Master in Landscape Architecture I AP

Master in Landscape Architecture I AP

student presenting

Important Dates

January 5, 2026
MLA I application deadline

Individuals who hold an accredited professional degree in architecture, or a pre-professional undergraduate degree in landscape architecture or architecture, and a strong design portfolio, may be granted advanced standing of up to two terms, completing the MLA I in two years.

Applicants who are granted advanced standing must have completed the same pre-requisites in college-level environmental science, history of the built environment, and visual arts that are required for the MLA I, as well as courses that are roughly analogous to the course of study of the first year program in representation and history described in the MLA I curriculum, and demonstrate a high level of achievement in their design work.

STUDENT PROJECTS

The GSD offers degree programs across a variety of design disciplines. Find out which program is right for you. COMPARE DEGREE PROGRAMS

Master in Landscape Architecture I

Master in Landscape Architecture I

Important Dates

January 5, 2026
MLA I application deadline

The program stream leading to the Master in Landscape Architecture (MLA) is an accredited professional degree intended for individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree with a major other than one of the design professions.

The curriculum of the three-year MLA I is rigorous and comprehensive, and prepares candidates for the full range of professional activities in landscape architecture. A four-semester core curriculum provides a solid intellectual base of knowledge in design, history, theory, technology, ecology, representation, and professional practice. The remaining two semesters offer the opportunity to engage in advanced studios and elective courses across all GSD departments. Particular emphasis is given to developing mastery in design in each of the six studios. For those students who want to pursue independent work, there is also the option to develop an elective design thesis in their final semester.

TESTIMONIALS

Felicia Perez working in studio.

“Without the GSD, I wouldn’t be able to envision so clearly the possibilities that I have ahead of me in the next five to ten years. Much of that is because of my peers, and the passions and skill sets they bring to the school. I’ve learned so much from my cohort by digging into big questions amid discourse in the trays. It’s important to have different perspectives at the table—with classmates from different income levels and backgrounds—so that conversations aren’t one-sided or from a single point of view.”

Felicia Perez 
(MLA ’24)

“Grad school at the GSD has been an honor of a lifetime. I have learned so much about landscape architectural practice, and urban planning, and have developed a network of connections I would never have been able to find directly out of my undergraduate degree.” 

Chadwick Bowlin
(MLA ’25)

“The GSD’s emphasis on challenging conventional ‘design boundaries’ aligns with my drive to innovate and experiment within my work. Moreover, its diverse faculty and student body have enriched my perspective, encouraging me to rethink design’s role in advocating for environmental justice and climate resilience.”

Cory Page
(MLA ’25)

“The GSD is also the oldest landscape architecture degree program in the world, and I wanted to be a part of this well-established institution and rich tradition. I also wanted to be a part of the GSD’s network of outstanding global design leaders.”

Sara Abduljawad
(MLA I ’27)

STUDENT PROJECTS

The GSD offers degree programs across a variety of design disciplines. Find out which program is right for you. COMPARE DEGREE PROGRAMS

Undergraduate Architecture Studies

Undergraduate Architecture Studies

A series of abstract models carved from a solid white material

The study of architecture integrates technical and humanistic methods of inquiry with written and visual modes of representation, in traditional classroom venues and “making”-based studios designed especially for Harvard College undergraduate students within this track.

Learn More:

Undergraduate Architecture Studies

For students of Harvard College, Architecture Studies is a track within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, History of Art and Architecture concentration , jointly administered by the History of Art and Architecture Department and the Graduate School of Design (GSD). Linking the GSD and Harvard College, the track represents not only a first chance for undergraduates to tap into the Graduate School of Design’s course and event offerings, but also the enrichment that architecture and design thinking can offer to liberal-arts studies.

Architecture stands at the intersection of creative imagination, practical realization, and social use, comprising not only material structures of human occupation, but also the dynamic processes that shape human action and experience. The study of architecture integrates technical and humanistic methods of inquiry with written and visual modes of representation, in traditional classroom venues and “making”-based studios designed especially for Harvard College undergraduate students within this track.

You may find evolving examples of student design work and specifics on the making-based undergraduate courses that the track offers.

More details about the Architecture Studies track , including course requirements.