RISD's MLA program prepares students to address increasingly complex issues at the interface between the natural and cultural worlds, and to develop innovative design solutions in a range of typologies and scales. Fully accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the program is unique in that it gives students access to RISD's diverse fine art and design courses, classes at Brown University, study abroad options and a six-week Wintersession.
At the core of the curriculum is the design studio, a forum for investigating aesthetic, ecological, cultural and technological issues. Students are challenged to think critically, work creatively and develop self-reliant design processes as they complement studio work with the study of drawing, history, theory, ecology, cultural geography, plants and technology.
current enrollment
graduate students: 45
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- How is RISD's program different from other MLA programs?
We offer a very hands-on experience with a low student-teacher ratio, meaning our professors get to know students on an individual basis. This type of learning environment encourages individual growth and allows emerging designers to develop a clear understanding of their interests and focus.
- Do environmental issues play an important role in your curriculum?
Yes, ecological and environmental issues are integral to all studio work, from the design foundation/field ecology course to our core studio sequence.
- Do the professional practices of your faculty shape individual teaching styles?
Yes, they are closely connected. Some of our faculty pursue scholarly work, publish papers and attend conferences, while others are active in local and international design practices. All see teaching as a laboratory where material investigations and conceptual explorations intertwine with the current work we are researching in our studios.
- Are there opportunities to participate in public projects and global issues?
Yes. Students have opportunities to design and build within the complexities of the urban environment, and to participate in studios that bring together designers, regulators, biologists, ecologists and urban planners to develop models for environmentally sound development. In recent years, the department has been involved in a master plan for a sustainable community in Costa Rica and for a new university for women in Bangladesh; water issues and urban redevelopment in Italy; urban ecological issues in India; and sustainable development issues in Ghana, West Africa and Mexico City.
- How would you characterize a typical RISD MLA graduate?
Our alumni are self-confident and versatile. In general, they are collaborative in spirit, open-minded, innovative in approaches to problem solving and blessed with a certain joie de vivre. Above all, we urge our students to identify themselves as creators — not merely as consumers — of culture.
link to general questions on Graduate Studies at RISD
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“We urge our students to identify themselves as creators of culture and to be alert to, and deeply critical of, the world around them.”
Colgate Searle, Department Head / Graduate Program
Coordinator / Professor
Colgate M. Searle, Jr., Department Head / Graduate Program
Coordinator / Professor
Elizabeth Hermann, Professor
Mikyoung Kim, Professor
Leonard Newcomb, Associate Professor
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