Incoming Student Information

Welcome to UW’s Department of Landscape Architecture!

Below are information and links to help you prepare for your first quarter in the MLA or BLA program. Students moving to Seattle should plan to arrive by Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Autumn 2026 Important Dates and Activities

Design Prep Week Info

All incoming BLA + MLA I (3-year track) students are required to attend.
For MLA II (2-year track) students who are new to Seattle, we recommend you attend the afternoon sessions (Monday-Thursday only).

Payment link for Design Prep Week forthcoming (due September 1)

Monday, Sept 21 – Friday, Sept 25
Meet at Gould Hall (afternoon locations may vary)

9:00 – 12:00 Session 1
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Break
1:30 – 4:30 Session 2

2026 Schedule link forthcoming

Please reach out to Jennie Li (jencyli@uw.edu) if you have a schedule conflict to discuss options.

Fees
BLA + MLA I $150 (all day)
MLA II $75 (Monday-Thursday afternoon sessions only)

REQUIRED: Please RSVP by August 15 for Design Prep Week and Orientation here.

2025 Equipment + Supplies List: For MLA I and BLAs

The list is from Autumn 2025 and will be updated by the end of June. However, you can review the link to get a sense of what you will need, as it is a combined list for Prep Week (Prep), LARCH 401 (Studio), LARCH 411 (Representation) and LARCH 431 (Landform).

Required items are indicated (see the left most column).
Bolded items (second column) are required for Prep Week and should be purchased before Sept 16
Recommendations for a specific brand, size or type are provided if there are multiple options available. Indicated with “REC”.
Columns at right indicate the course(s) in which you will use the equipment or supply, in case you have questions.
PREP = items needed for Design Prep Week, purchase before Sept 16.
WK 1 = purchase before or during the first week of classes.

Orientation

All incoming BLA + MLA students are required to attend.

Monday, Sept 28 – Department of Landscape Architecture
Meet at Gould 312 (First Bay Studio), 9:45 am – 7:00 pm (lunch and evening reception included)
2026 full schedule forthcoming

Tuesday, Sept 29 – College of Built Environments
ARC 147 + Gould Court, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm (lunch included)

Agenda and more information forthcoming

Questions? Email CBE Director of Student Services Megan Brown at herzomeg@uw.edu.

U501 Graduate School Orientation – a self-guided, online resource for graduate students

Potential Other Activities

GSEE’s Virtual New Student Welcome

This event is a summer virtual meet & greet for incoming master’s, Ph.D. and professional students, including a student panel and breakout rooms to exchange tips and tricks on transitioning to the Pacific Northwest and the UW.

Topics have included Building Community in Graduate School, Navigating Academia, Student Activism/Advocacy, Parenting while in Graduate School, Find a Roommate, Free Chat.

RSVP information forthcoming

CBE Design Charrette

Saturday, September 26

More information forthcoming

First Day of Classes

Wednesday, Sept 30

Incoming Students Directory

The UW//LA Incoming Students Directory is an “opt-in” resource for new students; your participation is optional. The intent of the online directory is to make connecting with other incoming students easier. The directory will only be shared with MLA + BLA incoming students who submit their contact information. Once your information is submitted, you will be given access to the directory. Although not a hard deadline, we recommend students who are interested in the directory submit their information by July 1.

If you would like to participate, please complete this form.

Incoming MLA Students Information

Information for Incoming MLA students

Visit our Current Students page and click the “MLA Student Resources” tab for essential program documents. The following documents may be particular interest:

MLA Typical Course Sequence Chart
MLA Curriculum Summary Chart
MLA Checklist

Course Lists – quarter-specific lists will be published by wk 6 of the previous quarter at the top of the Courses page.

UW LA Course List
MLA Selective Courses List

Incoming BLA Students Information

Information for Incoming BLA Students

Visit our Current Students page and click the “BLA Student Resources” tab for these essential program documents:

BLA Program Guide – information about policies and requirements, facilities and helpful hints
BLA Curriculum Guide – explains course requirements, sequencing, and waiver requirements
BLA Requirements Checklist – department form to track student’s progress fulfilling degree requirements
BLA Course Sequence Charts – outlines when courses should be taken to complete degree on time
BLA Directed Electives – all courses that have been pre-approved for Directed Electives (pulled from the BLA Curriculum Guide)

Course lists – quarter-specific lists will be published by wk 6 of the previous quarter at the top of the Courses page.

UW LA Course List
BLA Directed Electives List – by quarter (scroll to the bottom of the Courses page for past quarters)

Current UW students
Change of Major forms are being submitted in June to declare your new major. You’ll officially be listed as a BLA student beginning Autumn 2026.

Transfer students
UW Admissions has been informed that you’ve been accepted into the BLA program. You should receive additional information from UW soon. Once you are officially accepted into UW, work with your adviser to begin Autumn registration.

Conditional acceptances

If you were offered a conditional acceptance into the BLA program, you will first need to meet the conditions of the offer before your Change of Major forms can be processed. Most often, the condition is to take and pass L Arch 300, the prerequisite course, before entering the Autumn cohort. If you are a transfer student, you will need to enroll as a Non matriculated student for the summer quarter. More information on summer enrollment can be found here. The adviser will process your paperwork to declare the BLA major after grades are posted.

Autumn registration
Seats are guaranteed for you in the courses that are major restricted (listed below). Once your Change of Major form has been processed and you are officially a BLA student, you will be able to enroll yourself in these classes. Note that the timeline for this process may vary depending on how quickly the Registrar’s office works.

You may (and are encouraged to) enroll for non-major restricted classes as soon as you are able to register.

L ARCH 401 B Design Foundations Studio – BLA section (major restricted)
L ARCH 411 Landscape Representation (major restricted)
L ARCH 431 Landform and Grading (major restricted)
L ARCH 341 Site Design and Planning (open registration, register yourself unless you’ve already completed this course)

This course load equals 15 credits (12 credits if you’ve already completed L ARCH 341). This is an appropriate course load for your first term in the program.
However, if you have space in your schedule and would like to take something else, please register for that yourself.

Incoming International Students Information

Resources – All Students

You can find other information on the Current Students Page.