Landscape Architecture 2007-2008
School of Planning, Design, and Construction
To make an appointment to meet an advisor, please call Pat the secretary at 517-353-7880.
Welcome to the Home Page of the Landscape Architecture major at Michigan State University. The LA major, is in the School, of Planning, Design, and Construction which supports programs of study leading to Bachelor's of Landscape Architecture.
Download a pdf brochure of recent teaching activities and projects in landscape architecture at MSU.
Download a pdf brochure of recent scholarship activities at MSU.
Landscape Architecture is the design profession which applies artistic, cultural, scientific, and technical knowledge and skills to the analysis, design, planning, development, and management of the land. Landscape architects accept certain responsibilities related to the health, safety, and welfare of the public and are concerned with resource conservation and stewardship of the environment. The practice of landscape architecture requires an appreciation and understanding of natural and social processes, a creative imagination, technical expertise, and a commitment to preserve or improve the physical environment for optimum human use and enjoyment and the protection of resources and other life forms on the planet (maybe someday on other planetary bodies).
Landscape architects are employed by private planning, design, engineering and construction professional offices, public planning agencies, land development companies, industrial or commercial firms, educational and research institutions, park and recreation authorities, NGOs, and a variety of other organizations which require regional planning, land use planning, site design, and environmental management services. The landscape architect's professional activities include consultations with clients, resource inventories and landscape analysis, site development programming, development of design concepts and land use proposals, provision of design implementation drawings and specifications, preparation of contracts and reports, and observation/supervision of projects under construction. The landscape architect often collaborates with other professionals, including architects, engineers, naturalists, geographers, interior designers, construction professionals and planners, in the design and development of urban, rural, and wilderness on land areas, waterbodies, and the atmosphere.
The undergraduate Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program provides a diverse learning experience which strives for a balance between philosophy, theory, and application of concepts related to past, present, and future problem-solving in landscape architecture and allied environmental planning and design professions.
The program includes professional courses in the areas of design theory and graphic communications, environmental perception, history, and plant materials and their uses, plus technical aspects of landscape planning, site development, and design applications for representative land uses.