Landscape Architecture, B.L.A.

Landscape architecture is the inspired design of places that are functional, aesthetically rich, socially conscious, and environmentally responsible. We are a profession of change agents. The Penn State B.L.A. is a professional program, accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board, and the first step toward seeking licensure. Our graduates are both well-prepared to join the ranks of our distinguished professional alumni network with a clear path to licensure and to make an impact on the world!

The world is constantly changing, and landscape architects are skilled designers poised to shape, drive, and responsibly steward positive change. Our B.L.A. will challenge you to envision the future and provide the skills you need–from classic hand drawing and observational site analysis to exploration and design using virtual reality and geodesign. Throughout our curriculum you’ll explore design processes across a variety of environments from intensely urban to pristinely natural.

What motivates you most will matter here. You are passionate about something and we want to give you the skills to grow that passion and make the world better. Activate your interests through our versatile curriculum at Penn State, a Tier-1 research university with abundant resources and course offerings to help you customize your education. Enjoy the support of our dedicated academic advisers to make it happen.

This is not your typical classroom. Design requires creative space. Studio is a place. It’s a course. It’s your team. If you’re looking for large lecture halls with a professor who delivers one-way education, look elsewhere. We are collaborators. Studio encourages dialogue, process, and healthy competition. Our Stuckeman Family Building, named one of the top 15 copper-clad buildings in the world (Architectural Digest, 2015), holds 111,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment–from a virtual reality lab to laser cutters to the wood shop – all within steps of your own ergonomically-designed studio desk.

Expand your boundaries. Cross borders. We provide solid support, real-world projects, and worldwide opportunities. We create global citizens with broad knowledge and experience. From a studio offered annually and funded by the National Science Foundation in Baltimore to an optional summer in rural Tanzania helping villagers address issues in a near-off-the-grid experience, our students affect meaningful change both near and far. In addition to our required semester abroad, consider exploring urban sustainability in Barcelona, the transformative experience of work in Tanzania, or the relationship between design and health in the bikeable city of Copenhagen–all in our optional summer programs.

We are . . . caring, active, and involved. Penn State Landscape Architecture doesn’t end when the class period is over. We work together, we learn together, we even watch YouTube together. We build and we solve. We make life better. From the camaraderie of our student organizations to the lifelong bonds forged by late nights in studio, the foundation of our program is people. We’re more than just your future professional network – we are a family.