The Minor in Urban Design, which is open to all WashU students, empowers students to become thoughtful practitioners and advocates in shaping equitable, sustainable, and resilient cities. This interdisciplinary program integrates design thinking across scales with insights from urban studies, environmental science, sociology, economics, and public policy. Through coursework combining theory with hands-on application, students develop both analytical and creative skills to understand the built environment as a dynamic set of systems in which physical spaces, social structures, and ecological processes intersect. Aging infrastructure networks; human health disparities; social, environmental, and economic crises; and excess resource consumption are all challenges integral to the design of cities, just community fabrics, and vibrant public spaces today. The Urban Design Minor is a first step in preparing students for careers in urban design, landscape architecture, sustainability, planning, policy, community organizing, and advocacy across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The breadth of knowledge informs all built environment practitioners, as well as anyone who engages with the life of cities and their larger regions.
Students interested in the minor should contact the minor advisor.
At least 12 of the 15 credits must be applied exclusively to the minor and cannot be counted toward another major or minor. The architecture tracks are an exception to this rule. Up to 9 credits of coursework can double count for the minor and an architecture track. Courses that count toward the minor cannot fulfill the History & Theory Research & Writing requirement for architecture majors.
The requirements below apply to students who declared the minor in Fall 2026 or later. Students who declared a minor prior to Fall 2026 should refer to Prior Bulletins for minor requirements.
Total Credits Required: 15
Required Courses
- 3 credits of Design Methods selected from the following*:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Architecture Majors: | ||
| ARCH 1110 | Introduction to Design Processes I | 4.5 |
| ARCH 1144 | Architecture for Non-Architects | 3 |
| Architecture Majors: | ||
| ARCH 3121 | Architectural Design IV (Urban Design + Landscape Systems) | 6 |
| ARCH 4121 | Architectural Design VI (Urban Design + Landscape Systems) | 6 |
- *
If the course is 4.5 or 6 credits, only 3 credits will count toward the minor.
- 3 credits of Foundations selected from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 3404 | Community Building | 3 |
| ARCH 4441 | Designing the Modern City | 3 |
- 3 credits of advanced courses selected from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| URBDES 6210 | Metropolitan Urbanism | 3 |
| URBDES 6220 | Metropolitan Development | 3 |
| URBDES 6230 | Metropolitan Sustainability | 3 |
Urban Design Electives
- 6 credits selected from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Any URBDES 3000-level or above courses | ||
| ARCH 4475 | Community Design Sprints | 1.5 |
| ARCH 4477 | Segregation By Design: A Historical Analysis of the Impact of Planning and Policy in St. Louis | 3 |
| BEYOND 1007 | Beyond Boundaries: Designing Creativity: Innovation Across Disciplines | 3 |
| ENST 3530 | Sustainable Cities | 3 |
| ENST 4801 | Sustainability Exchange: Community and University Practicums | 3 |