Department of Landscape Architecture
For the design leaders of tomorrow
Penn State Landscape Architecture is recognized for student-centric educational excellence and innovative research. Faculty represent a full range of interests from scientific to artistic and humanistic views of the world.
Design starts from day one, and in all programs – both undergraduate and graduate – students gain the skills and know-how to tackle design problems in our increasingly complex world. It’s a collaborative and supportive environment where new ideas and innovative approaches are encouraged – a place where the design leaders of tomorrow can thrive.
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Departmental Resources
Stuckeman School Resources
Degree
Offerings
B.L.A. in Landscape Architecture
The B.L.A. in Landscape Architecture immerses students in cutting-edge sustainability strategies that produce responsible and creative design for the world around us.
M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture
The professional M.L.A. program at Penn State equips students with the techniques, principles, histories, theories, and technologies to become leaders in the profession of landscape architecture.
M.S. in Landscape Architecture (+Dual M.S. +IUG)
The research-focused M.S. in L.A. degree, with HDNRE, Geodesign, and IUG options, is framed to enhance the expertise of individuals who already hold a professionally-accredited degree in landscape architecture or architecture.
M.P.S. / Certificate in Geodesign
The M.P.S. and graduate certificate in Geodesign are online programs that prepare students to employ a unique combination of science and design to change the way we design for a sustainable future.
Landscape Architecture Minor
Landscape architecture is a design profession focused on natural and built environments and people’s experiences within them.
Alumni Spotlight
Alumni Spotlight
Demetrios Staurinos
B.L.A. in Landscape Architecture 2002Demetrios Staurinos, RLA, ASLA, is an associate at OLIN, a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with studios in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Demetrios has received awards from, among others, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Planning Association, and the American Institute of Architects and American Public Works Association. He is driven to improve the built environment by embellishing the “happy accidents” that occur when a thoughtful design meets the playful interactions of daily life.
Our Facilities
An exhibit gallery, digital and textile labs, resource library, and workshops
See All Our Facilities
Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library
Located in 111 Stuckeman Family Building, the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library supports study and research in architecture and landscape architecture and their histories Learn More
Computational Textiles Lab
The Computational Textiles Lab, or SOFTLAB, in the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing is a research group in which faculty and students examine how Learn More
DigiFab
The digiFAB lab is the home for digital fabrication equipment that is used for design and research projects by faculty and students in Stuckeman Learn More
Remote Collaboration Lab
The Remote Collaboration Lab (CoLab) offers high-end large telecommunications facilities to support remote collaborative design and research. Learn More
Stuckeman Shop
The Stuckeman Shop – primarily supporting architecture, landscape architecture, and graphic design students – provides an excellent opportunity for motivated students to develop their ideas Learn More
Stuckeman Family Building
The Stuckeman Family Building was constructed in 2003-04 as the new home of the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Penn State. Learn More
Faculty Spotlight
Stephen Mainzer
Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Stephen Mainzer’s research focuses on how human and natural systems intersect to inform how we govern, plan, and access natural resources, particualrly energy resources. As a key collaborator to the E+D (Ecology + Design) research initiative, he is leading the DDREAM (Deep Decarbonization and Renewable Energy in the Appalachian Mountains) project, which attempts to explore how the socio-ecological structure of Pennsylvania might inform a transition from fossil fuels to renewable solar energy, especially in post-coal Appalachian areas.
News from A&A
Strategic city planning can help reduce urban heat island effect
New Penn State research suggests that certain urban factors can reduce the tendency of cities to trap heat — a phenomenon called the “urban heat island."
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The tendency of cities to trap heat — a phenomenon called the “urban heat island,” often referred to as the UHI effect — can lead to
Architecture graduate student's thesis on urban public spaces receives award
Aysan Jafarzadeh was named the 2023 winner of the Department of Architecture’s Jawaid Haider Award for Design Excellence in Graduate Studies for her thesis. Read More
Stuckeman School student named national equity, diversity, inclusion scholar
Alexandria Warren, an incoming second-year landscape architecture student has been named a recipient of the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s LandDesign Equity, Diversity, and Read More