Landscape Architecture courses have been taught in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of New Mexico for more than 25 years. In order to meet the demands for graduate landscape architects in the state, the School embarked on a process of developing a graduate Landscape Architecture degree program which would have the same status in the School as the Architecture and Planning programs. On April 29,1997, the faculty of the School of Architecture and Planning unanimously voted to add Landscape Architecture to the School's program offerings. All University and State approvals were finally complete in June, 2000, and the first class was admitted to the new program in the fall of 2000. The program was accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board in August, 2003.

The program owes much to John Brinkerhoff Jackson, one of the twentieth century's most prominent cultural historians. Mr. Jackson, who lived nearby in La Cienega, New Mexico, was enthralled with the New Mexican landscape and drew upon his experiences here throughout his teaching career at UNM, Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley. A prolific writer, J. B. wrote extensively about New Mexico landscapes and settlements and edited the journal, Landscape, thereby furthering the field of Landscape Architecture. Mr. Jackson chose to leave his legacy in the form of an endowment to the School of Architecture and Planning, and his legacy is being honored by building research, scholarship and teaching excellence in landscape architecture at the University of New Mexico.