The Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst was founded by Frank A. Waugh in 1903 as an undergraduate program in Landscape Gardening, the second such program in the United States. In the 120 years since then, the department has grown substantially, changed its name, and developed a number of distinct instructional, research, and outreach programs.
The Master's of Landscape Architecture (MLA) was initiated in 1915 as a Master's in Landscape Gardening, changed three years later to a Master's in Landscape Architecture. It was first accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1971.
Our Associate of Science in Landscape Contracting (AS), part of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, was initiated in 1923 as Horticulture, subsequently changed to Landscape Operations, and recently to Landscape Contracting.
In 1930, the original Bachelor of Science in Landscape Gardening (BS) was changed to a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture. At the same time, a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) was awarded for a fifth year of study at the graduate level after the BS in Landscape Architecture. In 1959, the BS in Landscape Architecture was first accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architecture.
In 1968 the Master's in Regional Planning (MRP) was initiated, and in 1971, the name of the department was changed to Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning to reflect our larger mission. In 1976 the MLA and MRP programs were administratively separated. The MRP was first accredited in 1987. Doctorate in Regional Planning (PhD) was approved in 1988, and the first students were admitted in 1989.
Today, the MLA, MRP, and BSLA offered by UMass Amherst are all professionally accredited degree programs.
The department' new home, the 87,500 square foot, LEED certified John W. Olver Design Building at UMass Amherst was completed in 2017. The goal for the Design Building was to create an innovative and inspired building that visibly demonstrates environmentally sensitive design that serves as a teaching tool for our students. The result is one of the most advanced mass timber buildings in the U.S., exemplifying UMass's commitment to sustainability and future of the built environment. The building's rooftop garden is especially beloved by students and faculty, serving as a community gathering space and hands-on learning environment for landscape architecture and landscape contracting classes.
Photos:
1.) Header image: Archived photo of Wilder Hall, the department's first building, circa 1906
2.) Archived photo of students handling carnation plants from the "Modern Training in Horticulture" program handbook, Massachusetts Agricultural College Division of Horticulture, Amherst, MA, 1907
3. ) The John W. Olver Design Building, present