Welcome to the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning – known as SARUP.

Our award-winning faculty are committed to teaching the next generation of change agents for the 21st century – to address the serious problems of contemporary society – climate change, social justice, resiliency, migration, and urbanization amongst other global issues. Complex challenges such as these rely on working across disciplines and disrupting normative practices.

Our place of operation is rooted in the city in which we call home. Milwaukee is a place where we not only situate our courses as we address some of the serious problems facing the city – disenfranchised neighborhoods, social equity and health disparities to name a few – but also a place of opportunity, a place to be creative, a place where design matters.

SARUP students are the future makers, builders, designers, and planners. They work in collaboration with communities in Milwaukee and across the state to impact the built environment – whether through policy or design. We learn from the community and in turn act to make an impact in partnership with the community.

SARUP students are leaders making a difference. They are not waiting until after they graduate to make an impact – they are making positive change now. Our students teamed with Milwaukee public elementary schools to design and build new outdoor classrooms and raised garden beds.

SARUP students are involved in faculty research. As part of an R1 research institution, our students are delving into questions about the intersection of law and architecture, equitable food access, on-demand microtransit service, environmental properties of materials as part of climate action, affordable housing, and new programming for vacant storefronts. They are pushing professional boundaries and redefining our disciplines.

SARUP students are leading the effort to create resources, events, and procedures that foster diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion at SARUP. Students, in collaboration with faculty, are drafting a new DEI statement for the school.

Across the SARUP website, you will find information on new faculty and staff joining, new degree programs being launched, changes to our existing spaces, an upcoming lecture by Marcus Prize recipient Ensamble Studio, and the launch of a new design institute.

With a Design Matters attitude, we made a few renovations to the building, including a reconfiguration of the main office suite deploying urban forest products, to showcase sustainable practices and highlight the student experience at SARUP. We are welcoming over 675 new and returning students into these new SARUP spaces. With the evolution of our new academic programs, we are evaluating our work and processes through an equity lens with the goal of creating an environment and culture of inclusion.

We are happy to announce the launch of the Design + Construction Institute (DCI) which included the summer design/build camp for high school students. With DCI in place, and a focus on hands-on research experiences and rigorous practice-based academic programs, we will continue to strengthen our highly sought-after students. SARUP graduates continue to get snapped up even before graduation.

Unleash your passion for changing the built environment at SARUP. Join us to map out your pathway as future architects, planners, and urban designers.

Interim Dean
Mo Zell