School: University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate program: None
Graduate program: Master of Landscape Architecture
Number of students: 115
Number of faculty: 32
Notable alumni: Philippe Coignet of OLM Paysagistes, James Corner and Lisa Switkin of High Line fame, Andropogon Associates co-founder Carol Franklin, Amy Freitag of New York Restoration Project
Website: design.upenn.edu/landscape-architecture/work
Strengths: Long-established MLA program was an early breeding ground for key movements such as ecological design and landscape urbanism, school’s architectural archives house the works of more than 400 designers from the 18th century to the present
The overview: Under the auspices of UPenn’s School of Design, intensive studio work is accompanied by seminars and workshops in history, theory and new technologies. A wealth of subspecialties in areas like advanced digital modelling, global biodiversity, urban ecology and brownfield regeneration ensures that students aren’t limited in their interests. Faculty has included the likes of Corner, Laurie Olin and Paolo Bürgi.