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M.S. in Landscape Architecture (+Dual M.S. +IUG)

Build on your professional knowledge.
Develop research expertise.
Department of Landscape Architecture

The Master of Science in Landscape Architecture is a two-year program that provides research expertise to individuals who already hold a professionally-accredited degree in landscape architecture or architecture.

The M.S. degree program is a great opportunity for those who seek to gain research skills for success in professional practice or academic positions.

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Program Application Deadline
The deadline for applications for AY 2024–25 is January 15, 2024.

To be assured full consideration, please apply by this deadline. Review individual program descriptions for details on program and admission requirements.

Earn a Master of Science in Landscape Architecture at Penn State

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

In this research-focused degree, you team up with outstanding faculty across Penn State on a targeted research agenda that may range from developing an app for participatory resilient landscape design to studying the impact of socio-cultural context on environmentally responsive behavior. You and your adviser develop your topic and a tailored curricular path to meet your goals.

Students in this program have the opportunity to participate in sponsored research within our school’s centers, as well as in centers and institutes across the University.

Our M.S. program also offers opportunities to expand your education by earning a certificate in Geodesign or by pursuing a dual-title degree in landscape architecture and human dimensions of natural resources and the environment.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

To be admitted to the program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • For admission to the M.L.A. program, applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree from any discipline prior to entry into the M.L.A. program.
  • For admission to the M.S. in Landscape Architecture, applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture or a closely related discipline.

All submissions for admission must include:

Scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), or from a comparable substitute examination, are required for admission.

Students with a 3.00 junior/senior average (on a 4.00 scale) will be considered for admission. The best-qualified applicants will be accepted up to the number of spaces available for new students. Exceptions to the minimum 3.00 grade-point average may be made for students with special backgrounds, abilities, and interests, at the discretion of the program.

The language of instruction at Penn State is English. English proficiency test scores (TOEFL/IELTS) may be required for international applicants. See GCAC-305 Admission Requirements for International Students for more information.

 

https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/majors/landscape-architecture/#admissionrequirementstext

Degree Requirements

https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/majors/landscape-architecture/#degreerequirementstext

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Landscape Architecture (LARCH) Course List

 

https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/majors/landscape-architecture/#coursestext

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of The Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by The Graduate School.

 

https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/majors/landscape-architecture/#studentaidtext 

Questions? Contact Program Administrator

https://secure.gradsch.psu.edu/gpms/program/programDetail.cfm?program=LARCH

View our Annual Department Award Winners

 

2020 – 2021 Award Winners

Is the M.S. in Landscape Architecture right for you?

The M.S., which can be completed in two years, focuses on building expertise and research skills within a highly flexible curricular structure.

Our M.S. provides outstanding opportunities for students who already hold a professionally accredited degree in architecture or landscape architecture. If you seek to develop advanced expertise through rigorous scholarly inquiry, take advantage of the impressive range of experts and topical areas you can pursue at Penn State.

Within our inspiring, LEED Gold-rated building, students have access to a specialized Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library, 24-hour access to our own cutting-edge computer studios, as well as a permanent studio desk for each student. All of this plus the additional benefits of attending a Tier 1 research institution.

A student moving sand in a sandbox with an overhead projection effect of contour lines and water effect reflecting on the sand during a landscape architecture student display event.
Group of three students reviewing a series of digital maps and overlays on-screen.

Degree Options

The M.S. in LA program provides opportunities to expand and focus studies through the dual-title M.S. in Landscape Architecture and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment option, or by adding a graduate certificate in Geodesign.

Advanced undergraduate B.L.A. students can apply to integrate undergraduate and graduate courses of study, thereby earning a B.L.A. + M.S. in LA degrees.

Dual-Title M.S. + HDNRE

The Department of Landscape Architecture and the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment (HDNRE) program offer a dual-title masters degree program in Landscape Architecture and HDNRE. The HDNRE program is a transdisciplinary, intercollege program that exposes students to issues including, but not limited to global climate change; sustainable energy, food, and fiber supplies; threats to biodiversity; water pollution and availability; genetic modification; and sustainable design.

The goal of the dual-title M.S. degree Landscape Architecture and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment is to enable graduate students from Landscape Architecture to acquire the knowledge and skills of their major area of specialization in Landscape Architecture, while at the same time gaining the perspective and methods of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment.

For admission to the dual-title degree under this program, students must apply and be admitted to the graduate program in Landscape Architecture and The Graduate School before applying for admission to the dual-title degree program. After admission to the primary program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the HDNRE dual-title program.

Students must satisfy the requirements of both the Landscape Architecture and the HDNRE programs. The student prepares one integrated thesis reflecting the student’s education and interest in both Landscape Architecture and HDNRE. The student’s thesis committee for the dual-title M.S. degree include at least one graduate faculty member from the HDNRE program.

Graduate Bulletin Links

M.S. + Geodesign Certificate

Geodesign weds the analytical power of geographic information systems (GIS) with a robust design process to ensure land use design and planning that is socially, environmentally, and economically responsible.

The purpose of the graduate certificate in Geodesign is to provide students with a foundation in geospatially-oriented design through investigating interdisciplinary methods and the collaborative nature of the Geodesign process.

Geodesign Certificate Links

Integrated B.L.A. + M.S.

The integrated undergraduate-graduate (IUG) degree program (B.L.A. in Landscape Architecture + M.S. in Landscape Architecture) provides an opportunity for strong students in Penn State’s Landscape Architecture B.L.A. program to complete a master’s degree with 6 total years of study (the B.L.A. is a 5-year program).

The number of openings in the integrated B.L.A. + M.S. program is limited, and admission is selective.

Graduate Bulletin Links

M.S. Students

Students currently enrolled in the M.S. in Landscape Architecture program.

Current Cohort

Olivia Boon

Olivia Boon

Research Focus: Public engagement in climate change adaptation
Academic Adviser: Stuart Echols
okb5096@psu.edu

Chelsea Russ

cvr5707@psu.edu

Guides + Resources

Graduate Student Handbook

Level Up

Make the most of your time at Penn State exploring the opportunities.

Research Centers and Initiatives
Stuckeman Center for Design Computing

A collaborative research and teaching studio-lab focused on developing and testing innovative computational design techniques.

Hamer Center for Community Design

The Hamer Center explores three key topical areas: design/build, community-based research, and public interest design.

E+D (Ecology plus Design)

A collaborative of designers and ecologists who undertake research activated design intervention that improves the ecological health of the designed world.

Assistantships and Fellowship Opportunities
Teaching Assistantships

Awarded as available on a competitive, semester-by-semester basis.

Research Assistantships

RAs are frequently available from our research centers or individual faculty on a competitive basis, as are grants-in-aid and graduate fellowships.

Fellowships

Fellowship opportunities exist both within Penn State and through external funding agencies.

Student Organizations
Landscape Architecture Student Society (LASS)

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

National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS)

Student branch of the National Organization of Minority Architects

Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA)

Officially recognized by the University as the collective voice of the graduate and professional student body.

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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.

Web www.theolinstudio.com
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.

Faculty Spotlight

Wu Hong, at right, documents findings of water samples at a run-off on the University Park campus in a notebook while a fellow researcher collects a water sample and two students watch.
Wu Hong, at right, documents findings of water samples at a run-off on the University Park campus in a notebook while a fellow researcher collects a water sample and two students watch.
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Hong Wu

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, Stuckeman Career Development Assistant Professor in Design

Hong Wu is leading a team of interdisciplinary researchers in the development of a living laboratory for green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) research, education, and innovation at Penn State thanks to funding through the University’s Strategic Plan Seed Grant program. With partners from the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Sustainability Institute, Office of the Physical Plant, Institutes of Energy and the Environment, Penn State Harrisburg, and the Borough of State College, it is Wu’s vision to position Penn State as a national leader in GSI by building a campus community with the capacity to implement long-term cost-effective solutions to water quality and quantity. She is key member of the E+D (Ecology + Design) emerging research center and an elected member of Penn State’s Water Council.

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Portrait of Hong Wu
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News from A&A

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Landscape architecture professor recognized for interdisciplinary research

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Hong Wu, associate professor of landscape architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, has been awarded the 2023 Excellence in Research and/or Creative


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Stuckeman School to host UPenn professor for environmental building design talk

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —  The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture will welcome William W. Braham, professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School


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Landscape architecture department head elected to CELA Academy of Fellows

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Roxi Thoren, professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, has been elected to the Council


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