Urban Design

The Master of Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis offers a comprehensive and innovative program dedicated to shaping the cities of the future through thoughtful planning, sustainable development, and creative design solutions. This degree program is designed for students who are passionate about addressing complex urban challenges such as transportation, land use, environmental sustainability, and social equity. It emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, integrating principles from architecture, planning, landscape architecture, and engineering to prepare graduates for leadership roles in urban development, public policy, and design practice.

Throughout the coursework, students engage in hands-on projects, site analyses, and collaborative design studios that reflect real-world issues faced by contemporary urban environments. The curriculum covers a wide spectrum of topics including urban theory, spatial analysis, infrastructure, community engagement, and digital technology applications in urban design. Students are encouraged to develop innovative solutions that promote sustainable and resilient cities, improve quality of life, and foster equitable development.

The program also benefits from Washington University’s strong connections with local governments, urban planning agencies, and the design community, providing students with internships, research opportunities, and access to leading experts in the field. Faculty members are experienced practitioners and scholars dedicated to mentoring students through rigorous coursework, research projects, and professional development activities. The Master of Urban Design prepares graduates to work in a variety of settings, from governmental agencies and non-profit organizations to private design firms and consulting companies.

With a focus on both theoretical understanding and practical expertise, the program aims to cultivate visionary urban designers capable of transforming urban landscapes to meet the demands of the 21st century. Graduates leave equipped with a robust portfolio of projects, a deep understanding of urban systems, and the skills needed to influence policy, inform design strategies, and implement sustainable urban initiatives. The program ultimately seeks to support the creation of vibrant, livable, and sustainable cities worldwide.

The three-semester MUD curriculum is centered on a core sequence of three studios through which students develop the skills to make design proposals for a diverse range of urban conditions within the contemporary metropolitan landscape.

The first studio, Metropolitan Design Elements, takes place in the fall and introduces the theories, concepts, and principles of urban design across the urban transect through speculative exercises that explore contemporary metropolitan conditions in and around the St. Louis region. Students focus on infrastructural and ecological urbanism with the aim to develop urban design projects at the intra-district scale. Required field trips to U.S. cities such as Detroit, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Boston, provide opportunities for immersive study, organized fieldwork, and exposure to practitioners, agencies, and stakeholders in the city of study.

In the spring, the Lively City Studio engages the scale of the district and the design of public space while more fully considering the public policy, cultural, economic, and real estate conditions of cities. This studio introduces students to the immense intellectual, creative, and cultural resources of large, growing North American cities. Cities previously studied include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Toronto. During the required spring break masterclass, students travel to a major city in Europe to study how public space has been redesigned to increase urban vitality, make humane, people-centered environments, and foster the redevelopment of city life. Cities investigated include Copenhagen, Stockholm, Malmo, London, Rotterdam, and Berlin. This workshop develops a detailed knowledge of the public life/public space research and design methodology and its applicability to the practice of urban design.

The studio sequence culminates in the required degree project, Global Urbanism Action-Research Studio: an immersive, 14-week experience in mutiple 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 where they will be developing projects with different relevant strategies and design approaches for cities which have hybrid conditions of formal and informal urbanism. This studio is further supported by lectures on the history, theory, and methods of global urbanism, and 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.

In addition to the required studio sequence and masterclasses, students are introduced to urban design history, theory, concepts, and principles. In their studies, students develop the necessary analytical, research, and representational techniques to support their ability to interpret, represent, and design the contemporary urban landscape. These courses explore basic concepts in the history and theory of urbanism; environmental and infrastructure systems; landscape ecology; urban development and public policy; economic and real estate development; and sustainable urban design.

• Metropolitan Urbanism
• Metropolitan Development
• Metropolitan Sustainability

Students have the opportunity to establish areas of concentration through three urban design electives in related areas within the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design including the Schools of Law, Business, Engineering, and Social Work, as well as the Institute for Public Health. With faculty approval, students can craft an individualized experiece according to their interests and needs through the combination of electives.

Requirements

• All candidates must submit an online application.
• Personal information.
• A statement of objective of educational and career goals.
• A resume/curriculum vita (to include education and employment history, honors, awards, and extracurricular activities).
• Three letters of recommendation, to be completed by individuals who know the personal and academic qualities of the applicant (preferably—although not necessarily—academic instructors). These three letters will be submitted through the online application process. Please note that, along with other contact information, the applicant will need to provide each recommender's accurate e-mail address.
• A nonrefundable $85 application fee. Note: The $85 application fee will be waived for applicants who complete their online application by November 30. Beginning December 1, the application fee is $85, and must be paid online by credit card.
• Official transcripts. Upload a digital copy (PDF format) of transcripts from all college and universities attended. When submitting academic records from multiple schools, please organize those records for submission as a single PDF. Only those applicants who are admitted and plan to enroll will be asked to send official, hard-copy transcripts to our office by August 1.
• GRE scores, provided by the testing services (optional). While GRE scores are not required, they are strongly recommended. To ensure official test score reports arrive as needed, please use our institution code (6929) and department code (4401) when making arrangements with the testing agency.
• English language scores (if the applicant's native language is not English). A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score is required if the applicant's native language is not English. The minimum acceptable TOEFL scores are 90 on the Internet-based test, 577 on the paper-based test, or 233 on the computer-based test. The IELTS score minimum is 7.0. Note that an exception to the English test score requirement is made for candidates who have studied four years toward a baccalaureate degree in the United States. To ensure official TOEFL test score reports arrive as needed, please use our institution code (6929) and department code (12) when making arrangements with the testing agency. IELTS scores must be sent in hard-copy form to our office.
• Portfolio. A digital portfolio showing examples of design work or work in the visual arts must be uploaded to our online application system. Please review our instructions below carefully. The work represented in the portfolio—whether it includes drawings, photographs of architectural models, or artwork (including various types of media such as paintings, sculpture, ceramics, or photography)—should be the best examples of the applicant's efforts. Applicants who have not studied architecture previously should submit at least 15 examples of work in the visual arts and—if available—in the constructive arts (for example, photographs and drawings from small, three-dimensional built projects such as furniture, kiosks, or decks.) The overall intention is to show work that demonstrates potential for accomplishment in further creative study. Applicants who have pursued formal studies in architecture or landscape architecture must include examples of their design work related to those areas but are also welcome to include examples of other artistic endeavors.Important: Applicants submitting work done collaboratively, either in school or in the profession, should be as specific as possible about the extent of their personal involvement in such projects.
• Applicants who are submitting IELTS scores must arrange to have the testing service send a hard-copy report of the scores to our office.

Scholarships

• Sam Fox School Full-Tuition Award
• Danforth Scholars Program
• Honorary Scholarships
• Chancellor's Graduate Fellowship Program
• McDonnell International Scholars Academy
• Need-based financial aid assistance
• Merit-based scholarships

The Urban Design program at Washington University in St. Louis offers students a comprehensive education in the principles and practices of creating sustainable, innovative, and community-oriented urban environments. The program is designed to equip students with the skills necessary to analyze complex urban conditions, develop creative design solutions, and implement projects that enhance the quality of urban life. Students engaged in this program explore topics such as land use, transportation, environmental sustainability, historic preservation, and social equity, preparing them for careers in planning, design, and development sectors.

The curriculum combines theoretical coursework with practical studio-based design projects, allowing students to work on real-world scenarios and collaborate with community stakeholders. The program encourages interdisciplinary approaches, integrating insights from architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and related fields, fostering a holistic view of urban design challenges. Faculty members are experienced professionals and scholars committed to mentoring students and guiding innovative research and design initiatives.

Graduates of the Urban Design program at Washington University in St. Louis are well prepared to pursue careers in urban planning firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private development companies. They gain valuable skills in strategic thinking, visual communication, technical analysis, and policy development, enabling them to shape healthier, more equitable, and resilient urban landscapes. The program also supports students interested in advancing to graduate studies or engaging in academic research focused on urban issues.

Facilities and resources at the university include state-of-the-art design studios, computer labs, and access to extensive geographic information systems (GIS) data, aiding students in their project work. The university’s location in St. Louis provides a unique urban context with a rich history and varied neighborhood typologies, offering students abundant opportunities for fieldwork, community engagement, and hands-on learning.

The program emphasizes sustainable development principles, resilience, smart city concepts, and social justice as core components of urban design. Students are encouraged to think critically about how urban spaces can be transformed to support diverse populations and address contemporary challenges such as climate change, economic disparities, and technological advancements. Internships and collaborative projects with local government agencies, planning departments, and design firms are integral to the program, providing students with professional experience and industry connections.

Overall, the Urban Design program at Washington University in St. Louis aims to prepare innovative, socially responsible professionals capable of creating thoughtful, functional, and aesthetic urban environments that serve the needs of communities today and into the future.