Admission
Admission to the Master of Urban Design program will require a professional degree in architecture, landscape architecture, or urban planning from a degree program that is accredited by the national accrediting body for the profession (Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, Master of Planning, Bachelor of Planning, or foreign equivalent). In exceptional cases, the Director of Urban Design may grant admission to candidates with a non-professional design degree, like a BS in Architecture, after an extensive review of the candidates' application materials, including the academic record, design portfolio, and experience in professional practice.
All students will be required to complete the general admission requirements of the Graduate School of Architecture.
Master of Urban Design Curricula
The Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree is a 45- credit hour program. The MUD program will provide advanced education in urban design history, theory, analysis, and applied practice, with an emphasis on hands-on experience in the spatial design of environments across a variety of sites, scales and regional contexts. At the core of the curriculum is a three-semester sequence of urban design studios created specifically for Master of Urban Design students. Through these 18 credits of intense, focused project-based design training and skill-building, students will explore the environmental, structural, geographic, and social factors impacting the sustainability and resilience of cities along the Northeastern Seaboard, urbanization processes in selected sites around the globe, and urban strategies that address social and environmental justice. With an emphasis on interdisciplinary, evidence-based design, the studios will train students to conduct, analyze and apply advanced research on significant urban challenges, including spatial equity and climate change.
The studio sequence will run alongside a trio of core seminars that will educate students in urban history and theory, urban analysis and technology, and urban design strategies and engagement methodologies. Students will learn various tools and software to simulate, model and visualize urban design projects; and build their collaboration skills to effectively disseminate their research and design work to key constituencies and partners.
Restricted electives that are offered at the School of Architecture and the University will introduce students to the processes of global urbanization, and the allied fields of urban ecology and urban economics, developing competencies that will be integrated and applied in their studio projects. Throughout the interwoven studio-seminar sequence, students will work together to examine urban design challenges through the lens of multiple disciplines; share working methods and acquire new skills; and identify, evaluate, and apply best practices and effective, innovative design solutions. Open electives, chosen from the wide- ranging offerings of the School of Architecture and University at large, will allow students to further tailor the program to their personal interests and thesis.