How to Apply for Graduate Admission

Check the Graduate Program Application Requirements

Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Director of Graduate Studies: Natalie Yates
Program Delivery Method: Main Campus
Application Term:
  • Track 1 and Track 3
    • Fall
  • Track 2
    • Spring
Application Deadline: February 15
  • Applications received after February 15, will be considered until all available program spaces have been filled or until the Graduate School application deadline of two (2) weeks to the start of the term/semester. Please contact the MLA graduate program at mla@bsu.edu to discuss opportunities available before applying. 

Requirements: Depending on your intended entry term, you will need to submit additional information and materials to complete your application:

SPRING & SUMMER 2026

STARTING FALL 2026
To complete your application, you will need to upload the following required materials to your Cardinal Landing portal:
 
  • Letter of intent: Provide a letter expressing your interest in pursuing the Master of Landscape Architecture with us and describe what sets you apart and your potential for success.
  • Portfolio: This may include but not be limited to environmental design drawings (e.g., plans, sections, perspectives, etc.), built works (e.g., models, landscapes, etc.), art (e.g., paintings, sketches, sculpture, etc.), graphic designs (e.g., marketing, advertising, publishing, etc.), and writing samples (e.g., work reports, academic term papers, essays, etc.).
  • Resume or curriculum vitae (most recent)
To complete your application, you will need to upload the following required materials to your Cardinal Landing portal:
 
  • Statement of Purpose or letter of intent: Provide a letter expressing your interest in pursuing the Master of Landscape Architecture with us and describe what sets you apart and your potential for success.
  • Portfolio: This may include but not be limited to environmental design drawings (e.g., plans, sections, perspectives, etc.), built works (e.g., models, landscapes, etc.), art (e.g., paintings, sketches, sculpture, etc.), graphic designs (e.g., marketing, advertising, publishing, etc.), and writing samples (e.g., work reports, academic term papers, essays, etc.).
  • Resume or curriculum vitae (most recent)
 
PROGRAM ELIGIBLITY
Fall Applicants: Once you have submitted all required application materials, your application will be reviewed by the MLA Graduate Program Committee. The Committee will evaluate materials submitted to determine which Track (1, 2, or 3) is best suited to you. The Committee’s decision will be based largely on your portfolio samples provided, resume/CV experiences listed, relevant courses completed, degree(s) earned, and overall academic performance.  Please note that MLA Tracks 1 and 3 begin in Fall term. If the Committee determines your materials demonstrate adequate evidence of foundational design and graphic communication skills, you will be recommended for admission to the Track 2 MLA that begins in the Spring term. 
 
Spring Applicants: The Committee will evaluate materials submitted to determine if MLA Track 2 is best suited for you. The Committee’s decision will be based largely on your portfolio samples provided, resume/CV experiences listed, relevant courses completed, degree(s) earned, and overall academic performance. Please note that anyone admitted to MLA Track 2 will begin in Spring term only. You may be asked to re-apply for Fall admission consideration if the Committee believes your materials demonstrate that your potential for success would be greater if you followed Track 1 or Track 3. 
 
EARNED ADMISSIONS
Our program allows students the opportunity to be considered for earned admission. This option is available to students whose GPA from their degree-granting institution is less than 2.75 but who have provided sufficient evidence of academic and/or professional achievement to indicate their potential for success in a graduate program. Additional application materials may be requested to be considered. Students admitted on a probationary status must earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their first 9 semester credits of graduate work or be academically dismissed. Please connect with the director of graduate studies (contact listed above) to discuss application and program earned admission requirements. 
 
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
To guarantee consideration for a graduate assistantship, applications must be completed by February 15. Ball State adheres to the Council of Graduate Schools April 15 Resolution, so those who receive initial offers will have time to consider their options. You can also keep an eye on this listing of open assistantships around the Ball State campus, which is updated regularly.
 
ACCEPTING ADMISSION
Admitted students must accept their admissions by confirming their enrollment via the Decision Reply Form available on the Cardinal Landing portal by May 1.

 

Step Number 1

First, you will be asked to submit a form for the graduate program and application term in which you want to be considered for admission. On this form, you will record your contact information and academic history, and acknowledge your responsibilities as an applicant for graduate studies at Ball State University. 

Step Number 2

Next, upon submission of the application form, you will receive an email with information on how to log into your Cardinal Landing Portal to add required materials to your application. Your application will not be considered complete and ready for review until all required materials have been submitted. 

Check the graduate school admissions requirements below before applying.

To be eligible for admission in the Ball State Graduate School, you must have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an institution recognized by an USDE accrediting association or a NACES member credential evaluation from non-U.S. institutions. Some doctoral and specialist degree programs (but not all) require a master's degree from an institution recognized by an USDE accrediting association.

To be eligible for regular admission for a licensure, graduate certificate, or master's degree program, you must meet one of the criteria below:

  • earned a minimum of a 2.75 GPA from your undergraduate degree-granting institution.
  • earned at least 9 graduate credit hours with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
  • have a conferred master's or doctoral degree from an institution recognized by an USDE accrediting association.

To be eligible for admission to a doctoral or specialist degree program, you must have earned a minimum of a 3.0 GPA from the undergraduate degree-granting institution.

For doctoral and specialist degrees that require a master’s degree for admission, you must have earned a minimum of a 3.2 GPA from the master's degree-granting institution. 

Master’s applicants whose GPA falls below the 2.75 minimum may be eligible for earned admission. In these cases, programs may admit a student whose grade point average from their degree-granting institution is less than 2.75 if there is sufficient evidence of the student's academic and/or professional achievement indicating their potential for success in a master's program. Students admitted on earned admissions status must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their first 9 credits of graduate work or they will be academically separated. Earned admission status requires the approval of the program director. Programs may also choose to not allow earned admissions in their programs. 

Please connect with the graduate advisor for your program of interest to discuss eligibility.

Application Opens

 
  • To start classes in Fall: Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday
  • To start classes in Spring: Tuesday after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
  • To start classes in Summer: Tuesday after the Memorial Day holiday

Graduate Application

 

APPLY NOW

All graduate students complete the same application, but admission criteria depends on your program requirements.



International applicants to on-campus programs will be required to submit all application materials by the earliest of two deadlines: either the international application deadline or the graduate program deadline. Applicants to online-only programs must submit all application materials by two weeks before the start of term.

Your application must be completed at least two weeks before the start of the semester. Start of term dates can be found on our Academic Calendar. Some graduate programs have priority application deadlines. Please review your program of interest's requirements for more details.

After you apply

From the Cardinal Landing Portal, admitted students can accept their admissions offer via the Decision Reply Form (on-campus international students will not submit a Decision Reply Form), review their next steps to enrollment, and learn more about orientation. Admitted students must accept their offer of admission via the Decision Reply Form by the Thursday prior to the start of the term. If you are an admitted international student, post-admission documentation must be submitted before your enrollment is confirmed. 

Check Your Application Status

Helpful Tips

 Applications are $60 per program.

You can pay your application fee (nonrefundable) with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. Or you may pay online with an electronic check from a U.S. bank.

You do not have to pay the application fee if you are a:

  • Ball State student currently enrolled in classes or a Ball State alumni
  • current Ball State employee (full-time, benefits-eligible)
  • veteran or active-duty military
  • guest student seeking credits to transfer to another institution
  • prospective student who attended a Ball State graduate program information session

You must have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an institution recognized by a regional accrediting association to apply. There is no minimum GPA for nondegree study. You will need to complete the Graduate School application for admissions by selecting "non-degree study" on the program selection page of the application. Upon admission, you must receive permission from the department offering the course(s) you wish to take prior to registering.

Application Deadlines

To begin classes at the beginning of the term,

  • your application must be completed two weeks before the start of the semester you’re planning to enroll. Start of term dates can be found on our Academic Calendar. If you are an international applicant, your application must be received by the international admissions deadline.

To begin classes second part of the term,

  • October 1 (Fall term)
  • March 1 (Spring term)
  • June 1 (Summer term)

Applicants interested in enrolling in second part of term courses are encouraged to connect with the department prior to applying to verify course availability.

Ball State is authorized to accept online students from all U.S. states, as is required by the U.S. Department of Education. However, if you are planning to study nursing, due to some state-specific licensure requirements we are not accepting nursing students from all U.S. states. Review our state authorization website to learn if we are accepting nursing students from your state.

Our Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) allows you to begin your graduate studies at Ball State while still an undergraduate student. With this option, you can start taking classes for your master's degree while completing your bachelor's degree and double-count your courses toward both, saving time and money as you pursue an advanced education in your field of interest.

This program is open to currently enrolled or admitted Ball State undergraduate students with at least 75 college credit hours and a 3.25 cumulative GPA. Learn more about our AMP degrees.

To apply for AMP, complete the Graduate School application for admission by following the requirements listed for your program of interest. You will need to select “Yes” when answering: “Are you a current Ball State University undergraduate student applying to the Accelerated Master's Program?” This will ensure your application is considered for AMP admission.

Some of our graduate programs are offered through a blended delivery method. This means that in addition to studying online, you will be required to take in-person courses and/or meet in-person at scheduled times throughout the semester.
 
Prior to applying for admission consideration, connect with the graduate advisor to discuss how the program's blended format can help you reach your next degree goals.
 
Other methods of delivery for our graduate programs include:
  • Main Campus (Muncie, Indiana): All courses and program requirements are completed on-campus.
  • Online: All courses and program requirements are completed online.
  • Indy Center (Indianapolis, Indiana): Some courses and program requirements are completed at our Indy Center instructional site while others are completed at our main campus or online.
    • Please note that for our Master of Urban Design all courses and program requirements are completed at the Indy Center.
  • Fishers Center (Fishers, Indiana): Some of the courses and program requirements are completed at our Fishers Center instructional site while others are completed at our main campus or online.

If you are a Ball State graduate student interested in completing your current graduate degree program and have not taken graduate classes for more than a year, please follow the instructions below to re-enroll:

  1. Press the "apply now" button (listed above)
  2. Select "program selection" from the menu on the left side of the page
  3. Choose "special applicant," then scroll down to select "reenroll" and fill in any other requested information on your program
  4. On the next page, select the term in which you wish to re-start classes
  5. Fill in the rest of the required information and submit the application

If you received a "Re-Admit" error when attempting to register for classes, then you need to select:

  • “Re-activate my Ball State account (admitted Ball State graduate students only)” option under “Academic Intent” in the Re-enroll Application.

If you were admitted and enrolled in your graduate program and/or you stopped taking graduate classes less than one year ago, please reach out to your graduate advisor to discuss next steps to return to your graduate program.

Do not choose the re-activate option if you are any of the following:

  • a first-time applicant to a Ball State graduate program
  • applying for a new or different Ball State graduate program or certificate than one in which you are already enrolled
  • previously applied for a Ball State program but never attended any classes

Application Deadlines

To begin classes at the beginning of the term,

  • your application must be completed two weeks before the start of the semester you’re planning to enroll. Start of term dates can be found on our Academic Calendar. If you are an international applicant, your application must be received by the international admissions deadline.

To begin classes second part of the term,

  • October 1 (Fall term)
  • March 1 (Spring term)
  • June 1 (Summer term)

Applicants interested in enrolling in second part of term courses are encouraged to connect with the department prior to applying to verify course availability.

The types of transcripts required at the time of application vary by program. You will be requested to submit documents for either your complete academic record or your highest earned degree based on your program of interest. Learn more about our transcript requirements and how to submit documents.

Transcript Information

You must provide a NACES member credential evaluation of your foreign education transcript(s) if the degree was earned outside the U.S. Members of NACES are independent, non-governmental organizations that provide credential evaluation services to individuals who have completed part or all of their education outside of the United States. Your NACES Member Evaluation report must contain the following:

  1. U.S. equivalency of study/degree
  2. U.S. equivalent overall credits & GPA earned
  3. Accreditation status of institution(s)
  4. Course-by-course evaluation (each course listed along with credits and grade earned for the course)

Please have your official credential evaluation sent directly to Ball State University (school code 1051; email address admissions@bsu.edu) by the credential evaluation service.

Learn more about our credential evaluation requirements and how to submit documents.

EARNED ADMISSION
Some of our graduate programs allow students the opportunity to be considered for earned admission. When available, this option is open to applicants:

  • whose GPA from their degree-granting institution is less than 2.75 but who have provided sufficient evidence of academic and/or professional achievement to indicate their potential for success in a graduate program.
  • who have a bachelor's degree from an institution that is not recognized by its regional accrediting association but who otherwise meet all Graduate School and department requirements for regular admission.

Additional application materials may be requested to be considered. Students admitted on a probationary status must earn a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their first 9 semester credits of graduate work to gain regular admission in the program.

Please connect with the graduate advisor for your program of interest to discuss eligibility.

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION
Students who are conditionally admitted to the Ball State Graduate School must complete the requirements set forth in the admit letter. If the conditions for a student’s admission have not been fulfilled within the time period specified (usually one academic semester), the student will be barred from subsequent registration in the Graduate School. Graduate programs are not required to consider applicants for conditional admission.

Conditional admissions may be granted in the following scenarios:

  • An applicant meets all Graduate School academic requirements except for the minimum English proficiency requirement. Learn more about our conditional admissions for English proficiency.
  • An applicant’s undergraduate major does not prepare them for their chosen master’s degree programs and compensatory course work is required to fully admit them to the graduate program. Learn more about department conditional admission.

Please connect with the graduate advisor for your program of interest to discuss eligibility.

If you are an international student, planning on studying with us on a student visa, your application can ONLY be considered for regular admissions or conditional admission when you meet all Graduate School academic requirements except for the minimum English proficiency requirement. Applications for on-campus study will not be considered for earned admissions or conditional admissions for reasons other than language proficiency because of student visa eligibility regulations. Questions? Connect with us at intadmit@bsu.edu.