Admission requirements - MSc Landscape Architecture and Planning

Interested in the master's programme Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning? Find out whether your knowledge and skills match the entry level of the programme.

This page specifically describes the previous knowledge and skills required for admission to the Landscape Architecture and Planning programme. For the additional general admission requirements of Wageningen University & Research, application deadlines and the application procedure, visit How to apply for a master's programme?

Are you interested in the programme, but not sure whether your background matches the stated requirements? Feel free to contact us.

Admission requirements

Required knowledge and skills

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The admission requirements for the master’s programme Landscape Architecture and Planning are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete the programme and one of the specialisations in two years.

The criterion used for admission is

a WUR BSc degree in Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning, or equivalent.

The norm for this equivalence is

The students’ expertise is assessed to meet one of the following two complete categories:

Category 1. Landscape architecture:

For the specialisation Landscape Architecture a strong basis in design skills and understanding of landscape system characteristics is essential for completing the master. In particular:

Category 2. Spatial Planning:
For the specialisation Spatial Planning it is vital that the student understands the interaction of society with its environment and has sufficient knowledge on spatial or urban planning. For example through:

Not all topics mentioned need to be mastered at the same level; they will be weighed by the Admission Board per individual application.

Method of assessment whether this norm is met

  • Transcript of records displaying the content of previous course subjects and project work.
  • Curriculum vitae displaying relevant work, internship and/or project experience on an academic level in a relevant field if applicable.
  • In addition for Landscape Architecture (Category 1), a design portfolio in PDF format (max. 25 mb) showing at least four design projects with different scale levels within each project, and of which at least one landscape design project. For each project include:

    • The design project.
    • Reference to Transcript of Records or CV.
    • In case of teamwork: A clear delineation of your contribution to the project.
    • Short explanation / reasoning for the design.

Scores attributed by the Admission Board

Compensation of knowledge gaps

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

  • a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
  • a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the general admissions page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement.

Find out more about enrolment and fees of a pre-master's programme.

Additional context for admission

Category 1. Landscape architecture knowledge and skills

Graduates of study programmes other than Landscape Design/Landscape Architecture that contain sufficient outdoor spatial design skills may be admissible through a pre-master programme. The pre-master starts in February and usually consists of the following courses:

Find more information on these courses in the study handbook.

Category 2. Spatial Planning knowledge and skills

Graduates of BSc programmes that contain 12-24 ECTS in coursework dedicated to spatial planning (theory, methods and practice) may be admissible through a made-to-measure pre-master programme.

The pre-master usually starts in September and takes 4-11 months to complete, depending on which courses need to be taken.

Contact us through the contact button above to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.