Landscape Architecture
Do you want to plant your feet into a major that you really enjoy? Landscape architecture applies the fervor for art and science to the design of national parks, and landscaping of industrial and residential communities. Landscape architects can also play a pivotal role in preserving and/or restoring natural habitats. Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) offers one of 56 accredited landscape architecture programs across the United States.
The cool benefits of the Landscape Architecture Major at Penn State::
- This major is fully accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
- With over 15 faculty members, students have the opportunity to get to know their professors and create a personal learning environment.
- This department offers 14 scholarships annually, in addition to the numerous scholarships offered by the university.
- Landscape Architecture allows you to take advantage of indoor and outdoor work environments giving you a variety of work environments.
- Graduates have the opportunity to work either in public or private firms. Working for private firms allows graduates to work on designing gardens or even developing the landscaping for new cities. On the other hand, those working for the public sector will find jobs working for agencies such as the National Parks Service or the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
- The undergraduate program encourages you to minor in another subject area, thereby increasing your wealth of knowledge.
- As a landscape architect you will receive a sense of accomplishment from the projects that you complete, as well as leaving behind your mark on the world.
Landscape Architecture Programs Offered at Penn State:
- Five-year Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA)
This degree encompasses a variety of areas, such as ethics, creativity and technical skills, which in turn will prepare you either for advanced continued study or a professional career. Once your BLA is completed, you will want to write the state-licensing exam. Upon completion of this exam, you will be a licensed landscape architect with a professional degree from an accredited program. - Two-year Master of Landscape Architecture
This program is available to those who already hold a professional design degree. It allows you to expand upon specific areas of interest within Landscape Architecture such as Landscape History, Ecological Issues, Computer Technology and Community Design. In addition to the opportunities for individual specialization, this program covers theory, methods of inquiry, and research and design as its core curriculum.
Program Requirements:
Applicants to the BLA program are selected based on their academic success and SAT scores. If you are currently attending another university and are interested in pursuing the Landscape Architecture program at Penn State, a completed application form must be sent to the admissions department. In addition to the application it is also necessary to submit your transcripts, creative work and an essay. The information can be sent to:
Eliza Pennypacker, Department Head
Department of Landscape Architecture
210 Engineering Unit D
University Park, PA 16802-1429
How to Apply?
To receive a registration package please contact:
Admissions Office
201 Shields Building
University Park, PA 16802
Other Schools Offering Accredited Programs:
U.S.
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, www.colostate.edu/depts/larch/.
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, www.gsd.harvard.edu/index.html.
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, www.arch.gatech.edu.
- Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, www.princeton.edu/main/.
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, www.arch.virginia.edu/programs/landscape-architecture.
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA, http://be.washington.edu.
Canada 
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, www.sala.ubc.ca.
- University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/architecture/programs/.
- Queens University, Kingston, ON, www.queensu.ca/geographyandplanning/surp/.
International
- University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, Australia, www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/arts-design/courses/undergraduate/landscape-architecture.