LARCH

Landscape architectural research methods and writing techniques.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Introductory theory seminar covering the intellectual history of landscape architecture and theoretical contributions from related disciplines. LARCH 502 Intellectual History and Theory of Landscape Architecture (3)LARCH 502 is an introduction to the key intellectual themes in contemporary landscape architecture. The seminar provides a vehicle for rigorous and structured exploration of the theoretical and philosophical issues that face landscape architectural designers and planners. Specifically designed as a gateway graduate course, this course serves as an introduction to the disciplines at a graduate level and as means for new graduate students to develop independent research.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

This graduate seminar explores contemporary theoretical frameworks and literature in landscape architecture since 2000, with a focus on landscape epistemology, ecological design, systems thinking, biodiversity, climate resilience, environmental justice, and digital technologies. In addition, the course examines social and political dimensions of landscape architecture and planning, including issues of spatial organization, equity, and power relations in design/planning practices. Students will critically engage with scholarly texts and design case studies to develop a personal understanding of landscape architecture as a cultural, ecological, and technological practice.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Landscape architecture is a discipline that crosses multiple realms, including the natural and social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. As a result, research within landscape architecture engages a wide range of inquiries, methods, and outcomes. This course introduces students to advanced research methods in landscape architecture and environmental planning. It emphasizes the role of research in shaping theory and practice, guides students in defining research questions, and explores qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. Students will develop a research proposal grounded in rigorous methodology.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Landscape architectural theory exploration through readings and discussions.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Introductory landscape architectural design and applied theory for MLA students. LARCH 515 Design and Theory I: Introduction (5) LARCH 515 is the first of a four-class sequence of design studios at the core of the professional MLA design program. The design studio is an active learning setting where principles discovered in lecture or seminar classes are subject to experiments in the form of design projects. It is a class setting where solutions to complex problems are synthesized and tested based on information gathered in earlier and concurrent classes.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

5

Credits (max)

5

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

The final capstone studio for students completing the Master of Landscape Architecture.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

6

Credits (max)

6

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

The Final Culminating Experience Proposal course provides the opportunity for a student to develop an area of inquiry within the discipline of landscape architecture to be explored toward the production of a capstone project as the final culminating experience of the Master of Landscape Architecture degree. The student is expected to generate and refine research questions, develop aspects of extant questions, develop and test design ideas, or otherwise enhance his or her research interests.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

1

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Following approval of the FCE proposal (LARCH 551), students shall proceed to implement their research project based on their prepared schedule. In this course students shall complete the steps as outlined in their proposal with the assistance of faculty advisors. It is expected that this work shall last the duration of one semester minimum. Additional time to complete the research may be required based on topic and resources. Students are expected to document progress in the manner appropriate to their investigation topic, and to present their findings in progress on a regular basis.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

4

Credits (max)

4

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

In this course students shall prepare final documentation of their research-based design project, and make a public presentation/defense of their project's relevance, research/inquiry methods, design approach, and findings. LARCH 553 is the third of three courses that will lead to the student's final culminating experience (FCE) for the Master of Landscape Architecture degree. A successful FCE, typically a capstone project, will research in the frontiers of knowledge in the field of landscape architecture. The form and specific criteria for a capstone project will be determined by the student and adviser, in consultation with the landscape architecture graduate professor-in-charge. This documentation and presentation course is an advanced landscape research or research and design course which will culminate in the presentation of scholarly products required for the conferral of a Master of Landscape Architecture degree.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

2

Credits (max)

2

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Continuing seminars which consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Independent study opportunities open for graduate students covering topics which fall oustide the scope of formal courses (non thesis).

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

9

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

9

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

No description.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

1

Credits (max)

15

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

LARCH 815 is the first of a three-course sequence of design studios at the core of the professional M.L.A. design program. Students will develop the fundamental concepts and basic skills of landscape architectural design and explore site design through expanded complexity of site and program. Students are presented with design projects that include extensive and complex programs and a broad range of site scales, existing conditions, and contexts. Projects also explore the extent and complexity of pedestrian and vehicular circulation. These expanded site and program considerations require students to consider a broad range of design responses while building skill in site design. Throughout the semester, students will develop skills in graphic representation and visualization to explore design ideas and develop presentation graphics. The subsequent challenge for students will be the development of design processes necessary to integrate site and program understandings into unified, successful design.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

6

Credits (max)

6

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

LARCH 816 considers the broader landscape and systems within the landscape. Students learn to work at the broader landscape scale, making informed planning, design and management recommendations at that level, and enlightening site-scale design with a regional perspective. Students begin exploring ways to understand and address issues of regional context. Projects include an emphasis on regional analysis, site and program analysis, and site design in the regional context. Studio work involves research and report writing and medium- to large-scale projects where site design and program are directly influenced by regional factors. Topography, geomorphology, land use, transportation, regional ecology, demographics, landscape history, visual analysis, etc., are covered, all bound into current technological formats using such tools as Geographic Information Systems. Students explore ideas about landscape-scale conservation, linkages, and recreational programming - important types of regional-scale work with which landscape architects are involved. They apply knowledge of the landscape in considering public planning, design, and management interventions, including exploration of alternatives for landscape conservation and recreation. Students become involved, through community outreach projects, with interactive and real (e.g. sometimes messy) public dialogue that may help build community-wide enthusiasm for a landscape project of regional significance. Throughout the semester, students will continue to develop skills in graphic representation and visualization to explore design ideas and develop presentation graphics.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

6

Credits (max)

6

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

LARCH 817 provides an overview of community and spatial design that accommodates civic and public functions while addressing social and environmental imperatives. It also expands on site design and programs that creatively reconcile community-based (i.e. residential and/or public space) agendas. In support of focused explorations of community-oriented design, students are expected to draw on their knowledge of regional and landscape systems from LARCH 816, as well as site design in LARCH 815. In designing public spaces that lie at the heart of thriving communities, students are also expected to draw on technical skills in grading, materials, and planting acquired in their implementation courses. Throughout the semester, students will continue to develop skills in graphic representation and visualization to explore design ideas and develop presentation graphics.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

6

Credits (max)

6

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

Computer Applications for Site Analysis and Design. Geometrics: In order to perform landform manipulation, students must be able to efficiently acquire and process physical information about a site and are required to understand a suite of measurements. This course will first provide an overview of the digital and paper data sources available to landscape architects. Students will develop skills in manipulating or processing these data in order to comply with the requirements of site design. The course will also provide the measurements and formulae required for students to efficiently and accurately manipulate landforms. Landform Manipulation: One of the most critical skills landscape architects must acquire as designers is the ability to design landforms to accommodate changes in use and to translate their design ideas into dimensionally precise topographic representations of their designs. This course provides the knowledge for students to complete this process. Beginning with a single site element, students are expected to explore the suite of opportunities to place and modify a site to fit a single site element. Increased complexity is added to the suite throughout the remaining portions of the semester, thus enabling students to balance the opportunities and constraints presented by each individual design element and the overall site design.Site Systems: Building on ecological components of the curriculum, this course provides the first site specific and physical understanding of site systems critical to every landscape architect's design. Students will primarily focus on the major site features as related to site drainage, such as soil, topography, and surface geology, but will also be expected to recognize regional context in their designs. Computer Applications for Site Analysis and Design: A central component underlying the instruction of the course is providing students with a suite of computer tools. Course objectives: a) To assist in initial efforts in acquiring and processing site data; b) To perform calculations such as cut and fill, spot elevations, and slope calculations; c) To visualize and complete manipulation of landforms; d) To understand the interaction of physical site features on individual sites (e.g., soil and topography); and e) To communicate their final site designs according to professional standards

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

The landscape architect calls upon a rich array of materials to construct the built elements of landscape walls, ground surfaces, overhead structures, and furniture systems. The functional success and durability of many historical and traditional construction methods is based on a learned appreciation of the qualities and behaviors of materials in use in the landscape. Students develop understanding of the fundamental structural qualities of materials and use that knowledge to devise and illustrate their own design details. The same understanding of material behaviors will be used to investigate the qualities of novel construction materials, and will guide the development of construction details that respond to new constraints and opportunities. The main focus of LARCH 836 will be on materials and construction detailing, with emphasis on techniques appropriate for an array of design situations. Representation of design ideas using computer-aided-drafting is expected in this class.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

This course addresses the applied principles, tools, and techniques of planting design implementation, with a focus on landscape planting methods and technically proficient documentation. It relies on students having achieved foundational planting design knowledge and abilities in prior design studios. Proceeding briskly through site and contextual analysis and conceptual design, we will concentrate on methodical design development, investigation of planting implementation and management methods, and preparation of planting contract documentation. Upon successful completion of the course, students will have achieved proficiency in planting design implementation as integral to the overall design process and vital to realizing goals for landscape performance, aesthetics, site functionality, and broader social and environmental values.

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu

This course is one of four graduate-level design implementation offerings that focus upon the more technical aspects of landscape architectural practice. By means of lectures, studio problems, assigned readings, and computer courseware, LARCH 838 will present the principles and techniques of: - Advanced Landform Design and Site Grading- integration of landform and structure through iterative grading design process; water flow and surface drainage. - Site Systems and Stewardship - soil, water, and vegetation interactions and ecology; site protection; site systems management; environmental responsibilities and stewardship. - Hydrology and Stormwater Management basic site hydrology; overview of hydrology and stormwater management concepts, infiltration; surface runoff calculations, surface and subsurface drainage systems design. - Production of technical drawings using computer-aided-drafting is expected in this class

Subject

LARCH

Credits (min)

3

Credits (max)

3

Credit unit

Credits

Type

course

Edition

2026

Source

bulletins.psu.edu