Landscape Architecture
Abroad
One of the distinguishing features of Penn State’s five-year bachelor of landscape architecture program is the requirement that all students spend one semester abroad. International experience is an essential component of the education of all citizens of our increasingly "global village." Additionally, this experience is particularly important for future landscape architects, a growing number of whom are likely to practice internationally. All students who wish to matriculate at Penn State in the undergraduate landscape architecture program are expected to recognize the educational benefit of the semester abroad, and to be both prepared and eager to experience this unique educational requirement.
Students are encouraged to seek study abroad experiences in the widest range of settings and work with the department to define a suitable curriculum in the study abroad setting. Individual students have chosen Australia and Brazil as study settings and we encourage other locations, but the majority of students visit Sede di Roma, our campus in Rome operated jointly with Penn State’s Department of Architecture.
Sede di Roma is remarkable in a number of respects
- The main studio facilities are located in the Palazzo Doria Pamphili, in the Piazza Del Collegio Romano – an excellent location right in the business and cultural heart of the city.
- Studio classes are taught by faculty visiting from University Park as well as by designers from the Rome community. We gain the best of both worlds – strong integration with the BLA curriculum and insider knowledge of design being practiced in one of the world’s most important design settings.
Students pay regular tuition to attend the semester in Rome plus a fee to cover support provided by Penn State's Office of Education Abroad; additional expenses are for airfare, housing, and daily living. Students pass on their insights in these potentially costly areas to the upcoming classes – so that most find they can live well and still travel extensively through Italy and the rest of Europe.
For other study abroad settings, students work through the Office of Education Abroad, which maintains close ties to prestigious universities in all major locations world-wide. Programs vary – some include housing and meals, others do that in part, and yet others cover tuition alone. In each case the office ensures that the educational experience is tailored to the student’s BLA requirements. |
Students in Rome with Brian Orland
|
|
