Skip To Main Content
Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Penn State College of Arts and Architecture
Select where to search:


B.L.A. in Landscape Architecture

Design the future.
Be an agent of change.

Put your passions to work: Art. Ecology. Engineering. Sociology. Design. Conservation. Be a strong collaborator and problem solver as a landscape architect. One of the most admired programs in the country, the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at Penn State prepares students to make a difference in the world.

Our mission is to do inspired work grounded in environmental and social good. Are you ready to join us?

The B.L.A. program at Penn State nurtures your creativity and challenges your perspective. Our building is a work of art; its open floor plan opens minds through the dynamic, collaborative atmosphere of studio. The steady hum of ideas buzzes as designs are sketched with pencils and refined using the latest digital technology. Our curriculum emphasizes real-world projects in real places from Pittsburgh to Tanzania. Our required semester abroad builds the global perspective you need to be a creative and responsive designer. And we are a family – we work together, we play together, we celebrate together.

Is the B.L.A. right for you?

Our bedrock is commitment to environmental and social good enhanced by a global perspective. Most of our students spend a required semester abroad studying sustainable urban design in Bonn, Germany. Our curriculum emphasizes flexibility, opportunity, and affordability. You can complete all requirements in 4.5 years; you can graduate in 4 years if you add a summer abroad program; or you can undertake an office internship (for credit!) + immersion in cutting-edge sustainability strategies while earning a one-semester Sustainability Leadership minor in Pittsburgh. And, through it all, our faculty will challenge you to do your best work while providing you the support you need.


Many U.S. states and territories require professional licensure/certification to be employed. If you plan to pursue employment in a licensed profession after completing this program, please visit the Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures by State interactive map.

Landscape architecture students sitting on the edge of a waterway in Barcelona.

Our students say

Here are qualities our students say they value most about Penn State Landscape Architecture:

A Meaningful Profession

Landscape architecture is the inspired design of places that are functional, aesthetically rich, socially conscious, and environmentally responsible. We are a profession of change agents. The Penn State B.L.A. is a professional program, accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, and the first step toward seeking licensure. Our graduates are both well-prepared to join the ranks of our distinguished professional alumni network with a clear path to licensure and to make an impact on the world!

Design the Future

The world is constantly changing, and landscape architects are skilled designers poised to shape, drive, and responsibly steward positive change. Our B.L.A. will challenge you to envision the future and provide the skills you need – from classic hand drawing and observational site analysis to exploration and design using virtual reality and geodesign. Throughout our curriculum you’ll explore design processes across a variety of environments from intensely urban to pristinely natural.

Build on Who You Are

What motivates you most will matter here. You are passionate about something and we want to give you the skills to grow that passion and make the world better. Activate your interests through our versatile curriculum at Penn State, a Tier-1 research university with abundant resources and course offerings to help you customize your education. Enjoy the support of our dedicated academic advisers to make it happen.

Welcome to Studio

This is not your typical classroom. Design requires creative space. Studio is a place. It’s a course. It’s your team. If you’re looking for large lecture halls with a professor who delivers one-way education, look elsewhere. We are collaborators. Studio encourages dialogue, process, and healthy competition. Our Stuckeman Family Building, named one of the top 15 copper-clad buildings in the world (Architectural Digest, 2015), holds 111,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment – from a virtual reality lab to laser cutters to the wood shop – all within steps of your own ergonomically-designed studio desk.

Unlock Your World

Expand your boundaries. Cross borders. We provide solid support, real-world projects, and worldwide opportunities. We create global citizens with broad knowledge and experience. From a studio offered annually and funded by the National Science Foundation in Baltimore to an optional summer in rural Tanzania helping villagers address issues in a near-off-the-grid experience, our students affect meaningful change both near and far. In addition to our required semester abroad, consider exploring urban sustainability in Barcelona, the transformative experience of work in Tanzania, or the relationship between design and health in the bikeable city of Copenhagen – all in our optional summer programs.

We Are a Community

We are . . . caring, active, and involved. Penn State Landscape Architecture doesn’t end when the class period is over. We work together, we learn together, we even watch YouTube together. We build and we solve. We make life better. From the camaraderie of our student organizations to the lifelong bonds forged by late nights in studio, the foundation of our program is people. We’re more than just your future professional network – we are a family.

Students and faculty members surrounding a table discussing the plans laid out before them.
Every person in this world wants to improve it; most just lack the tools to do so. In the built and natural environment, landscape architects become that facilitator."

Level Up

Explore these opportunities; make the most of your education at Penn State.

Study Abroad Options
Academy of International Education | Bonn, Germany

The preferred study abroad program, Bonn is particularly suited for the study of urban design.

Lincoln University | Christchurch, New Zealand

This program concentrates on sustainability and enhancement of ecological/cultural values.

University of South Wales | Sydney, Australia

The major strength of the UNSW program is urban design.

University of Melbourne | Melbourne, Australia

The major strength of the program at Melbourne is environmental planning.

University of Western Australia | Perth, Australia

Availability varies each semester.

Victoria University of Wellington | Wellington, New Zealand

This program focuses heavily on environmental planning.

University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China

In a city of 7 million residents, the strength of the program is urban planning.

University of Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, Argentina

This program is available to those with advanced Spanish proficiency only.

Technische Universitat Berlin | Berlin, Germany

This program is available to those with advanced German proficiency only.

Popular Minors
Environmental Inquiry Minor

Intercollege minor designed for students interested in addressing environmental issues or problems

Architecture Studies Minor

Allows students in other majors the opportunity to gain insight into the discipline of architecture.

Sustainability Leadership Minor

Designed for students who wish to promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor

Students learn to understand aesthetic value and what drives people to consume aesthetic products.

Student Organization
Landscape Architecture Student Society (LASS)

Focused on advancing the future of design within the community and the profession.

Alpha Rho Chi

Co-ed professional fraternity dedicated to architecture and the allied arts.

National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS)

Student branch of the National Organization of Minority Architects.

Quick Facts

Considering the B.L.A. at Penn State? Consider this.

  • Our B.L.A. consistently ranks as one of the best in the country, according to DesignIntelligence.

  • Our small class size and teaching-focused faculty ensures an effective, personalized education.

  • Our inspiring building, advanced technology, and strong community set you up for success.

video Richard Conte Bernardo Almeida, Cristina Frass, Kyle Johnson, and Hannah Wynn Cristina Frass Michael Beattie and Gina Walter Tongtong Zhou Jingyin Zhu video Karen Kuo and Shiting Ma Lauren Shoats Yixaio Fu

Earn your degree. Be an agent of change in society.

#1

in the nationwide 2019–20 DesignIntelligence Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program rankings.

Alumni Spotlight

Demetrios Staurinos

Alumni Spotlight

Demetrios Staurinos

B.L.A. in Landscape Architecture 2002

Demetrios 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.

Overhead view of people walking on pathway through landscape architecture design by Demetrios Staurinos.
Overhead view of riparian landscape architecture design by Demetrios Staurinos.
Large group of people enjoying a sunset gathering in an urban landscape architecture design by Demetrios Staurinos.

News from A&A

Award-winning architect named head of Penn State Department of Architecture

Frank Jacobus, AIA, principal of SILO Architecture, Research and Design (SILO AR+D), has been named head of the Department of Architecture in Penn State’s Stuckeman School.

Frank Jacobus, AIA, principal of SILO Architecture, Research and Design (SILO AR+D), has been named head of the Department of Architecture in Penn State’s Stuckeman School, College of Arts and


Read More

Interim architecture department head to retire after 35 years at Penn State

Dan Willis, interim department head and professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, is retiring June 30 after 35 years at Penn State.
Read More

Architecture IUG student named undergraduate thesis award winner

Holly Zimmerman was named the winner of the Department of Architecture’s 2023 Paul M. Kossman Design Thesis Award for her project that focuses on designing the walls of a building
Read More