The Master's Degree Programme in Landscape Architecture, through a well-established collaboration between the School of Architecture and the School of Agriculture and an interdisciplinary and integrated educational offering, prepares professionals whose qualifications are internationally recognized and who are capable of applying appropriate methods and tools to address planning, design, and management issues related to open spaces and landscapes at different scales of intervention and in diverse contexts (urban, peri-urban, agricultural, forested, highly natural environments, etc.).

 

The objective of the Degree Programme is to foster the education of professionals who:

• can collaborate effectively with other professional figures;
• are able to apply appropriate methods and tools to manage landscape transformations across different spatial and temporal scales;
• possess the skills required to work within the broad range of design fields related to landscape architecture.

The curriculum includes courses aimed at developing knowledge and understanding, providing students with the essential skills needed to read, observe, and interpret landscapes in order to inform the many technical processes related to the landscape dimension. It also includes interdisciplinary courses and design studios focused on developing the ability to coordinate and manage these processes through integrated design approaches.

The educational pathway is completed by an internship carried out at qualified public or private institutions and by the Master's thesis, through which students develop and discuss original research or design work related to one of the many application areas of landscape architecture.

 

Objectives

The Programme aims to educate designers capable of interpreting the historical and contemporary dynamics affecting both ordinary and outstanding landscapes in urban, rural, and highly natural settings.

Building upon specific disciplinary foundations, the educational path is designed to develop the ability to carry out integrated studies of the physical, ecological, environmental, historical, socio-cultural, and perceptual components of landscapes.

With regard to the professional roles that landscape architects may assume, the Programme provides training both in specialized activities of analysis and diagnosis—essential for the preparation of knowledge frameworks, studies, environmental impact assessments, and related evaluations—and in activities involving coordination, synthesis, and forecasting, which are fundamental to spatial planning, territorial governance, the protection of protected heritage assets, and the design of interventions for active conservation, responsible management, rehabilitation, and landscape regeneration, including those concerning protected sites and assets.

 

Professional Profile and Career Opportunities

The Master's Degree Programme qualifies graduates for the profession of Landscape Architect, in accordance with Italian Presidential Decree (D.P.R.) 328/2001.

A landscape architect is a specialized professional engaged in the planning, design, and management of landscapes across different spatial and temporal scales, based on the analysis and interpretation of natural characteristics and historical, cultural, and social values.

The interdisciplinary education provided by the Programme, together with its emphasis on transdisciplinary and cross-scale working methods and design solutions, equips graduates of the University of Florence's Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture to play a leading role as specialized coordinators within multidisciplinary teams engaged in the preparation of plans, projects, and assessment studies.

 

Graduates may pursue careers in:

• the design of parks, gardens, green spaces, and public and private open spaces;
• the restoration of historic parks and gardens, as well as archaeological sites and landscapes;
• planning and design for the active conservation, management, and enhancement of landscape areas and protected landscape assets;
• planning and design for the regeneration of abandoned or degraded areas;
• landscape integration and design of infrastructure networks;
• the preparation of green infrastructure plans and landscape plans;
• landscape analysis and assessment, including environmental impact studies.

 

According to the Italian ISTAT occupational classification system, graduates of the interclass Master's Degree Programme in Landscape Architecture may pursue professional activities within the following categories:

• Planners, Landscape Architects, and Specialists in Land Recovery and Conservation – (2.2.2.1.2)
• Agronomists and Forestry Specialists – (2.3.1.3.0)

 

Programme Duration

The Programme has a duration of two years and is organized into semesters.

The standard workload corresponds to 60 ECTS credits per academic year. Students who have earned the required 120 ECTS credits and fulfilled all the requirements established by the study plan may be awarded the degree before the end of the standard two-year period.