Admission Requirements

The M.S. in Landscape Design is designed for people interested in pursuing a professional career in landscape design. Admission to the program is highly selective. While no prior design or horticultural experience is required, preference is given to those applicants who evidence creativity and an aptitude for design in their portfolios or interpretive essays. All applicants must have an undergraduate degree.

Because this program is offered only on a part-time basis, enrollment in this degree program does not qualify international students for a student visa.

Note: Applicants whose native language is not English or have not completed their undergraduate studies at an accredited US college or university are required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting official scores either from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System).

We strongly recommend submitting unofficial copies of your test results through the online application system at the time of application.  The Office of Admissions will use unofficial copies of test scores for admission consideration.  Candidates offered admission will later be required to supply official test results prior to enrollment.  At that time, official scores must be sent directly from either TOEFL or IELTS and are only valid for two years.  (Use school code 2594 to report TOEFL scores.)

Applicants taking the TOEFL must have a score of at least 100 on the Internet-based version (600 paper based).  Applicants taking the IELTS must receive a score of 7.0 or higher.

Graduates of Columbia's American Language Program (ALP), must achieve Level 10 in order to apply to a program at the School of Continuing Education.  Applicants who have achieved Level 10 are NOT required to take the TOEFL or IELTS.
 

Application Materials

1. Completed Online Application form.

2. $80.00 nonrefundable application fee (U.S. currency) must accompany the online application.

3. Transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended. The rules and requirements for providing documentation for domestic vs. international transcripts are outlined below:

   Domestic Transcripts
   from institutions in the U.S. or Canada

   If your transcripts are from an institution in the U.S. or Canada, we strongly recommend submitting unofficial documents through the online application system at the time of application. Candidates offered admission will later be required to supply official documents prior to enrollment for verification before the offer is considered official.

   For those applicants who are offered admission, official transcripts must arrive in envelopes sealed by the issuing institutions certifying conferral of a bachelor's degree. Copies, opened or unsealed envelopes, unofficial printouts, or facsimiles will not be accepted. Many schools take a number of weeks to fulfill transcript requests; please plan accordingly. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to withdraw any offer of admission already made if there is a discrepancy between the self-reported transcript and the official transcript.

   International Transcripts
   from institutions outside the U.S. or Canada

   If your post-secondary credentials are from an institution outside the U.S. or Canada, the Office of Admission requires you to submit all post-secondary credentials (undergraduate and graduate) to World Education Services, Inc. (WES), a third party verification agency for a course-by-course evaluation.

   Instructions for using WES

   WES must complete a course-by-course evaluation of all post-secondary credentials. Please select the WES basic course-by-course evaluation (with GPA and course-levels) and request to have WES send your evaluation to Columbia University School of Continuing Education. The school can be found by searching Columbia University and then selecting School of Continuing Education. The evaluation provided to the School of Continuing Education becomes an official academic record and sole property of the School of Continuing Education upon its receipt.

   WES evaluations will be reviewed by the School of Continuing Education administrators and the determination of degree equivalency to U.S. degrees is at the discretion of the School of Continuing Education.

4. Statement of academic purpose (no more than 500 words). The statement should describe how the M.S. in Landscape Design connects the applicant's professional experience and enhances his or her professional goals.

5. Evidence of the applicant’s promise as a landscape designer. Students may fulfill this requirement with either a portfolio or an interpretive essay.

   Portfolios should consist of photographic reproductions of pieces of original art and/or design related work. Submissions are limited to a maximum size of 8.5" x 11" and each must be labeled with applicant’s name; date, medium and scale of original piece; and the role that the applicant played in the piece’s production (e.g., artist, primary designer, delineator, model maker, photographer, etc.). No digital submissions will be accepted.

   Interpretive essays analyze a work of art or a landscape and should be no longer than five typed pages. Applicants are required to submit a photograph of the work of art or the landscape under consideration.

   Portfolios and essays are not returned and become the property of Columbia University.

6. Résumé.

7. Two letters of recommendation, written by supervisors or peers who can attest to the applicant’s capacity to engage in a rigorous, design program that calls for maturity, motivation, stamina, ability to work well in groups, and the capacity to receive and provide criticism.
    
8. Non-native speakers of English must fulfill additional application requirements.

Submitting the Application

1. Applicants are encouraged to submit all supporting application materials through the online application system.  Unofficial documents will be used for admission consideration.

2. Applications are not considered complete until all required materials listed in the Application Materials section above have been received. Only complete applications will be reviewed.

3. Applicants who are admitted to the program must submit all official documents to  the Office of Admissions before the offer is considered official.

4. All submitted materials should clearly bear the applicant's name and the name of the program to which he or she is applying.  

Mailing Address and Contact Information

Landscape Design Program
Office of Admissions
School of Continuing Education
203 Lewisohn Hall
2970 Broadway, Mail Code 4119
New York, NY 10027-6902
212-854-9666
Office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 :00 AM-6:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM