A candidate will be recommended for the Master in Landscape Architecture as a professional degree upon satisfactory completion of 120 units in the following course of study:

FIRST TERM

0 UNITS GSD 1111 Pre-Term Workshop (August; one week) *

8 UNITS GSD 1111 Landscape Architecture I (studio)

4 UNITS GSD 2141 Landscape Representation I

4 UNITS GSD 4141 Histories of Landscape Architecture I

4 UNITS GSD 6141 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies I

SECOND TERM

0 UNITS GSD 1112 Pre-Term Workshop (January; one week) *

8 UNITS GSD 1112 Landscape Architecture II (studio)

4 UNITS GSD 2142 Landscape Representation II

4 UNITS GSD 4142 Histories of Landscape Architecture II

4 UNITS GSD 6142 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies II

THIRD TERM

0 UNITS GSD 1211 Pre-Term Workshop (August; one week) *

8 UNITS GSD 1211 Landscape Architecture III (studio)

4 UNITS GSD 2241 Landscape Representation III

4 UNITS GSD 3241 Theories of Landscape as Urbanism

4 UNITS GSD 6241 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies III

FOURTH TERM

0 UNITS GSD 1212 Pre-Term Workshop (January; one week) *

8 UNITS GSD 1212 Landscape Architecture IV (studio)

4 UNITS GSD 3242 Theories of Landscape Architecture

4 UNITS GSD 6242 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies IV

4 UNITS Distributional electives or electives **

FIFTH TERM

8 UNITS Option Studio ***

4 UNITS GSD 7241 Practices of Landscape Architecture ****

8 UNITS Distributional electives or electives **

or

8 UNITS Option Studio ***

4 UNITS GSD 7241 Practices of Landscape Architecture ****

4 UNITS GSD 9341 Preparation of Design Thesis Proposal

4 UNITS Distributional electives or electives **

SIXTH TERM

8 UNITS Option Studio ***

12 UNITS Distributional electives or electives **

or

8 UNITS GSD 9342 Design Thesis in Landscape Architecture *****

12 UNITS Distributional electives or electives **

Since its founding in 1900, it has played a singular role in the development of landscape architecture as a profession, an academic discipline, and as a medium of design that engages urbanism, environmentalism, and culture. Its mission is to advance research and innovative design practices in the natural and built environments, as they intersect with processes of urbanization. Candidates in the Master in Landscape Architecture (MLA) Program work with an internationally recognized faculty, and explore the multiple ways that landscapes positively contribute to the complexities of the contemporary city, to a more equitable distribution of ecological and environmental resources, and to the creation of better futures across all regions of the world.

As the challenges of the built environment rarely correspond to traditional disciplinary boundaries, coursework in the MLA Program spans the depth and breadth of the field and enjoys strong pedagogical connections to urban planning, urban design, and architecture. MLA candidates enjoy access to and engagement with the extra-Departmental assets of the Graduate School of Design including a robust calendar of lectures, exhibitions, and events attendant to current design culture across disciplines as well as the Advanced Studies Programs, the Aga Khan Program, the Joint Center for Housing Studies, and the Loeb Fellowship. MLA candidates benefit from proximity to events and discussions in cognate disciplines across campus in the history of art and architecture, ecology, engineering, environment, and the arts. The Department’s coursework and culture are leavened by a range of institutional assets and resources unique in the discipline including the Harvard Forest, the Arnold Arboretum, the Harvard Center for the Environment, and Dumbarton Oaks.

Landscape architecture today enjoys greater cultural relevance, public visibility, and potential for professional leadership than at any time in recent history. The Department has been among the most significant centers in the world for the production and dissemination of landscape knowledge. The Department aspires to be the preeminent venue for the education of landscape architects as they are increasingly called upon as design professionals uniquely capable of representing and responding to the challenges found at the intersection of design culture, urbanization and environment.