USC just launched an additional option for their MLA program that everyone is very excited about. They now have post-professional and professional options...there are so many options that they actually confuse me a bit! I am in the Building Science program a few desks down from the MLA students, and they seem to produce great work, but I confess that I haven't examined it on more than a superficial level.

Please feel free to have a look at my school blog for a glimpse of grad student culture in the USC SOA; for more details, you may want to contact Julette Sanders for a tour of our studios.

there are a few prior threads on MLA programs worth searching the forum for. the ASLA lists all accredited LA programs around the US. Choosing a program is really about figuring out your interests before you develop any - catch 22. So with your interests how do the Cali school stack up?

Not on your list is UCLA Extension's certificate program that is just good enough for california licensure (but is problematic elsewhere). their program is good if you like small scale residential projects and don't care about getting a full immersion grad school experience. Takes a while, but you get to work all day/school all night and don't end with tons of debt.

USC is too new to have any reputation, except that they have been trying to get the MLA program off the ground for some time. My favorite thing about USC is their excellent building science program (ask Emily) and emphasis on sustainability over on the architecture side of the school.

Cal Poly Pomona had a strong ecology centric program and dabbles in regional planning too - they are hiring a new dean, so it's a wait and see for what direction they head in.

UC Davis is tops when it comes to ecological restoration and horticulture, but you never hear about designers emerging from that program.

Cal Poly SLO has a program that seems to be well balanced between ecology and design.

Rumors have CCA up in SF launching a LA program in a few years - stay tuned - might be the first landscape urbanism program in Cali.

Berkeley is still fractured between faculty - the grapevine says that some great, some... but they don't seem to get off their own pedestals.

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For gardens and plants, UCLA extension does cater to your interests, but wouldn't expand your range. Cal Poly is still the best all round MLA program in SoCal until USC proves itself. But there is no equating a Cal Poly degree with the usual top programs out east (UVA, UPenn, RISD, GSD) that dominate the field with the brightest students and feed most of the top firms (okay, I'm biased). Also at those schools, you'd get to explore landscape urbanism, push the edge of landscape theory, play with parametric landscape design, and get a killer portfolio full of digital images (no colored pencils or markers allowed).

Do yourself a favor - if you only see colored pencils or markers at a school - run, run away.

-tK
MLA/MArch UPenn

thanks tK! such a helpful response. the problem is that I've got a bunch of things keeping me here in Cali and I can't justify leaving.

I'm taking some UCLA Extension classes at night now - not LA, but just design and art - to play and to hone my skills - and I have found them to be surprisingly excellent and a total bang for the buck. But could I even get hired anywhere without an LA degree? That's my worry there.

the short answer to that is that nobody is hiring right now anyway, so why worry about it?

I would note in addition to treekiller's post, that not all the programs he mentions offer master's degrees. Cal Poly SLO does not. UC Davis does not. In california, your options for a masters are: Cal Poly Pomona, Berkeley, USC, or the extension certificate programs (UCLA and Berkeley, of which UCLA is far stronger.)

I believe USC is very sincere in their attempts to get their MLA program back up off the mat (it had been almost defunct), and it would definitely be worth talking to them. Talk Bob Harris. At present they are not accredited, but I believe they will get there.

Berkeley of course is top-notch and everyone I know who has gone there has been extremely happy. Pomona is excellent for the ecological/sustainability side of things, although with internal upheavals and new dean coming on board things are a little uncertain there, I don't think there is a serious threat to their reputation.

in general, though, with the tough economic times, any master's program is going to be overwhelmed with applicants and VERY competitive to get into. and there is, of course, the colossal debt part of the equation to be considered.

as for the UCLA extension program, it really depends what your goals are. treekiller for some reason believes it only trains you for residential design, but in fact the program is not particularly focused on residential design, although it does give you a good background in plant materials. many people start in that program and then decide to go on for a master's elsewhere, it is a good "get your feet wet" experience in that way. and there is no barrier to entry apart from coming up with the $$ for tuition and providing all your own supplies...

getting hired as an extension graduate is not a problem in Los Angeles, sometimes problematic elsewhere in California, and the program is not well known in other states. But once you are established in the profession and have a good resume/portfolio, that consideration will matter much less. ucla extension graduates are all over the profession here in Los Angeles, in the public sector as well as in private firms. many have good skill sets brought from former careers and a lot wind up as good project managers. and some go on to carve our their own niche. if you are staying in Los Angeles I would not worry about employability as an extension graduate -- at least to the extent that anyone is employable, these days.

not everyone needs to be on the cutting edge of landscape urbanism and theory; what we do all need is a good adaptable skill set and enough self-knowledge to eventually figure out the right role for ourselves in the profession. these days, a strong stomach helps too.

welcome back theparsley. yeah, I goofed on which programs have BLA or MLAs only.

not everyone needs to be on the cutting edge of landscape urbanism and theory

Right on! We need as many folks with strong plant skills, ecology, restoration, and other aspects of the broad tent of landscape architecture to be a vibrant profession.

My point though is, there are NO schools in Cali that graduates folks on the cutting edge of landscape architecture. The closest would be Walter Hood at berkeley and his social justice agenda. There are about three Landscape Urbanism practices emerging in the Bay Area - but they are lead by folks from back east. The last LA movement to originate in california might be the land art movement - and that's what still being taught up north, one or two generations later. (don't think of fritz as being the originator of the grow-your-own/edible landscape movement either).

The issue to consider before going into the UCLA certificate program is the difficulty getting licensed in any other state. Not sure how CLARB certification works with a non-pro degree/non LAAB program. But most states don't like folks without accredited degrees even once you have your license in CA. Don't quote me on this - but do your own due diligence with CLARB.

Anybody know the history of the Certificate being good enough for CA licensing?