Introduction

Landscape Architecture is an environmental design discipline of broad scope whose central concern is the wise use of land. As a profession it includes the detailed development of land and sites of all sizes and uses, as well as planning activities, both of which rest on a foundation of ecological understanding which views human value systems as a major force in landscape change.

The curriculum is conceived as an individually variable set of courses and experiences which are integrated in as many different ways as there are students. The required curriculum represents the faculty's best judgment as to what is fundamental to landscape architecture education. Our program objectives are to provide both a solid base of essential skills, tools and knowledge and enough flexibility to allow each student to proceed through the program following his or her own pattern of interests and readiness.

Our strength is in offering design studios and courses with depth and variety, which arises from a congruence of faculty expertise and the resources of the community and region. This is reflected in our work in local urban issues, rural area and small community development, neighborhood planning and design, park and open space design, computer aided analysis and design for regional landscapes, planting design within the regional context, rural agricultural and historic landscape conservation and development, and ecological design and planning.

As an academic discipline, Landscape Architecture provides a unique opportunity for personal development through environmental problem-solving and project-oriented study. The faculty emphasize the making of richly supportive and expressive places. We see planning and design as processes for understanding the complex interdependence between natural and cultural systems.