Students from these joint degree programs earn a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the Brown School and a Master of Architecture (MArch) or a Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

Students entering the MArch program who have also been admitted to the MSW program will require three and a half to four and a half academic years of study split between the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design and the Brown School.

Students admitted to the MUD/MSW program spend a minimum of two semesters in the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design completing the MUD requirements and four semesters in the Brown School completing the MSW requirements.

The intent of the program is to prepare architects and urban designers to understand the built and urban environment through the lens of social work by being responsive to the emotional, social, and physical needs of individuals, families and communities.

Graduates of these joint-degree programs are prepared to work in community development and planning, housing rehabilitation, and residential design for populations at risk, such as the developmentally disabled, elderly, or economically disadvantaged.

Architecture courses such as urban planning, decision theory and design methods, and social and behavioral factors in planning and design may be applied toward the social work degree.

For both the MArch/MSW and MUD/MSW joint-degree programs, students may start their initial year in either school.

For more information, visit the Sam Fox School and Brown School websites.

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