Urban Design, MUD
Climate, Community, Ecological, Future, Health, Justice, Place, Resilience, Technology, sustainability
Collaborate with experts and industry leaders while gaining hands-on experience in practical projects, as you reimagine urban spaces for enhanced livability and resilience. Whether you aspire to design vibrant public spaces or advocate for sustainable policies, this program empowers you to shape the cities of tomorrow.
The Master of Urban Design program at The Design School is a transdisciplinary postprofessional graduate program that provides students with practical knowledge and skills to become leaders in designing healthy and resilient urban environments. Students learn and apply newly emerging design knowledge from architecture, landscape architecture, creative placemaking and place-keeping, urban planning, community development, civil engineering, and real estate development. Students also draw from critical works in nondesign disciplines, including climate science, social justice, sustainability science, urban ecology, urban climate, natural resources management, environmental psychology, anthropology, art, history and law.
The MUD program offers a three-semester curriculum built around the analysis and understanding of the dynamic urban systems specific to rapidly urbanizing regions of the world. The program leverages the Phoenix metro area as a learning laboratory to understand a number of challenges --- rapid growth and expansion, water scarcity, extreme heat, and the area's distinct ecological and cultural diversity --- toward the development of responsible and innovative design strategies necessary to build just, sustainable and resilient cities.
- College/school:
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
- Location: Tempe
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
36 credit hours including the required applied project course (MUD 593)
Required Core (10 credit hours)
MUD 521 Advanced Urban Design Studio I (5)
MUD 522 Advanced Urban Design Studio II (5)
Electives (9 credit hours)
Other Requirements (12 credit hours)
DSC 598 Topic: Principles of Collaboration in Design (3)
LAP 598 Topic: Smart City Sustainability and the Environment (3)
MUD 598 Topic: Great Cities (3)
MUD 598 Topic: Urban Issues (3)
Culminating Experience (5 credit hours)
MUD 593 Applied Project (5)
Additional Curriculum Information
Students should see the academic unit for an approved design professional elective list.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants | International applicants | English proficiency
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- letter of intent
- portfolio
- contact information for two references
- professional resume or CV
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
The Design School requires that the letter of intent, portfolio, resume or CV, and contact information for professional references must be submitted to SlideRoom in addition to the Graduate College application requirements. https://asudesign.slideroom.com/#/Login
In the letter of intent, applicants are required to express their intention to apply to the program by outlining the reasons for their application, their motivation for pursuing the program and their future goals in the field, briefly touching upon their background, experiences and qualifications that make them a suitable candidate for the program.
The portfolio should be a curated collection of a candidate's design works, projects and creations to visually represent the applicant's skills, creativity, design sensibilities and ability to conceptualize, innovate and effectively communicate design ideas.
Applicants must submit contact information for two professional references. These can come from current and past faculty members, professional mentors, supervisors, or community leaders and elders.
Admission to the program is selective. Admission cannot be deferred. Students must enroll in the semester for which they are admitted; otherwise, they need to go through the entire application process again for the year for which they are applying.
Applicants who hold a studio-based four-year undergraduate design degree are considered for the one-year MUD program. This is a postprofessional program.
Applicants must hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from a college or university recognized by ASU in a studio-based design discipline.
Applicants may be admitted to the one-year program with additional required coursework if their previous coursework is not equivalent to the ASU undergraduate requirements and standards. This additional coursework must be completed prior to taking the required courses, if necessary. This may cause the student to take longer than one year to complete the program.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 05/01 | Final |
| Session A/C | In Person | 01/15 | Priority |
Graduates are prepared to work across a diverse spectrum of positions in the design field within public and private sectors and not-for-profit organizations. Potential areas of work include:
- climate change mitigation and adaptation
- community development
- creative placemaking and placekeeping
- environmental and climate justice
- low-impact development
- public health and cities
- smart cities
- sustainable cities
- transit-oriented design
- urban and community resilience
The Design School
|
CDN 162
designgrad@asu.edu
480-965-3536
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
