Following their third year, landscape architecture students participate in an intensive five-week summer study abroad program. Travel to an array of locations — that have included Italy, France and England in recent years — introduces students to canonical sites in the history of landscape architecture. Some locations and sites visited in the past have included:

• The ruins of Emperor Hadrian’s Villa
• The baroque splendor of Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
• Capability Brown’s serene landscapes at Corsham Court
• Contemporary work such as Paris’ Parc de la Villette 

Students use a sketchbook and journal to document and analyze the spaces they experience, which range from secluded gardens to bustling urban plazas. Throughout the journey, professors discuss universal design principles and the impact of tradition and culture in shaping an environment.

Periodically students have an opportunity to participate in supplemental workshops on topics that have included the redevelopment of a medieval Italian hill town.

By building upon required history courses and department-led field trips, the landscape architecture study abroad program is integral to introducing national and global perspectives to landscape architecture students.