harvard landscape architecture phd

Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning

The Ph.D. in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning is intended for persons who wish to enter teaching and advanced research careers in the history and theory of architecture, architectural technology, landscape architecture, and urban form from antiquity to the present; or the analysis and development of buildings, cities, landscapes, and regions with an emphasis on social, economic, technological, ecological and infrastructural systems. Ph.D. students can pursue the architectural technology track, where they can conduct research that aims to advance the state of knowledge in green building, including issues related to computation and simulation, environmental concerns, and energy performance. The Ph.D. program does not prepare students for licensing as design practitioners in any of these fields or for the doctor of design degree.

Master in Landscape Architecture I

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.

For more information, please visit the MLA Degree Requirements page.

A candidate will be recommended for the Master in Landscape Architecture as a professional degree upon satisfactory completion of 120 units in the following course of study:

• 0 units STU 1111 Pre-Term Workshop (August; two weeks) *
• 8 units STU 1111 Landscape Architecture I (studio)
• 4 units VIS 2141 Landscape Representation I
• 4 units HIS 4141 Histories of Landscape Architecture I
• 4 units SCI 6141 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies I

Second Term

• 0 units STU 1112 Pre-Term Workshop (January; one week) *
• 8 units STU 1112 Landscape Architecture II (studio)
• 4 units VIS 2142 Landscape Representation II
• 4 units HIS 4142 Histories of Landscape Architecture II
• 4 units SCI 6142 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies II
• 0 units STU 1211 Pre-Term Workshop (August; one week) *
• 8 units STU 1211 Landscape Architecture III (studio)
• 4 units DES 3241 Theories of Landscape as Urbanism
• 4 units SCI 6241 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies III
• 4 units SCI 6244 Climate by Design

Fourth Term

• 0 units STU 1212 Pre-Term Workshop (January; one week) *
• 8 units STU 1212 Landscape Architecture IV (studio)
• 4 units DES 3242 Theories of Landscape Architecture
• 4 units SCI 6242 Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies IV
• 4 units Distributional electives or general electives **
• 8 units Option Studio ***
• 4 units PRO 7241 Practices of Landscape Architecture
• 8 units Distributional electives and/or general electives **
• 4 units ADV 9341 Preparation of Design Thesis Proposal ****
• 12 units Distributional electives and/or general electives **
• 8 units ADV 9342 Design Thesis in Landscape Architecture

* The Graduate School of Design offers pre-semester Digital Media Skills Workshops for each term of the core years (4 classes), all of which are required for all Master in Landscape Architecture students. These workshops are integrated with the design studios and are intended to give students the necessary preparation and knowledge of the workflows and digital techniques used in the context of studios: 3D software basics, rendering basics, data-transfer from 3D software, output and model building techniques using CAD/CAM facilities. The workshop will include an orientation session in the woodshop and on using laser cutters. No academic credit is given for the workshop.

** Distributional electives must be taken from two fields of study, to be selected from a list of approved courses issued by the department each year indicated as follows: 4 units of electives in landscape architecture representation, history, or theory; and 4 units of electives in ecologies or technologies.

*** A minimum of one option studio must be taken from those offered by the Department of Landscape Architecture.

**** Students pursuing the MLA thesis track are required to enroll in an Option Studio offered by the Department of Landscape Architecture in the fall semester of their final year in conjunction with ADV 9341.

Preparation for Admission

Admission with No Previous Professional Education:

Individuals who have completed a four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in any field are eligible for admission to the first term of the professional degree program. Preference for admission is given to applicants who have completed a balanced undergraduate education that includes study in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Three college-level, semester-long courses are specifically required as prerequisites for admission to the MLA I program: one semester of environmental science ; one semester of  history of the built environment (this could include history of architecture, history of gardens and designed landscapes, environmental history, urban history); and at least one semester of  visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, graphics). Applicants must achieve a grade of B- or better in each of these courses. Courses in the humanities, philosophy, literature, and economics are also recommended but are not required.

For students entering the three-year MLA I program, a minimum of six terms of full-time study in residence is required. Under special circumstances, students may receive permission to reduce their course load and extend their studies over a longer period of time.

Please note that the MLA I, MLA I AP, and MLA II programs are now designated as a STEM program. Accordingly, international students holding F-1 visas may be eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension on top of their initial OPT of 12 months, for a total of 36 months, following graduation.  Each F-1 student must petition United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to approve the 24-month STEM extension, and Harvard does not represent or warrant that USCIS will grant any individual petition.

Professional Licensure

The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board. Combined with practical experience, it meets the requirements for licensure in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

• Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

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Questions about these requirements? See the contact info at the bottom of the page. 

Students may study for a PhD degree in architecture, landscape architecture, or urban planning. The program is jointly administered by a committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in cooperation with the Faculty of Design.

The program is intended for persons who wish to enter teaching and advanced research careers in the history and theory of architecture, architectural technology, landscape architecture, and urban form from antiquity to the present; or the analysis and development of cities, landscapes, and regions with an emphasis on social, economic, ecological, transportation, and infrastructural systems. (The PhD program does not prepare students for licensing as design practitioners in any of these fields. For information on professional master's programs, contact the Graduate School of Design, Admissions Office, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-495-5453.)

Academic Residence

Two years of full-time study while registered in the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) are required. 

Program of Study 

Course information for most courses at Harvard (including both the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Design) is available in the  my.harvard Course Listings . The  Cross Registration catalog  is a helpful resource for courses at other Harvard professional schools.  

Students are expected to prepare in each of the following areas:

• General Knowledge of the Field: Field has two meanings in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. It can refer to the professional domain to which the student’s research is related. More importantly, it refers to the academic domain chosen by the student. Regarding the first meaning, the PhD is an academic degree, but PhD holders in our fields may be interacting with professionals. In fact, many may elect to teach in professional schools. Therefore, in addition to academic requirements, it is advised that PhD students be generally knowledgeable of the basic skills of the respective design professions. As for the second meaning, doctoral research is necessarily in conversation with other research. Doctoral students must acquire a good knowledge of the disciplinary environment in which they plan to insert themselves as scholars.
• Major Subject: The interfaculty structure and purposes of the program require that students cross disciplinary boundaries. All students must master a major area of their respective academic field, including the historic development and current state of research on the subject. In addition, every student must demonstrate competence in the methods of inquiry used for research in his or her major subject.
• All students must also achieve a thorough grounding in the theory and methods of one of the arts or sciences related to their major subject, such as history of art, cultural history, economics, philosophy, government, sociology, or history of science equivalent to at least one year of full-time graduate study.
• Languages and Mathematics: Candidates for the degree in architecture must normally have a reading knowledge of at least two languages other than English in which there is broad and important literature related to their field or major subject; those in urban planning must have one other language. Every student must have a level of mathematical skills appropriate for research in the major subject. 
• There are two required courses, Discourse and Methods I and II. These seminars are designed as an introduction to the methodologies, canonical texts, and major issues that have shaped the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and/or urbanism.

The Harvard Griffin GSAS requires that all students maintain an average of B or better in each year of graduate study. All Incomplete grades must be removed before the end of the next regular term. If students are cross-registered in Schools where the grading system does not use letter grades, they should ask the course instructor to issue letter grades.

Faculty Advisor and Student's Graduate Committee

The chair of the PhD committee will assign a faculty member as the student’s advisor at the time of registration in the program. This advisor will assist in planning the student’s academic program. In addition, not fewer than two faculty members, appointed by the chair in consultation with the student, will be made available for consultation regarding the general examination, prospectus, and the dissertation.

Master of Arts (AM)

The department does not admit candidates for a terminal AM degree. PhD candidates, after having completed eight four-credit courses with satisfactory grades, may apply for a master’s degree. The degree may also be offered to students unable to complete the PhD.

Teaching Fellowships

Teaching fellowships are considered important for a student’s professional training and are guaranteed in the third and fourth years. Normally, a student teaches two to four sections per year.

General Examination

Students are expected to take the general examination in the fifth term of residence and no later than one year after completion of the required coursework. The examination is given only during the fall and spring terms of the academic year. The examination tests the student’s mastery of their general field of scholarship, specific interpretive problems within that field, and their ability to research and write a dissertation.

At least two months prior to the date of the examination, the student should meet regularly with the examination committee and, with its help, should formulate a proposal describing the general and specific fields to be covered in the examination and possible examination questions.

The examination comprises a general and a specific field. The general field is ordinarily a broad area of history and theory of architecture, landscape architecture, or urban planning (for example, “modern architecture from 1750 to the present”). The specific field is a narrower area of study chosen by the student and subject to faculty review; in principle it should comprise a coherent and clearly defined area of scholarly inquiry that may be interdisciplinary in nature. The examination will normally consist of both an oral and written exam. The expectation will be that the oral will be used for the general field and the written for the specific. This may be inverted if the student and committee feel it is of more value to do it in that manner. Two or three written essays (total eight hours) will be assigned for the specific field. Within one week of the written examination, the student and the examination committee will meet to evaluate the entire examination and discuss plans for the dissertation. Students whose performance on the examination is not satisfactory will be given one opportunity to repeat all or part of it. 

Dissertation

The dissertation will be directed by a committee consisting of one primary advisor and at least two secondary advisors or readers.

Two readers must be from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences or the Standing Committee on Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning; one reader will normally be from the area of the student's disciplinary minor; and one reader must be from the Graduate School of Design. No later than five months (within the academic calendar) after the successful completion of the general examination, students will submit to the chair a written dissertation proposal and the names of the faculty persons who will supervise it. The student will confer with the examination committee to discuss and develop the proposal. The committee will conduct an oral examination of the dissertation proposal the purpose of which is to provide for the student a formal occasion to discuss and gain approval of the dissertation topic. 

The completed manuscript of the dissertation must be submitted to the director and readers no less than six weeks before the formal defense. The degree recommendation of the dissertation committee is due at the Registrar’s Office per its assigned completion deadlines. The final copy of the dissertation must conform to the requirements described in  Dissertations .

Length of Program

Students are normally expected to complete their program (including approval of the dissertation) within seven years of entering the program. Students who require more than five years to complete the dissertation after passing the general examination must petition the Committee on the PhD Program in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning to extend their time. 

Contact Info

Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning Website

Margaret Moore de Chicojay   Programs Administrator  617-495-2337   Send Email

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