Master of Landscape Architecture/Master of Urban Design (MC-LARCHUD) // Entry and participation requirements

Entry requirements

To be considered for entry into this course, applicants must:

• Have completed a bachelor degree (AQF7) in any discipline with a weighted average mark (WAM) of 65%, or equivalent.

Weighted Average Mark (WAM) and subject-specific criteria are based on the University of Melbourne’s grading standards and subjects. If studies are from elsewhere, we’ll assess the grades and subjects against University of Melbourne equivalents. This means that the final WAM may be adjusted depending on the previous institution's accreditation, subject grading, and pass marks.

All degree levels referenced align with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the national policy guide for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. Applications will be assessed against these standards.

English language requirement

Applicants must satisfy the University's English language requirements. Level 1 English scores are required for this course.

Selection task

As part of selection, applicants are required to:

• Provide a folio of work showcasing design work, including projects, concepts and technical skills.

To be considered, all required information and documents for the selection task must be provided. Missing information may result in the application being deemed ineligible.

Selection methodology

When assessing and, where relevant, ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

• Prior academic performance
• Assessment of folio.

The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Selection and Admission Policy.

Meeting the minimum entry and English language requirements does not guarantee selection.

Notes

(a) Portfolio format for applicants not eligible for credit allowed under the Resolution on Selection.

The design portfolio is assessed digitally and must be saved as one PDF file in landscape format. The file size of the portfolio should not exceed 10 MB, and the number of pages should not exceed 15 pages. Note that as portfolios are evaluated digitally, images should be reproduced at a sufficient scale and resolution to be easily readable with limited zooming or scrolling. The Selection Committee will look for evidence that the applicant has worked successfully in a studio learning environment. Any of the range of pedagogical approaches to the teaching of introductory design is appropriate, although the Selection Committee will be particularly interested in the exploration of 3D form and space, and evidence of other creative work

(b) Portfolio format for applicants who are eligible for credit allowed under the Resolution on Selection.

The design portfolio is assessed digitally and must be saved as one PDF file in landscape format. The file size of the portfolio should not exceed 10 MB, and the number of pages should not exceed 15 pages. Note that as portfolios are evaluated digitally, images should be reproduced at a sufficient scale and resolution to be easily readable with limited zooming or scrolling. Elaborate formats that reduce the available page space for the design images should be avoided. The design portfolio should focus on design work rather than, for example, life or still-life drawing skills. Portfolios should be drawn largely from the design studio subjects the applicant has completed. Applicants submitting work done in the context of employment should explain their role in the work produced with brief notes. It would be helpful to see a variety of techniques of drawings and images: free hand diagrams, computer images, two-dimensional (plans, sections, elevations) and three-dimensional studies, photographs of physical models.

It is highly recommended that students obtain at least 16 weeks of documented relevant full-time professional work experience, before commencing the final 100 points of the degree.

Guaranteed Transfer into Commonwealth Supported Place

Students with a fee place in this course who complete 100 points of the course with a weighted average mark of at least 75% and who are eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place will be guaranteed a transfer to a Commonwealth Supported Place for the remainder of the course.

Advanced standing information

Applicants with the following may be awarded up to 100 points of credit:

• a bachelor degree (AQF7) or equivalent with a major in landscape architecture with a weighted average mark of at least 65%, or equivalent.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The Melbourne School of Design is the graduate school of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. It offers professional entry programs in Architecture, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Property and Urban Planning. It offers specialist development programs in Property Valuation, Planning and Design and in Urban Design.

The Melbourne School of Design welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is the University and Faculty (Architecture, Building and Planning) policy to take reasonable steps to make reasonable adjustments so as to enable students’ participation in degrees offered by the Melbourne School of Design (MSD).

A candidate for degrees offered in the MSD must have abilities and skills which include the following: observation; communication; motor; conceptual, integrative, and quantitative; and behavioural and social. Adjustments can be provided to enable participation for people with disabilities, however, particularly at Masters level, students need to be able to participate in programs in an independent manner and with regard to their safety and the safety of others.

(i) Observation: Candidates must be able to read text, diagrams, maps, drawings and numerical data. Candidates should be able to observe details at a number of scales and to record useful observations of environmental contexts.

(ii) Communication: Candidates should be able to communicate with fellow students, professional and academic staff, members of relevant professions and the public. Candidates must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing, presenting one's own work in front of a large group, receiving and responding to feedback about one's own work in a public setting. Assessment in studio subjects will involve 'crits' where students present their own work in front of a large group, where they will receive and respond to feedback about their work in a public setting. Crits are an integral part of working in the industry and are an inherent requirement of the course. The requirement to undertake public crits cannot be waived.

(iii) Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from environmental contexts. Off campus investigations may include visits to construction sites, urban, rural and/or remote environments. Candidates should have sufficient motor ability to prepare documentation of analytic texts, drawings and models of findings and for the reparation of proposals for environmental interventions via digital or other means. Candidates should have the ability to actively participate in appropriate site and/or design studio-based activities.

(iv) Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, synthesis and, importantly, the ability to interpret results of such work. Problem resolution, the critical skill demanded of graduates, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, given the disciplines pursued in the SD, candidates should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships in environmental structures of a wide range of scales – from smaller than the individual through individual buildings and urban spaces to large geographic areas. Further, graduate study entails learning to master one’s own abilities and skills and to deploy them strategically. This requires further developing skills in both reflective and reflexive thinking and being able to practice these skills.

(v) Behavioural and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students. Assessment in studio subjects will involve 'crits' where students present their own work in front of a large group, where they will receive and respond to feedback about their work in a public setting. Crits are an integral part of working in the industry and are an inherent requirement of the course. The requirement to undertake public crits cannot be waived.

Students who feel a disability will prevent them from meeting the above academic requirements are encouraged to contact Student Equity and Disability Services 

Last updated: 23 January 2026