MLA Waivers and Substitutions
The Landscape Architecture program offers students with prior experience the opportunity to pursue waivers and substitutions for various required courses. Each required course is essential and unique to a program track and consistent with accreditation requirements set out by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB); however, some students may have sufficient academic exposure to the content of a particular course to be waived of the requirement.
It is a student’s responsibility to pursue waivers and substitutions in a timely manner. Petitions should be submitted following the process outlined by the department’s Program Coordinator, along with all required and supporting documentation, in time for approval prior to the start of the term in which that particular course is held.
Note: Waiving a course does not reduce the total number of units required for graduation.
Course Waivers
Fall 2025 Waiver Petition Deadline: 12:00pm EST Monday, August 18, 2025
If you believe you have already taken coursework that might qualify you to waive out of a required course, you must submit a petition and supporting documentation, including a syllabus from the prior course(s), transcript(s), and in some cases a portfolio.
Please email Program Coordinator Briana King to request the link to the online petition form. All requests to waive a required course must be received by the stated deadline.
Course Substitutions
Fall 2025 Substitution Petition Deadline: 12:00pm EST Wednesday, August 27, 2025
If a course is waived, the instructor of record (in consultation with the Program Director and the student) determines whether a substitution will be will required. If a substitution is required, the approved alternate course class will satisfy the MLA program requirement. If a substitution is not required, then the student may choose a free elective.
Distributional Electives: Students have the opportunity to request to substitute a distributional elective with an alternative course, provided that the course relates to the field of landscape architecture and is approved at the Program Director’s discretion under the category of Representation/History/Theory or Ecology/Technology. Substitutions to the Theory/History distributional elective requirement for AP students are not permitted.
Please email Program Coordinator Briana King to request the link to the online petition form. All requests to substitute a distributional elective with an alternative course must be received by the stated deadline.
Note: An individual course cannot count toward two (or more) distributional elective requirements. Each student petitioning to substitute a distributional elective may submit a maximum of three alternative courses for consideration.
Over-Enrollment
Fall 2025 Over-Enrollment Petition Deadline: Before the course selection deadline in the corresponding semester.
The Petition for Max Units (over-enrollment) is now an electronic form. It will appear on my.harvard in the documents tab after August 28th and you have enrolled in at least 17 units. Please ensure that you have added the course you wish to petition for to your crimson cart and have the syllabus.
The petition will automatically be sent to your department once submitted. You will also receive an email once your department has acted on your petition. Petitions to over-enroll must be received before the course selection deadline in the corresponding semester.
Please note that students in core studio are ineligible for over-enrollment. Students who are eligible to petition to over-enroll must be in good academic standing.
50% Enrollment Outside the GSD
Fall 2025 50% Enrollment Petition Deadline: Before the course selection deadline in the corresponding semester.
Generally, no more than fifty percent of units may be taken outside the GSD in a given term. Cross-Registration units may not represent more than one half of the student’s total program in any one term. To request enrollment in more than 50% percent of units outside the GSD, email your Program Coordinator, Briana King, for the link to the online petition form. Petitions to exceed 50% enrollment outside the GSD must be received before the course selection deadline in the corresponding semester.