Master of Landscape Architecture

Tyler’s Master of Landscape Architecture program emphasizes ecological restoration and social justice. You will learn to think critically and creatively about each ecological and cultural situation through field-based research and community-engaged design.

Landscape Architecture at Tyler is…

Studio based

Our work begins with hands-on experiences, brought into the studio setting where ideas emerge and formation takes place.

Community-engaged and locally informed

We believe in listening and observing the world and communities around us as the basis for design.

Environmentally responsible

As stewards of our environments, we focus on caring for them and their inhabitants.

Practice-oriented and research based

The Master of Landscape Architecture is a professionally-focused degree where research is a key component of professional development.

Collaborative and interdisciplinary

Collaboration between students is an important part of learning; collaboration with allied disciplines is essential in making a better future.

Get Answers and Help

The Tyler School of Art and Architecture features its own admissions team, who can provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for your educational and career goals. 

Explore Degrees

Consider the difference it makes to your graduate degree goals by connecting with Tyler’s forward-looking faculty of working professionals and researchers. Through both instruction and mentoring, they challenge and support your professional growth and talents.  

In some cases, Tyler offers flexible, part-time study options for those with outside responsibilities like work and family. 

Master of Landscape Architecture (STEM designated)

Accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, this degree offers both full-time and part-time study. Tyler offers two tracks to better serve students’ needs. 

  • 2-year track, if you already earned an accredited bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture or architecture 

  • 3-year track, if your bachelor’s degree is in another, non-design discipline 

Learn More

Guiding Principles

The Master of Landscape Architecture program at Tyler is grounded in three key pillars.

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Design thinking and making

We nurture experimentation and field exploration. Tyler’s graduate program in landscape architecture benefits from the distinctive opportunities that come with being part of a school of art and architecture.

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Equitable approaches to engagement

We model social and environmental justice in classrooms and communities. As part of Temple, Philadelphia’s public university, we are committed to the mission of access for all, a core focus of our design studio ethos.  

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Leadership in landscape restoration

We work with ecosystems to preserve and enhance natural and built environments. Tyler’s landscape architecture program is unique in its approach, with design and scientific principles aligned through the understanding of ecosystems and landscape restoration.

Capstone Research and Design 

The Capstone restoration design sequence includes coursework in seminars and studios, from an introduction to design research methodology to restoration monitoring and management. 

Native Plant Research 

Our students have the opportunity to study native plant communities in the field throughout the Delaware Valley region and design with them in our NE Woodland and Wetland/Riparian ecological restoration-focused design studios. 

Professional Support 

Temple University sponsors a student chapter of the National American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) organization, whose mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship. Membership includes undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture students.

In support of the graduate degree focus on ecological restoration as a fundamental part of landscape design, we also sponsor a student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). The society advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.

Find Your Calling 

Each spring, Tyler Architecture and Environmental Design hosts a dynamic on-campus Career Fair that brings together leading firms and organizations. You’ll gain exposure to a wide range of career paths in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, construction, government agencies, and NGOs. Tyler’s career services staff works with you one-on-one to find internships and jobs opportunities. 

Accreditation: Master of Landscape Architecture 

Tyler’s Master of Landscape Architecture degree program is accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB). The Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) requires accredited program to provide reliable information to the public. Programs must report on accreditation status and its performance. Learn more about Tyler's LAAB accreditation at: LAAB Public Information 

Studio Space and facilities  

Inside Tyler’s design studio classrooms and technology labs you learn to plan and execute whatever your creative mind imagines.  Exhibition, lecture, and studio review spaces allow you to engage with others in the landscape architecture program and participate in extracurricular professional and learning activities. You also have access to The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University and its permanent collection of plants, gardens and a searchable database of what grows on the Ambler Campus grounds.    

Alumni Spotlight

"Through the Master of Landscape Architecture program, I gained a profound understanding of the environmental and social impacts of landscape design. The program not only fostered my academic growth but also connected me with lifelong mentors and peers, offering a clear and focused path toward my professional goals. Its flexibility allowed me to balance my studies with work and family commitments, making it possible to fully engage in the learning experience. I entered the program seeking new challenges and left equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to face them head-on. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped both my career and personal growth.”

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Richard Asirifi

AICP, Assoc. ASLA, MLArch ‘23

Student Work

Here are some examples of work from students in the graduate program.

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Alumni

Image of the exterior entrance to the Tyler School of Art and Architecture building on Main Campus

WCC test publication

Alumni

Faculty

Our full-time faculty are makers and researchers. Together we comprise and reflect the full scope of a landscape architecture education – grounded in an intellectual philosophy, that is balanced through field-based design research and professional practice.

Program Contacts

  • Kate Benisek smiling at the camera.

    Kate Benisek, MALD, MLA, ASLA

    Program Head of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and Curriculum Coordinator of Graduate Landscape Architecture and Associate Professor of Instruction