Students with a professional degree or the equivalent in architecture, urban planning or landscape architecture may apply for admission to this program, which leads to the Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree. This degree is awarded upon completion of a three-term graduate curriculum devoted to urban design.
The program leads to a STEM-designated post-professional MUD degree with an emphasis on the physical design of the built environment, including issues of the metropolitan landscape.
The Master of Urban Design degree can be combined with study in other divisions at Washington University, including architecture, landscape architecture, public health and social work. To learn more, visit the Dual & Joint Degrees webpage.
These combined programs are of particular value to those who want to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to architecture and urban design and to prepare for a wide array of diverse career opportunities.
Chair
For a list of faculty members, please refer to the Architecture faculty page.
Master of Urban Design
Candidates for a Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree are required to complete a total of 42 units of credit. Course work covers the history and theory of urban form, urban sustainability, morphology and metabolism of urban form, real estate development, landscape urbanism, infrastructural urbanism, regulating controls and zoning, and community development; they are spread over the fall and spring semesters. In addition to the course work, three urban design studios (inclusive of a one- to two-week field trip in the spring semester and an immersion international traveling summer studio) are required.
Semester/Units
| Semester |
Units |
| Fall |
|
| Elements of Urban Design Studio |
6 |
| Metropolitan Urbanism |
3 |
| Metropolitan Development |
3 |
| Informal Cities Workshop |
1 |
| Urban Design Elective |
3 |
| Spring |
|
| Metropolitan Design Elements Studio |
6 |
| Metropolitan Sustainability |
3 |
| Lively Cities Masterclass |
2 |
| Urban Design Elective |
3 |
| Urban Design Elective |
3 |
| Summer |
|
| Global Urbanism Studio |
6 |
| Urban Design Research Theories & Methods |
3 |
| Total Units |
42 |
The studio sequence culminates in the required degree project, Global Urbanism Studio: an immersive, 14-week experience in multiple global cities. Each year, the studio selects a fast-growing city in Asia, Africa, or South America to compare and contrast with other relevant global cities. These selected global cities are marked by an active culture and lively arts and design scene; their urban fabric is challenged by rapid growth, environmental stress, social complexity, and the need for a new approach to urbanism. Recent studios have been located in Mexico City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Johannesburg, and Dubai. This studio begins with three weeks of research and study, followed by six to eight weeks immersed in the selected cities — living, researching, observing, and working on the urban design project.
The summer Global Urbanism studio also builds upon the required fall break masterclass, which is focused on the study of informal cities. This sequence is intended to prepare students for a rapidly urbanizing world in which they will be developing projects with different relevant strategies and design approaches for cities that have hybrid conditions of formal and informal urbanism. This studio is further supported by lectures on the history, theory, and methods of global urbanism as well as a robust visiting international guest lecturer program that provides valuable local insight into the cultural, artistic, and social conditions of the city. The studio culminates in the publication of a studio research and design report that is focused on studying a series of global cities in comparative perspective, with each student creating a particular and site-specific proposition within one of the cities studied.
Master of Urban Design Studio Grade Requirement
A MUD student wishing to take the summer urban design studio (MUD 714) must have earned a minimum average grade of B- or better in the first two urban design studios (MUD 711 Elements of Urban Design and MUD 713 Metropolitan Design Elements). Students who do not fulfill this minimum requirement must repeat MUD 711 and/or MUD 713. If a student has not fulfilled this minimum requirement after repeating MUD 711 and/or MUD 713, they will be dismissed from the Master of Urban Design program.
The option to repeat a studio is contingent on a student having met the requirements of Academic Probation. A suspension or dismissal that is a result of the Academic Probation policy takes precedence over this Studio Grade Requirement policy.
Master of Urban Design Combined Degree Programs
The MUD program offers a series of combined degree programs, including the following:
These combined degree programs are of particular value to those who want to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to architecture and urban design. They prepare the student for a wide array of diverse career opportunities.
For a list of available courses, please refer to the Courses section of the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design in this Bulletin.