continuously improve their personal competences
- have an understanding of the motives and frames for physical planning and societal organisation, where these form part of the value system
- have an understanding of the motives and frames for physical design and people’s interaction with the surrounding environment, where democracy, sustainable development and the equal worth of all people form part of the value system.

4. Possibilities for further study

The student who has completed Landscape Architecture – Master’s programme with a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture meets the special entry requirements for admission to further studies, among others, the following education at SLU:

- Education at third cycle level

The third cycle subject areas into which entry is possible are given in the appendix to the programme syllabus and have been decided by the Board of Education on first and second cycle at the Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Science.

5. Content and outline

5.1 Courses
The courses included in the Landscape Architecture - Master’s programme are decided by the Board of education on first and second cycle at the Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences and are presented in the appendix to the programme syllabus, which also contains a description of the programme structure. The objectives and content of the courses are described in the course plans for the individual courses.

5.2 Outline
Landscape Architecture - Master’s programme is provided mainly at second cycle level. Courses on first cycle may occur, based on the frameworks established by the Government, the National Agency for Higher Education and the University authorities. The programme includes elective courses on second cycle within the subject of landscape architecture and independent project (Master’s project) within the main area of landscape architecture. Any combination of Courses within the Master´s Programme is possible, but there are a number of more or less distinct paths that may be followed to achieve different levels of specialisation.

The programme offers theoretical in-depth courses as well as skills-training courses for design, planning and developing landscapes.

Landscape architecture as a main field of study is divided into three partly overlapping subfields:
- Landscape design involves using design and small-scale planning to guide decisions and develop a basis for practical implementation of changes in the landscape at a detailed scale, often in the near future.
- Landscape planning includes conservation and development of landscape resources in collaboration with community goals and people’s perceptions. The issues of landscape planning are often strategic, involving a combination of different interests and concern decisions that have consequences over a long period of time.
- Landscape management involves guiding decision making and developing policy documentation as well as operational material concerning conservation and development of landscape resources in an ongoing process.

The programme concludes with an independent project (Master’s project) in which students can apply their in-depth knowledge, abilities and methods of working to an actual issue within the area of the degree programme.

All teaching is in English.

6. Examination

Each course includes one or more examinations. Courses will in general be graded using one of the grades U, 3, 4 or 5. The requirements for course grades are outlined in an attachment to the course syllabus.

Grades are determined by an examiner appointed by SLU. General rules and guidelines for assessment and grading can be found in the "Internal rules for grading and examination rights" and in "Regulations for education in first and second cycle at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)".

7. Degree

7.1 Degree awarded after completion of the study programme
A Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture according to the programme syllabus for Landscape Architecture – Master’s programme will be awarded on completion of the course examinations (Pass grades) to the value of 120 credits, with the following requirements:
- a minimum of 30 credits courses shall concern in-depth study within Landscape Architecture (A1N, A1F),
- a minimum of 30 credits shall concern independent work (degree project) within Landscape Architecture (A2E)
- a maximum of 15 credit courses at first level

The course requirements must at the same time fulfil the following requirements:
- a minimum of 60 credits programme courses according to the study plan established, and
- independent work (degree project) in accordance with the study plan established and with regulations for the programme.

There is additional requirement of a completed Degree of Bachelor, Professional Degree of a minimum of 180 credits or a corresponding overseas qualification.

The student fulfilling the degree requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) will be supplied with an degree certificate upon request. The degree certificate will be associated with the title Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture.

This degree certificate shall show that the degree fulfils the requirements according to the programme syllabus for the Landscape Architecture - Master’s programme. Specific course requirements are described in the programme’s study plan, which is decided on by the Board of Education on first and second cycle at the Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Science and presented in the appendix to the programme syllabus.

7.2 Other degrees the student may be awarded after completion of the study programme
The courses included in the Landscape Architecture - Master’s programme also allow the following degrees to be obtained provided that the SLU requirements on general qualifications are fulfilled:
- Degree of Master of Science (60 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture,
- Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a major in Landscape Architecture.

8. Miscellaneous

8.1 Credit transfer
Credits for courses from another higher education institution, in Sweden or abroad, may be transferred and recognised in the degree. Credits may be deducted if there is significant overlap between the courses passed at SLU and the external courses the student wishes to include in the degree. Credit transfer cannot be done if there is a considerable difference between the courses.

Credit transfer requests are considered on an individual basis. Equivalent knowledge and skills acquired professionally may also be recognized after assessment.