Programme summary for Graduate Diploma Landscape Architecture

About the programme

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Programme structure

The Graduate Diploma programme can be followed over one year full time or two years part time. The taught element of the programme represents less than half of the total programme measured by student effort.

Career opportunities

The integration of environmental design with architectural and urban design practice is of ever-increasing importance. Architects, landscape architects, and designers equipped with these skills are more and more in demand professionally in both the private and public sector, nationally and internationally. This programme offers a pathway to professional membership of the Landscape Institute for candidates who wish to proceed onto an accredited Masters programme.

Support

The programme offers students a personal tutor, 1:1 tutorial support as well as support of small group working.

Personal Development Planning (PDP) is a University requirement to engage formally in reflective practice, through a learning log or a professional development portfolio. This includes creating and maintaining a continuously updated CV, a review of progress in modules, review of assessment outcomes and feedback, a semester based action plan and an annual submission of the PDP. This process is designed to help students reflect on their own progress.

The University provides a comprehensive range of support services to students, which includes: residential/ student finance advice/ careers advise / study skills development/ IT learning resources.

The Graduate School is responsible for providing a focus to the support of our postgraduate research students and for our institution’s research and scholarly strategy.

Admission

The programme is designed for a diverse audience:

It will appeal to already qualified design professionals in related disciplines who wish to add further specialisation in landscape architectural practice and who wish to gain entrance to the Landscape Institute, the professional accrediting body.

It welcomes applications from suitable candidates without an undergraduate degree in landscape architecture, but with an undergraduate degree in another design discipline or with an interest in additional study at an advanced level in Landscape Architecture.

Applications are welcomed from the EU and overseas, in particular, lecturers from Higher Education Institutions wishing to increase their qualifications.

Students whose first language is not English will have achieved a score of 6.5 in IELTS or equivalent. Eligibility for students without degree equivalent qualifications will be assessed via the accreditation of experiential learning [AEL] on the basis of a short essay, statement and a portfolio. Places will be offered after a successful interview with a member of the programme team.

All applicants will be interviewed.

At least two members of academic staff will review each application before a decision is made.

Applicants with either prior-certified learning or prior-experiential learning that closely matches the specified learning outcomes of the taught part of the programme may be able to claim exemption via agreed university procedures. No exemption can be claimed against the research part of the programme or in situations where a professional body excludes it.

Students may be admitted through Accreditation of Experiential Learning (AEL) or Accreditation of Certificated Learning (ACL) processes.

In the case of applicants whose first language is not English, then IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required. International qualifications will be checked for appropriate matriculation to UK Higher Education undergraduate programmes.