The programme prepares you to work with landscape architecture to create sustainable and just cities and landscapes that support all life. You will be trained in critical landscape analysis, design, planning, and management of landscapes with an emphasis on sustainability, democracy, and quality of life for more than humans. Choose between two specialisations in Urban Design or Landscape Design. The programme is offered in English.
To apply for admission to the master's programme, you must be enrolled in or have completed either a qualifying bachelor's programme or another relevant Danish or foreign degree programme which is deemed relevant.
You apply for admission through the application portal.
Below you can read more about the admission requirements for the programme including which documents you must upload along with your application.
You must meet a number of admission requirements, to apply for the master’s programme. You can read about the various admission requirements below:
With a Bachelor's degree in
you are granted legal right of admission and guaranteed a place on the Master’s programme in Landscape Architecture if you apply in time to begin within 3 years of the completion of your Bachelor’s degree.
You meet all academic requirements if you hold one of the degrees listed below. Learn about when and how to apply. Note, however, that you still need to document that you meet the programme's language requirements.
Additionally, you are encouraged to submit an annotated electronic portfolio of design projects/artwork of 15 pages demonstrating an ability to design with IT tools such as Adobe, CAD and/or 3D programs as this is an important criterion in the prioritisation of applicants.
If you have a Bachelor’s degree other than those listed above, you must submit additional documentation along with your application so we can evaluate whether or not you meet the admission requirements. Learn about when and how to apply.
If you have a Bachelor’s degree, Professional Bachelor's degree or equivalent from Danish or international universities you are qualified for admission if your programme includes the following:
Design: A minimum of 60 ECTS credits within design courses such as these courses from the Faculty of Science:
Ecology (Økologi): A minimum of 15 ECTS credits within ecology courses such as these courses from the Faculty of Science:
Philosophy of Science (Videnskabsteori): A minimum of 7.5 ECTS credits of courses from The Faculty of Science such as:
Additionally, you are encouraged to submit an annotated electronic portfolio of design projects/artwork of 15 pages demonstrating an ability to design with IT tools such as Adobe, CAD and/or 3D programs as this is an important criterion in the prioritisation of applicants.
We may also admit applicants who, after an individual academic assessment, are deemed to possess educational qualifications equivalent to those required above.
When we assess whether you meet the admission requirements for the Master's degree program, Danish legislation only allows us to assess your Bachelor's degree. Consequently, you cannot study supplementary courses between Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in order to meet the admission requirements.
If you have passed courses/projects before you complete the qualifying Bachelor's degree, these can be included in the assessment, even though they are not part of the Bachelor's degree program.
You are required to document that you fulfil the language requirement English B, unless you have a legal right of admission to the programme you are applying for.
Please note that you must have the documentation ready by the application deadline.
Application deadline for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 16 January. You will receive a reply by 15 May.
Application deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 15 November. You will receive a reply by 13 March.
Find information about available places on the study programme, as well as the distribution of students admitted last year.
| Admission statistics Landscape Architecture 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Available study places | 58* |
| Admission statistics Landscape Architecture 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Admitted (of which have start in February) | 57 (3) |
| Admission distribution (legal right/other) | 83% / 17% |
| Applicants | 126 |
| Age average | 26 |
| Nationality (dk/international) | 84% / 16% |
* The student intake for the programme is capped. The number of available places applies to the academic year 2026/27.
Read about capping of study programmes in relation to available study places (in Danish)
Students with a legal right of admission are always admitted. In the table above, you can see the distribution between legal right of admission applicants and other applicants for the most recent admission.
What is a legal right of admission and how long does it apply?
If there are more qualified applicants than the available study places, after applicants with legal right of admission are allocated, applicants will be prioritised according to the following criteria:
Choose the category below that fits you and read more about how to apply for admission. You will also find information about application deadlines and documentation on the websites.
Bachelor with legal right of admission
Bachelor’s degree from Denmark
Bachelor’s degree from Denmark
Starting in 2028, you can apply for focused 1-year master’s degrees, 2-year master’s degrees, and several new types of degrees for working professionals, combining study and relevant work.
The new master’s opportunities are relevant for you if you wish to apply for a master’s degree from 2028.
To apply for a master’s degree, you must apply before the application deadlines.
| Application deadline | Applicants | Study start |
|---|---|---|
| 15 January at 23:59 | Applicants with citizenship outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland | September |
| 1 March at 23:59 | Applicants with citizenship within EU, EEA, and Switzerland (incl. applicants with legal right of admission) | September |
| 15 October at 23:59 | Applicants with legal right of admission | February |
In addition, there are other deadlines you should be aware of. Including the deadline for accepting your study place.
If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, you must pay the application deposit and tuition fee.
If you want to apply for admission to a master’s degree or to apply for re-admission, study change, transfer, or re-enrolment at the University of Copenhagen, you must apply through the application portal.
Once you have submitted your application, you can follow the application in the application portal.
See the guide to the application portal
Read more about applying for re-admission, study change, transfer, and re-enrolment
Your bachelor’s degree is the basis for assessing if you meet the admission requirements for the master’s degree.
In the curriculum you can see how many ECTS credits from other courses can be included in addition to your bachelor’s degree. These courses must be completed before you complete the bachelor’s degree. Courses completed between your bachelor’s and master’s degree cannot be included in the assessment.
The MSc programme consists of 1-2 compulsory courses, a number of restricted elective and elective courses, and a thesis. The programme is taught in English.
You can choose between two specialisations in either Urban Design or Landscape Design.
The compulsory courses provide you with the theoretical and methodological foundations of your specialisation. Through the restricted elective and elective courses, you can tailor your studies to your academic and professional interests, for example with a focus on transformation, co-design, health design, design-built interventions in public spaces, biodiversity in urban nature, or urban ecology.
Teaching takes the form of lectures, practical, and theoretical exercises, as well as a high proportion of project work, often in collaboration with practice partners. You work both individually and in project groups. The programme combines an international outlook with a strong connection to Danish professional practice and draws on a long, internationally recognised tradition of innovative landscape design, urban design, and planning in Denmark.
Do you want to turn theory into experience or explore the world while you study?
As part of your programme, you can use some of your elective courses to gain hands-on or international experience by doing an project in practice or choosing to study abroad.
You conclude the programme with your Master's thesis corresponding to 4 or 6.5 months of studies.
The thesis can be a design or planning proposal for a specific site, or a scientific examination of a relevant problem area that you address in a scientific and professional context.
Examples of theses and project themes:
See recent theses in Landscape Architecture in the catalogue of the graduation exhibition 2024
The programme has two specialisations:
If you specialise in Urban Design, you begin the MSc programme with two parallel compulsory courses in Theories of Urban Design and Urban Ecosystems.
After this, you are free to follow restricted elective and elective courses, as well as to decide on the scope of your master’s thesis (30 or 45 ECTS). The programme offers six design studio courses that pursue different thematic and methodological approaches, enabling you to develop and strengthen your individual professional profile. In addition, there are courses in relevant knowledge areas such as biodiversity in urban nature, landscape restoration ecology, EU law, rural landscape management, and nature perception.
Depending on the scope of your final thesis (30 or 45 ECTS), the specialisation can be structured in two ways:
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 60 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 30 ECTS
One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theories of Urban Design | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Urban Ecosystems: Structure, Functions and Design | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted elective course | Elective course | Thesis | |
| Restricted elective course | Elective course | ||
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 ECTS
One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theories of Urban Design | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Urban Ecosystems: Structure, Functions and Design | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elective course | Thesis | ||
| Elective course | |||
Choose your restricted elective courses from the lists below. Click on each course for a detailed description.
If you write a thesis worth 30 ECTS you must choose a minimum of 45 ECTS credits from the list of design studio courses below. If you write a thesis worth 45 ECTS you must choose a minimum of 30 ECTS credits from the list:
In addition, you can choose 15 ECTS of courses from this list (applies for both 30 and 45 ECTS theses):
* Only one of the courses can be included in the programme.
If you choose to specialise in Landscape Design, you begin the MSc programme with a compulsory course in Theories and Methods of Landscape Architecture.
After this, you are free to follow restricted elective and elective courses as well as to decide on the scope of your master’s thesis (30 or 45 ECTS).
The MSc Landscape Architecture offers six design studio courses that pursue different thematic and methodological approaches, enabling you to develop and strengthen your individual professional profile. In addition, there are courses in relevant knowledge areas such as biodiversity in urban nature, landscape restoration ecology, EU law, rural landscape management, and nature perception.
Depending on the scope of the final thesis (30 or 45 ECTS), the specialisation can be structured in two ways:
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 60 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 30 ECTS
One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theories and Methods in Landscape Architecture | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted elective course | Elective course | Thesis | |
| Restricted elective course | Elective course | ||
Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 ECTS
One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theories and Methods in Landscape Architecture | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course | Restricted elective course |
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elective course | Thesis | ||
| Elective course | |||
Choose your restricted elective courses from the lists below. Click on each course for a detailed description.
If you write a thesis worth 30 ECTS you must choose a minimum of 45 ECTS credits from the list of design studio courses below. If you write a thesis worth 45 ECTS you must choose a minimum of 30 ECTS credits from the list:
In addition, you can choose 15 ECTS of courses from this list (applies for both 30 and 45 ECTS theses):
* Only one of the courses can be included in the programme.
If you are more interested in the academic content, regulations, and examination requirements, you should consult the curriculum, which serves as the legal foundation for the programme.
There is both a curriculum specific to each degree programme and a general curriculum that applies across the faculty.
Please note that curricula are often revised annually. Any new versions will be published no later than during the spring semester.
Upon completion of the master’s programme, you will obtain the title Master of Science in Landscape Architecture.
The programme will equip you with research-based design approaches and state-of-the-art scientific knowledge to address current socio-ecological challenges in our cities and landscapes.
As a graduate of the program, you will be able to work creatively, critically, aesthetically, and collaboratively with a wide range of design, planning, and management tasks at multiple scales. From the design of urban parks and public spaces, to planning large-scale landscape transformations and the long-term care for urban and rural environments.
As a graduate, you will be able to:
The program offers many exciting career opportunities in Denmark and internationally.
You can find employment in a landscape architecture, engineering, or consultancy firm. Or you can start your own business and work with design, planning and management tasks for private individuals, companies, and the public sector.
You can also find employment in the public sector in municipalities or government agencies. Graduates of the program are employed, for example, as public planners in Danish municipalities, where they work on the development and implementation of planning policies, strategies, and plans at a general strategic level, or at a more operational level, for example as a project manager of a specific landscape or urban development project.
Other opportunities include working with an NGO or think tank that deals with landscape-related issues.
Finally, you can pursue a research and development career at universities or other research institutions.
High quality education in English, a flexible study structure, excellent facilities, an international study environment, attractive and green campus areas, and the opportunity to experience life in Copenhagen, the cool capital of Denmark. These are some of the qualities about studying at Faculty of Science (SCIENCE) at University of Copenhagen that you can expect.
Throughout the year, various social activities are arranged for all SCIENCE students and for international students specifically. These activities include:
Students live in residence halls outside campus or share a flat in the Copenhagen area. You will find that the relatively small size of Copenhagen makes it easy to get around, even by bike.
The Landscape Architecture programme is based at Frederiksberg Campus.
The Frederiksberg Campus hosts part of the Faculty of Science and the veterinary area of Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. It is located a few kilometres west of the city centre in beautiful green surroundings, and Frederiksberg is a popular residential area. The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular with both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Café Væksthuset, which is located in an old greenhouse, for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.
At campus, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre, or a special academic subject, there is a club for you. The Association of Landscape Architecture Students (FLS) arranges the annual Christmas lunch and Skillafesten (spring party). The association has a SOFA committee (social and professional events), which arranges ongoing debates, lectures, and much more.
Landscape Architecture students have their homebase at Rolighedsvej 23. Design studio courses primarily take place in local study halls, where you get an individual workplace. In addition to the study halls, there is a model workshop, a PC center and a Reprocenter, where you can print, plot and photograph and also hang out in a homely setting.
Together, the premises form the primary physical setting for your studies, and with a key card you can use the facilities, even when there are no lectures or exercises.
What is student life like across the rest of the University of Copenhagen?
Find out where you can live, get more information about student grants (SU), student jobs, student discounts, and all the many other things that are part of student life.
Teaching takes place at Frederiksberg Campus, which is located in green surroundings between Rolighedsvej, Thorvaldsensvej, and Bülowsvej.
Degree programmes within natural sciences and health sciences are based here.
Find out what it costs to live here, where students stay, and why so many internationals choose Copenhagen.
Our student guidance are ready to assist you with answers to your questions about:
You can find answers to questions most often asked by potential students in the FAQ. Read the FAQ
Check out the guide to the application porIn case of technical problems, contact IT-support:
Mail: it-service@adm.ku.dk
Tel: +45 35 32 32 32
