Students of Year 2 of the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) programme pursue an education that foregrounds both a state of the art professional and creative practice as well as rigorous critical intellectual inquiry. Courses range from Ateliers to Research Methods Workshops, and from Landscape Profession and Practice to Dissertations.

As transdisciplinary spaces of research-led design, the Manchester School of Architecture Ateliers position themselves at the forefront of a transformative and innovative pedagogy: MLA2 students had the opportunity to choose from three ateliers to shape their design thesis, each offering unique research-led design methodologies and opportunities. These methodologies served as guiding principles as students developed their thesis projects, fostering a wide range of creative approaches and solutions. This year's programme introduced two new atelier collaborations: Infrastructure Space and Continuity, alongside the existing Some Kind of Nature Atelier.

Complementing Ateliers, MLA2 students have also had the opportunity to develop critical academic research skills: by participating in one of five Research Methods Workshops, (RMWs) students acquired a comprehensive understanding of different research approaches under the close supervision of leading researchers, empowering them to critically assess and apply research methodologies in their own projects. The insights gained from both the Atelier projects and RMWs prepare the ground for students' dissertations, produced in the ongoing semester of summer 2024. Drawing from these experiences, students are well-positioned to explore their chosen research topics, produce in-depth analysis and develop rigorous academic research that is both professionally informed but also posits critical questions concerned to the transformation of historic and contemporary landscapes.

Throughout the Landscape Profession and Practice unit, students gain a broader understanding of the landscape architecture discipline while collaborating with live clients in the Heritage Landscape of Tatton Park. Graduating with a strong awareness of the academic and professional contexts of the discipline, the MLA 2 programme lays the groundwork for our students to embark on a successful journey towards UK Landscape Institute chartership, or international accreditation in the early years of their careers.