Program Overview
The Master's Program in Landscape Planning and Design was established in 2013 and was approved to enroll graduate students in 2015. Rooted in the field of landscape planning and design, this program is characterized by interdisciplinary integration and aims at both social application and cutting-edge academic research. Leveraging the university’s strong background in science and engineering, it embraces the interdisciplinary and integrative nature of the information age. With a focus on landscape architectural design and cultural heritage preservation, the program cultivates high-level professionals who possess a rigorous academic attitude, mastery of scientific methods, critical thinking, and innovative capabilities.
The program currently offers four research directions: Landscape Architecture Culture and Tourism Planning, Theories and Methods of Modern Landscape Design, Regional Culture and Heritage Conservation, and Ecological Resources and Environmental Design. In recent years, the program has actively explored the application of technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data in landscape and human settlement environments, aiming to enhance students’ comprehensive capabilities and forward-thinking in the design of smart cities and complex ecological systems.
Faculty Strength
This program has a faculty team composed of experienced educators, including Shanghai Leading Talents. Currently, there are 4 professors and 6 associate professors. The program is supported by excellent teaching facilities, including specialized classrooms and laboratories. Faculty members have academic backgrounds in various fields such as landscape architecture, architecture, urban and rural planning, and human geography. Most of the faculty have overseas study experience and have pursued advanced studies at prestigious universities such as Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Harvard University, and Columbia University, demonstrating strong international perspectives and cross-cultural communication capabilities.
Several members of the faculty team have been selected for talent programs such as the Shanghai “Pujiang Scholar” and “Morning Light” programs. They have led multiple research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Social Science Foundation. Their research focuses on cutting-edge areas such as urban and rural cultural heritage preservation, green and carbon-neutral design, intelligent landscape design, and future human living environments.
Teaching Philosophy
This program upholds the teaching philosophy of “integrating science and art, and uniting knowledge and practice,” aiming to build a comprehensive talent cultivation system suited to the development of design education in the new era: （1）Moral education and talent cultivation: integrating ideological and political education into professional teaching to strengthen social responsibility and ecological ethics; （2）Integration of science and art: leveraging a foundation in science and engineering to deeply integrate new technologies with landscape design and expand students’ innovative capabilities; （3）Industry-education integration: collaborating with enterprises and local governments to e coordinated education across government, industry, academia, research, and application; （4）Cultural integration: blending traditional culture with contemporary expression to enhance students’ humanistic literacy and aesthetic competence. In addition, the program regularly hosts expert lectures, joint workshops, and international exhibitions. Supported by the reform practices of the New Liberal Arts initiative, it es modular teaching and flexible curricula to broaden students’ international perspectives and interdisciplinary capabilities.
Teaching Achievements
In recent years, the program has undertaken multiple national and provincial-level teaching reform projects, with several courses selected as first-class courses at both the national and Shanghai municipal levels. Graduate students have actively participated in research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, the National Social Science Foundation, and the Ministry of Education’s Humanities and Social Sciences programs. They have also won numerous awards in domestic and international competitions such as Milan Design Week and “Shanghai Design 100+,” demonstrating strong academic competence and design skills. These achievements have made graduates highly sought after by employers, with promising career prospects.
At the same time, the program has established multiple on-campus and off-campus practice bases, as well as university–enterprise joint studios, forming a practice-oriented teaching system that integrates industry, academia, research, and application. Through collaboration with local governments and enterprises, the program actively participates in projects such as urban and rural spatial transformation, landscape enhancement, and cultural tourism brand design, ing the transformation of outcomes and generating significant social impact.
