A new note has been posted on the home page for the University of Cincinnati's Master of Landscape Architect (MLA) and Master of Science in Landscape Architecture (MSLA), stating that the school has "paused admission to the programs." In an email from iAdvocacy, the American Society of Landscape Architects' (ASLA) legislation and education advocacy branch, the organization claims this is "a decision that effectively amounts to their closure." A petition letter to university leadership has been set up through iAdvocacy to reverse this enrollment pause and anyone is encouraged to sign.

 

The MLA program opened in 2017 and received accreditation in 2023, even, according to the website, "[surpassing] the minimum expectations of accreditation." Now in its ninth year, the MLA program is unique in that it is the only graduate program to require a full semester of co-op study, doing so in the span of six consecutive semesters so that students complete in only two years what normally takes three. The curriculum is arranged to accommodate students without previous experience in design.

The MSLA program is designed for students with an accredited degree in landscape architecture, taking them further into topical research and evidence-based design. With two track options, students can complete their studies in 4 or 5 semesters.

LASN reached out to MLA/MSLA Graduate Program Director Barry W. Kew, PLA, ASLA, for comment and at the time of publishing has not received a reply.