The core courses impart basic, broad knowledge in the core areas of landscape architecture in relation to design. This includes skills about design elements, materials, construction techniques, designing with plants, law, moderation, urban ecology and other relevant subjects. The core courses are partly obligatory and partly optional.

• Aesthetics & Perception
• Designing with Plants II
• Materials & Construction II
• New City Landscape & Health
• Urban Systems
• History & Theory of Landscape Architecture II
• Moderation & Law in Landscape Architecture
• Further to choose

The specialized courses are optional and offer students the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge in specific areas of landscape architecture.

• Designing with Plants III
• Topographic Thinking and Designing
• Landscape Acoustics
• Historic Garden Preservation
• Further to choose

The design studios deal with problem- and practice-related tasks at local, regional, supra-regional, national and international scales.

Fundamental Studio I (16 ECTS)

Fundamental Studio I has a modular structure and combines the topics of individual fundamental courses with design lessons. The lesson Digital Design Methodology I is also part of this course unit. The Fundamental Studio I imparts basic theoretical, methodological and technical knowledge about landscape architecture in analysis, design and construction at various scale levels. It concludes with a synthesis module.

The D-ARCH organizes one-week seminar weeks for all students each semester. Using examples of closely rewritten questions, on the one hand specialist knowledge is expanded, on the other hand the understanding of knowledge and areas of life in the environment of landscape architecture is deepened. At least one seminar week must be completed in the Master’s program.

The study program Science in Perspective enables students at ETH Zurich to develop new perspectives on their core courses about scientific and technological issues. It will examine, through seminars and lectures, the historical, moral, epistemological, legal, economic and political contexts without which science and technology would not be possible.

Part of the curriculum is a six-month internship in landscape architecture, i.e. in a project planning and implementation office, public institutions or related areas. At least three months of this must be completed without interruption at the same location. The internship can only be completed when Fundamental Studios I + II have been passed (i.e. internship after the second semester of the curriculum). Internship prior to the Master’s program are not accounted for.

The internship should include as many work phases as possible in the activity of a landscape architect. The students prepare an internship report which documents their achievements and reflects their learning success.

The Master’s thesis is the completion of the study program. It is intended to demonstrate the students‘ ability to design their own work and is proof of the successful completion of their studies. The students develop a solution to a problem- and practice-oriented task in the field of landscape architecture. All students will share a common site and region, that they will address at a scale of their choice. The Master’s thesis is headed by professors of the D-ARCH. It takes 14 weeks to complete.