Faculty: Professors Harrington (chair), Howell, Silbernagel; Associate Professor Dennis, Gilmore; Assistant Professor Bart
The department offers programs of study leading to the master of science or the master of arts in landscape architecture, and provides graduate education grounded in the environmental and design legacies of John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Jens Jensen, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The department provides intensive research training and experience. It seeks to develop a scholarly foundation for the discipline of landscape architecture and related fields, and to contribute information to practitioners engaged in landscape decision making and stewardship. Students enter the department with varied academic backgrounds and training. Candidates either receive a master of science degree for work in the natural or social sciences, or a master of arts degree for work in the humanities, arts, or design scholarship.
Most scholarship and teaching activities in the department fall into one or more of the following areas: bioregional and urban ecosystem studies; community design; restoration and management of native plant communities; and landscape history and cultural resource preservation. Students may choose to work in one area, combine elements of different areas, or choose their own focus, with faculty guidance. Candidates are encouraged to take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of the department. For further details, see Welcome and Guide Book.
Collectively, department faculty members have educational backgrounds in several disciplines. Throughout most of the department's history, faculty members have been involved with interdisciplinary research and applications both within and outside the department, and with cooperating local, state, and national agencies. Landscape Journal, the primary refereed outlet for landscape architectural research in North America, was founded in the department in 1981.
The department has well-equipped computer facilities, including CAD, GIS, and graphics software packages.
Financial support for graduate students is available through research and teaching assistantships, and two competitive fellowships. Most teaching assistantships are awarded to students who already have backgrounds in design.
An acceptable bachelor's degree is required of all prospective candidates. Applications are screened by the department's graduate program committee on the basis of university transcripts for all previous work, three letters of recommendation, samples of creative work or writing, and a letter of intent describing how the student's graduate educational needs can be fulfilled by this program. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, though not required, are strongly recommended. Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
For more information: Department of Landscape Architecture, 1 Agricultural Hall, 1450 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706; 608-263-7301; www.la.wisc.edu/graduate; Graduate Program Committee, dagriffin@wisc.edu; Department Chair, jaharrin@wisc.edu.
