Welcome Landscape Architecture Students

The mission of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design is to prepare students to be leaders in the discipline of landscape architecture by developing innovative design thinking, design research, and design action. Our faculty and students seek to address the profession’s current and future challenges through the lens of social, environmental, and multispecies climate justice. Our curriculum engages critical thinking about complex and indeterminate systems, empowering students to design and implement actionable change across multiple scales of the landscape. Design, theory, media, and workshop are the program’s four curricular strands of study, each actively engaging students in collaborative studio environments and field-based learning. Educating flexible design minds is more important than ever, and our committed faculty are exploring new ways of thinking, teaching, and researching together.

Since its inception in 1924, the Department of Landscape Architecture continues to be recognized internationally for its unique and innovative ecological approach to the design of landscapes, public works, public spaces, and infrastructures. The department’s distinguished landscape faculty provides expertise in design, digital technology, plant science, urban ecology, and history and theory. In their research and teaching, faculty specialize in subjects including global biodiversity, environmental justice, decarbonization and energy policy, nature-based infrastructure, cultural landscapes of memory, critical digital mapping, plant knowledge, environmental sensing, and brownfield regeneration. Our transdisciplinary approach allows our students and faculty to collaborate closely with the other departments at the Weitzman School of Design as well as with allied disciplines across the broader university.

The department’s flagship faculty research center is the Ian L. McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology. The McHarg Center is active in the core research areas of climate policy and post-carbon futures; biodiversity and global land use planning; public realm equity and reparative justice; and environmental modeling, sensing, and visualization. Many of our students are directly engaged as research associates with our faculty through the McHarg Center. The department is represented in the broader public and academic arenas by an array of significant books by faculty (see Faculty Publications) and the award-winning biannual journal LA+, devoted to advancing interdisciplinary ideas and expanding critical inquiry through the lens of landscape architecture.

At the University of Pennsylvania, the Department of Landscape Architecture is designing the world we want to inhabit, advancing both the landscape profession and the discipline. Our faculty and students are world builders, and we look to the future with optimism.

July 28-July 31: Remote course sessions required for all incoming MLA students. Sessions will be offered on Zoom. 

August 4: First day of Summer Institute for all MLA incoming students on Penn campus. Orientation and kickoff events. Required for all incoming students.

August 5: First day of in-person Summer Institute courses. Required for all incoming students.

August 21: Final day of in-person Summer Institute courses. Required for all incoming students.

August 22: Weitzman School of Design New Student Orientation

August 25: Department Orientation and Weitzman School Convocation

August 26: First Day of Classes

Both the MLA 3-year and MLA 2-year degree programs begin with a Summer Institute that occurs in the weeks preceding the start of the Fall semester.  Please see the "Important Dates" above for an outline of Summer Institute session format, location and dates. Sessions listed as 'remote' will be conducted on Zoom with faculty and students. In-person events and courses will meet in Meyerson Hall on the Penn Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The MLA 3-year and MLA 2-year Summer Institutes each comprise a series of courses that prepare incoming MLA students with the necessary skills to "hit the ground running" in their respective programs. The institutes are also an important part of the development of the studio cohort and provide an excellent opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the Penn campus and City of Philadelphia. The Summer Institute courses are graded Pass/Fail, and students who fail a Summer Institute course will not be permitted to continue in the program in the Fall.

All incoming MLA students are required to participate in Summer Institute prior to the start of the fall semester. All institute courses are required for all incoming students in their respective program.  

The flat fee for the 2025 Summer Institute for incoming students is $1,000. This fee covers participation in the Summer Institute and travel associated with the Natural Systems course. Students should expect some additional expenses related to sketch pads, drawing tools, and other supplies. Computer software related courses will be taught in school computer labs with software installed. Information on required materials will be sent to incoming students over the summer. 

Students should expect to spend class time engaged in studio and classroom learning, and additional time outside of class completing assignments. The Summer Institute experience is a full-on commitment of time and energy--you should expect full days of class and project work, and some time in the evenings and weekends devoted to work, as well.  International students and students moving to Philadelphia should make travel plans accordingly.

More information on the 2025 Summer Institute course offerings will be posted soon. 

More information on registering for Fall Semester courses will be posted here.

International students on F-1 or J-1 visas are required to check in with International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). The check-in process includes an online tutorial, online arrival form, and an in-person document check upon your arrival into the US. Please plan to arrive in Philadelphia at least one business day before the start of Summer Institute to complete the in-person check-in. You are encouraged to make an appointment in advance.

Please visit the ISSS webpage for detailed information on Mandatory New Student Check-In Requirements.

Incoming MLA students are required to buy or bring a computer for your time as a student at Weitzman School. Please see the Computer Purchasing Guidelines provided by Weitzman School IT. Specific guidelines for 2025-2026 will be posted in early summer.

Please visit the Get to Know Us page on the Admissions website to view the profiles of current students and recent alumni.

Learn more about the faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture on our People page.

Read about our publications and view student work in our annual Landscapes in Process catalog.

Check out our recent lecture series here: Weitzman School of Design (vimeo.com)