Ambler Campus, Temple University

You are most welcome to the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, School of Environmental Design, Website.

Our Department offers Associates and Bachelors Degrees in Horticulture in addition to Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Landscape Architecture. We also have a range of undergraduate certificates in Horticulture and a joint certificate in Sustainable Design in partnership with the Community and Regional Planning Department. Minors in Environmental Horticulture and Landscape Studies are options for students who wish to broaden their education.

The Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Department’s mission is to provide an excellent ecologically based education. Our goal is to train leaders in the art and science of horticulture and landscape architecture. Our programs provide students with knowledge and understanding of the environment so that they can improve the quality of our urban, suburban and rural communities and landscapes.

The history of our programs began with the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women, founded in 1911. Associate Degrees in Horticulture were established in 1958 by Temple University. Bachelors Degrees in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture were offered in 1988, and the undergraduate Landscape Architecture program was first accredited in 1990. The Masters Program in Landscape Architecture began in 2010 and is being reviewed for initial accreditation in 2012-13.

All of our programs share a commitment to the ecology and culture of place. Our beautiful 187 acre arboretum is a living laboratory for learning plant material and ecology in addition to landscape architecture, landscape restoration and horticulture. Our classes and studios fuse academics and hands-on, practical opportunities for learning. This may include stream bank restoration, surveying and drawing our historic Formal Perennial Garden, working with an inner city community group or with faculty in the Horticulture Research laboratory.

Our students are a diverse group interested in plants, art, nature, ecology and in learning to address the important environmental and cultural issues of our time. Students regularly win prestigious scholarships and awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Woman's National Farm and Garden Association and the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association. Our alumni work as community planners, landscape architects and horticulturists in the public and private sectors. Some have started their own firms and others have followed an academic path. Many have become leaders of their chosen disciplines and are active in the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Horticultural Society.

The faculty and staff are dedicated to supporting the academic mission of the Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Department. Faculty are actively engaged in a broad range of research and creative work including community planning, landscape performance assessment, urban horticulture, green roof substrates, seed treatments, medicinal plants and applications, rare plant species investigations, landscape restoration, healing and children’s gardens.

We encourage you to visit our campus for an Open House or Undergraduate / Graduate Information session. You are also welcome to visit us if you have particular questions about any of our programs. We look forward to meeting you and to assisting you along with our advising team in developing a path to a successful career in landscape architecture or horticulture.