MLA needed now for an Entry Level Job?

Thats a huge question. If you have a professional and accredited BLA, there should be no need for the MLA, as many who get the MLA have a different bachelors degree. I’m going back for my MLA after getting a 5 year BLA 11 years ago, partly to become elligible for the restricted applications. I plan on refining some of my design style and expanadng my expertise. Now someone with a BLA and an MLA should be technically worth more than a BLA alone, or an MLA alone. But it won’t be, there is not a great return on investment (thats why I’m going to a state school) on an MLA.

I think the simple answer is, with such a crappy economy and so many LAs out of work, is because they can demand it.

Frankly, I don’t know if many … if any … that ask for an MLA for an entry position. Of those who have an MLA and are going into an entry, most have no experience and the MLA is their first design degree.

In this economy every landscape architecture office is flooded with resumes whether or not they have a position to offer. There is little reason to spend money on advertising for entry level or all purpose staff when you do have a position if you are sitting on a pile of fresh resumes.

When would you advertise a position? When you have a special need that you can’t fill from the pile of resumes, perhaps? I believe that the reason we are seeing a higher percentage of MLA requirements is that we are only seeing the positions that are hard to fill being advertised.

The next question before you invest in two more years and another pile of school bills is whether just having any MLA is going to put you to the front of the line, or is it a particular specialty that includes a specific area of study at the Master’s level that each of these job ads are looking for. Is there a pattern of a particular skill set in demand that is developing out there? Is it primarily government and teaching positions that are being advertised?

I’d be surprised if it is entry level generic LA jobs that are now requiring MLAs.

They don’t have the time or manpower to train new-hires they way they used to. Every firm I know is lean and mean, and if you don’t know their software, they don’t want to (or have to) invest in the training.

In all fairness, I did check out the University of Colorado Denver MLA program and it does look very intense and inclusive. Maybe my opinion is outdated or the academic world felt the same as me in the past and changed things. Go MLA.

It would be nice to introduce some hard facts into this debate. The data required would be fairly self-evident: Gather course work requirements for all BSLA degrees and compare with course requirements for MLA programs. Gather information from help-wanted, etc. for LA’s on requirements, and who gets hired. Gather information on other types of coursework MLA’s have , compare to other types of course-work BSLA’s have (did they take Constitutional Law classes? Art History? etc..) …just off the top of my head..lots of refinements to data list would happen, as the scope of the study is defined..
So far we have a lot of anecdotes.. These are valuable also – but a few facts would definitely enhance this discussion, which has come up more than once in this Forum..
For me, I LOVED my 3 year masters’ degree from UofPenn with Ian McHarg and many others..I saw the BSLA as always more horticulturally and scientifically inclined (‘Turfgrass Management 101), and much less able and interested in Design, as snobbish as that may sound.. It is not snobbish, however – the scientific aspects of our profession are extremely important, we must all be collaborators – it is one thing Olmstead is known for – he knew how to hire..

Hi, I may have part of your answer: It appears you are located in a university town (Athens, Ga) or at least near one, as am I… located in Berkeley, Ca, (UC Berk)… These cities have MLA’s graduating every year, looking for jobs in the area before they move on to another place. Therefore the employer can advertise for this seemingly endless pool of MLA grads on a regular basis, knowing that entry levels dont stay that long to begin with, generally speaking.

Here in the Bay Area i see plenty of job openings asking for MLA degrees, entry level or not.. I agree, a BLA is 4 years, versus two in grad school. However maybe the employers are really looking for someone who may have an undergrad in architecture also? getting some cross-over expertise for the price of one.
Thats my guess…