Boston Society of Landscape Architects Spring Fieldbook Volume 14.1 | Page 30

COLLEGE AND
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

/ Harvard

The Department of Landscape
Architecture at Harvard is home to the oldest
and most distinguished academic program in
landscape architecture in the world. 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

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BSLA

University

of the field and provides strong pedagogical connections to urban
planning, urban design, and architecture. MLA candidates enjoy
access to and engagement with the extra-Departmental assets
of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, including
a robust calendar of lectures, exhibitions, and events relevant 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.

School Stats /
Current Enrollment in Bachelor’s Program
Current Enrollment in Master’s Programs
Year Program Founded
LAAB Accredited Since
Year of First Graduate
Faculty/Student Ratio
Receive Tuition Assistance
Department Chair
Program Director
Student Chapter Presidents
School Term
School Session
Program Length

Currently Accredited Through
Department Chair

COLLEGE AND
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

No program
182
1900
1929
1912
1:10
94% of MLA students receive some form of aid
Charles Waldheim
Anita Berrizbeitia
Omar Davis and Yifei (Wendy) Wang
Two semesters
September through May; no summer classes
6 terms (MLA I)
4 terms (MLA I AP, MLA II)
2015 (next scheduled review Spring 2015)
Charles Waldheim

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.

2014 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Spring Fieldbook

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