Master in Landscape Architecture

The MSc in Landscape Architecture at the University of Copenhagen trains you to design, plan and manage landscapes with sustainability, democracy and quality of life for all species in mind. The programme is taught in English and has two specialisations: Urban Design and Landscape Design.

What you study

You work with critical landscape analysis, design, planning and management. The programme combines an international outlook with close ties to Danish professional practice. Through restricted electives and electives you can shape your degree around themes such as transformation, co-design, health design, design-built interventions in public spaces, biodiversity in urban nature or urban ecology.

How the programme is organised

The degree is made up of 1 to 2 compulsory courses, a number of restricted elective and elective courses, and a thesis. The compulsory courses give you the theoretical and methodological basis of your specialisation. Teaching includes lectures, practical and theoretical exercises, and a high proportion of project work, often with practice partners. You work both individually and in project groups.

You can use elective courses for a project in practice in Denmark or abroad, with a company or institution. You need a supervisor to approve the host and guide you, and you finish with a written project report and an oral exam. You can also study abroad for one or two semesters or a shorter period, for example a summer school, and transfer credits. The Faculty of Science has around 100 Erasmus+ exchange agreements and more than 100 university-wide agreements outside Europe.

The programme ends with a master's thesis worth 4 to 6.5 months of study. The thesis can be a design or planning proposal for a specific site, or a scientific study of a problem area.

Who it suits

This master's suits you if you want to work with the design and planning of cities and landscapes and care about sustainability and justice. You should be comfortable with project work, group work and combining design skills with ecological and planning knowledge. The programme is for you if you want a strong link to Danish practice and the option to specialise in either urban design or landscape design.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through the application portal. The programme is taught in English, and you must meet the English B language requirement. You need a qualifying bachelor's degree or another relevant Danish or foreign degree that the admission board assesses as meeting the academic requirements. The page does not offer pre-assessment of your background.

If you hold a bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Copenhagen, you have a legal right of admission and are guaranteed a place if you apply by the deadline. You can wait up to three years to use this right. Several other degrees automatically meet the academic requirements, including Forest and Landscape Engineering from UCPH, Architecture from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Architecture from Aarhus School of Architecture, Urban Landscape Engineering from Business Academy Aarhus, Engineering (Architecture and Design with specialisation in Architecture and Urban Design) from Aalborg University, and Urban Landscape Engineering from Zealand Institute of Business and Technology.

Other Danish or international degrees are eligible if they include at least 60 ECTS in design courses, 15 ECTS in ecology courses and 7.5 ECTS in philosophy of science courses, as specified on the programme page. You are encouraged to submit an annotated electronic portfolio of 15 pages showing design work with IT tools such as Adobe, CAD or 3D programs. If there are more qualified applicants than places, priority goes to the relevance and quality of the portfolio, the total ECTS in relevant courses, and your grade point average.

Application deadlines: 1 March for Danish applicants and applicants from the EU, EEA and Switzerland; 15 January for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge. Other students pay a tuition fee set by the institution and an application deposit. The programme starts in September.

Master’s applications go straight to University of Copenhagen, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. The register shows 15 January 2027 as the next deadline for this programme. Intake, as the register states it: Starts 1 September 2027 (apply by 15 January 2027). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.