Landscape Studies Minor

The Landscape Studies Minor provides a foundation in concepts related to the designed landscape for undergraduate students outside the School of Architecture. The Landscape Studies Minor introduces environmental and cultural issues concerning the design, planning, and management of the built environment. The minor specifically targets undergraduates who desire exposure to how designed change impacts the places in which we live. The minor exposes students to the discipline of landscape architecture before pursuing graduate study in the design professions. The minor does not qualify a student for practice or professional landscape architecture licensure.

To fulfill the Landscape Studies Minor students must complete 15 semester hours of coursework as described below. At least half of the coursework must be completed in residence at The University of Texas at Austin. All coursework must be taken on a letter-grade basis and completed in conjunction with the student's major requirements. Six hours must be upper-division. Students may obtain only one minor from the School of Architecture. 

1. Apply for your SOA minor of choice in UT Direct through the Minor/Certificate Inventory System. Students may only apply for one SOA minor. Multiple applications to our different minors will be rejected.
2. Complete the required survey after you have applied for a minor in the Minor/Certificate Suite. The Qualtrics survey will be accessible here: Required SOA Minor Survey.
   1. If the application window is open and you are experiencing problems accessing the survey, please contact soa-ug@austin.utexas.edu for support.
   2. If the survey is listed as closed and the application period has concluded, that means we are no longer accepting applications for that review cycle and you will need to try again once it reopens during one of the windows listed above. We do not accept late applications.
3. Beginning Fall 2026, students must possess and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in order to qualify for an SOA minor. Students who do not maintain at least a 3.0 GPA are at risk for being removed from the minor. 
4. Please note, meeting the above criteria does not guarantee you a spot in an SOA minor. Our space is incredibly limited in upper division courses with seating preference awarded to SOA majors.
   1. Students who are in their final year at UT with no Architecture, Interior Design, or Landscape Architecture coursework completed are unlikely to complete the minor in full and are encouraged to consider alternative options; especially if you are required to complete a minor as part of your degree requirements.

LOWER-DIVISION
ARC 318K World Architecture: Origins to 1750
ARC 318L World Architecture: The Industrial Revolution to the Present

UPPER-DIVISION
ARC 327C Urban Design History, Theory, and Criticism
ARC 327R Topics in Architectural Theory (All ARC 327 courses in the series ARC 327C-U)
ARC 328Q Rendering and Animation for the Built Environment
ARC 342C Mexican Architecture and Urbanism: From Pre-Columbian to Contemporary
ARC 342R Topics in the History of Architecture (All ARC 342 courses in the series ARC 342C-U.)
Any undergraduate LAR course