The Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture (PDLA) is a one-year degree programme that introduces the fundamental skills and knowledge of landscape architecture and design to students who do not yet have training in the design fields. The PDLA is designed as a preparatory degree that leads graduates towards an application for further studies in the two-year Master of Landscape Architecture programme at HKU and, ultimately, to professional practice as a landscape architect.

Landscape Architecture has emerged in recent decades as a progressive and experienced voice in addressing the pressing social, ecological, and environmental challenges in the world today. And as the field evolves to become more collaborative, transdisciplinary and global, it seeks to embrace a body of practitioners with varied backgrounds and diverse experiences to shape the discipline to come. The PDLA curriculum is organised around a sequence of design studios introducing the tools and methodologies of landscape design within a highly personalised, one-on-one learning environment. Complementing this foundation are courses covering history and theory, visual communication, and landscape technology. Students in the programme will complete 66 credit-hours in a single year with Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. The PDLA is taught by a core teaching staff who bring their innovative, topical research and award-winning teaching practices to the curriculum, while an exciting group of professional instructors and guest critics from the region support and enrich the programme. We welcome applicants from any field who are highly-motivated critical thinkers with a passion for improving our natural, built and social environments.