The Master of Urban Design (M.U.D.) is an initial, interdisciplinary program of study that focuses on contemporary challenges of urbanism at local, regional and global scales. Courses are taught by faculty from Architecture, Community and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture; with an understanding that urban environments should be engaged through an integrated design process that includes ecological, social, material, economic, and urban policy factors.
The urban design degree reflects a deep commitment to resilient urban environments within the context of an increasingly concentrated, connected and, diverse urban world. Accordingly, the coursework engages emerging urbanization topics including:
- The formation of more adaptable, flexible and resilient cities;
- the exponential growth of megacities and steady decline of investments in traditional urban economies in the twenty-first century;
- The transformation of Industrial landscapes, particularly within the Midwestern context, and the global impact of transnational economic operations.
- the spatialization of informal economies, practices, and services across the south-north global divide;
- and, a reexamination of the potentials of hard and soft infrastructures, principles of the circular economy and a reframing of the urban-rural divide.
The program consists of 30 credits, typically distributed over three semesters (fall, spring and summer), however, students may choose to distribute these credits over four or five semesters. The degree is geared toward students with professional degrees in architecture (BArch, MArch), landscape architecture (BLA, MLA) or planning (BSCRP, MCRP, MUP). Graduate students can also pursue the following double degrees in the College of Design: M Arch/MUD, MCRP/MUD and MLA/MUD.
Requirements:
| URB D 501 | Urban Design Local Studio | 6 |
| URB D 502 | Urban Design Global Studio | 6 |
| History/Theory/Criticism | 6 | |
| Technology/Methods | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
List of Courses:
History/Theory/Criticism - 6 credits from the following list
| ARCH 527 | History, Theory, and Criticism of Chinese Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 528A | Studies in Architecture: Culture | 2-3 |
| ARCH 575 | Contemporary Urban Design Theory | 3 |
| ARCH 597 | Seminar on the Built Environment III: Theory | 3 |
| ARCH 598 | Seminar on the Built Environment IV: Topical Study | 3 |
| ART H 501 | Issues in Visual and Material Culture Seminar | 3 |
| ART H 587 | Nineteenth Century Art | 3 |
| ART H 588 | Modern Art and Theory | 3 |
| ART H 592 | Art History in Europe | 3 |
| ART H 594 | Women/Gender in Art | 3 |
| ART H 595 | Art and Theory Since 1945 | 3 |
| ART H 596 | History of Photography | 3 |
| ART H 597 | Green Art: Earthworks and Beyond | 3 |
| C R P 529 | Planning in Developing Countries | 3 |
| C R P 561 | Planning Theory | 3 |
| C R P 563 | Planning the American Metropolis | 3 |
| L A 578D | Topical Studies in Landscape Architecture: History/Theory/Criticism | 2-3 |
| URB D 511 | North American Urbanization | 3 |
| URB D 521 | Foundations of Urban Design | 3 |
| URB D 522 | Contemporary Urban Design Practices | 3 |
| URB D 531 | Methods of Urban Design Workshop | 3 |
| URB D 533 | Urbanism Theory and Methods | 3 |
Technology/Methods - 12 credits from the following list
| ARCH 432 | Advanced Computer Lighting and Rendering | 3 |
| ARCH 434 | Advanced Computer-aided Architectural Design | 3 |
| ARCH 533 | Digital Fabrication | 3 |
| ARCH 534 | Topics in Computer-aided Architectural Design | 3 |
| ARCH 536 | Advanced Design Media | 3 |
| ARCH 558 | Sustainability and Green Architecture | 3 |
| ARTGR 573 | Multimedia Design | 3 |
| ARTGR 578 | Graphic Design Advanced Web Design | 3 |
| ARTGR 579 | Wayfinding Design | 3 |
| ARTIS 408 | Principles of 3D Animation | 3 |
| ARTIS 493C | Workshop: Computer Art and Design | 1-3 |
| ARTIS 507 | Principles of Character Animation | 3 |
| ARTIS 508 | Computer Aided Animation and Visualization | 3 |
| ARTIS 509 | Computer/Video Game Design and Development | 3 |
| ARTIS 548 | Digital Textile Design | 3 |
| ARTIS 556 | Relief Printmaking: Digital/Traditional | 3-4 |
| ARTIS 557 | Intaglio and Monotype Printmaking: Digital / Traditional | 3-4 |
| ARTIS 558 | Lithography: Digital / Traditional | 3 |
| C R P 551 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| C R P 552 | Geographic Data Management and Planning Analysis | 3 |
| C R P 553 | Analytical Planning/GIS | 3 |
| C R P 556 | GIS Programming and Automation | 3 |
| C R P 595 | Seminar in GIS Applications/Research | 1 |
| DSN S 501 | Introduction to Research Design | 3 |
| IND D 640 | Advanced Digital Technologies | 3 |
| L A 558 | Web Mapping and Spatial Data Visualization | 3 |
| L A 578G | Topical Studies in Landscape Architecture: Graphics | 2-3 |
| L A 578K | Landscape Architecture: Computer Applications | 2-3 |
| L A 578L | Topical Studies in Landscape Architecture: Ecological Design | 2-3 |
| URB D 532 | Urban Design Media Workshop | 3 |
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| Select from History/Theory/Culture List | 3 | URB D 501 | 6 | URB D 502 | 6 |
| Select from Technology/Methods List | 3 | Select from Technology/Methods List | 3 | ||
| Select from Technology/Methods List | 3 | Select From History/Theory/Culture | 3 | ||
| Select from Technology/Methods List | 3 | ||||
| 12 | 12 | 6 | |||