Urban Design, MUD MUD
STEM-designated
Design cities that thrive. Our Master of Urban Design graduate degree prepares you to reshape urban spaces with meaningful insight, creativity and impact. With our program, you’ll bridge design and planning with an advanced degree in as little as 12 months.
Gain the knowledge and skills to create resilient urban spaces addressing current and future challenges. Through the Urban Design program, you will be prepared to develop design guidelines, shape neighborhoods and public spaces, plan multimodal infrastructure and integrate ecological solutions in dynamic urban contexts.
Program Type
Master’s
Program Format
On Campus
What it’s like to study at the School of Architecture & Urban Planning
Step into a collaborative environment where design and architecture meet real-world complexity. Guided by expert faculty, you’ll gain the skills to develop urban design strategies that address resilience, sustainability, and equity in the built environment. You’ll also meet guest speakers and professionals, including many alumni, who can help you build valuable connections. And you’ll do it all with access to the resources you need to succeed.
But don’t take our word for it. See for yourself what it is like to be a student here by scheduling a visit to campus.
Master of Urban Design (MUD) Program Details
The Master of Urban Design (MUD) is a 30-credit advanced degree designed for students with a background in architecture, landscape architecture, design-focused urban planning, interior design or a design-studio background.
The program can be completed in 12 months and includes a mix of core and elective courses, with at least 12 credits from architecture and 12 from urban planning. The curriculum also provides you with opportunities for internships, independent study, and study abroad.
Review the Master of Urban Design (MUD) requirements.
How to Apply
Applying to a program offered by UWM’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning is simple with our detailed application instructions. Learn what materials to prepare and confidently take next steps with important dates in mind.
Graduate Assistantships + Scholarships & Aid
Graduate students may be eligible to receive funding support through teaching, research and project assistantships. Graduate assistantships typically include full tuition remission, annual stipend and affordable state health coverage through the university.
UW-Milwaukee offers a variety of cost-saving opportunities, including scholarships, grants, fellowships and residency-based tuition rates. Plus, we offer several scholarships available exclusively to School of Architecture & Urban Planning students.
Projects
The greater Milwaukee community is a living laboratory for learning and discovery. Your core courses and many elective courses engage you in real-life planning experiences where you’ll work in groups, under faculty supervision, for clients in the community. That means you’ll learn firsthand the challenges and rewards of articulating a vision, finding solutions, analyzing policies and preparing plans.
Study Abroad
We have a long tradition of offering diverse programs of international study led by our well-traveled faculty. These custom-designed travel opportunities happen throughout the school year and in the summer. Recent trips have taken students to France, Italy, England, Scandinavia and Japan. Take your education further with study abroad opportunities.
Student Organizations
Learn in action through architecture and urban planning student organizations. Opportunities include connecting with professional association leaders, attending national conferences and tackling real-world projects for clients and community partners. Plus, you’ll deepen your connections with faculty, mentors and fellow students. Check out our student organizations.
Career Outlook
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook
Where Urban Planners Work
The majority of planners work for municipalities, including central cities and suburbs within major metropolitan areas and suburbs. They also work in medium-sized and smaller cities that serve as the hub of activity for a larger rural area. Planners also work in county government, for regional planning agencies and in state government. A significant number of planners work in the private sector as well.
Here are some additional examples where planners work:
- Architecture firms hire planners to help them design more functional neighborhoods.
- Banks hire planners to assist them in making community investment decisions.
- Economic development agencies hire planners to help them better understand the linkages between public policies and employment and to better communicate with employers about the competitive advantages of specific locations.
- Nonprofit community organizations hire planners to operate housing, mortgage assistance, or economic development programs.
- Real estate developers hire planers to help them negotiate development terms that meet the developer’s needs while addressing the concerns of neighborhoods and city councils.
- School districts hire planners to help with resource allocation decisions or initiatives dealing with new approaches to service delivery.
- Transportation agencies (such as state highway departments and local transit agencies) need urban planners to help them better integrate proposed transportation improvements (whether highways, transit, or bike facilities) with new residential and commercial development.
Career Resources
We’re committed to helping you launch your career from your first semester to your first job and beyond. We offer a variety of ways for you to build your professional network and prepare for a successful transition into your career. Learn more about career resources.
Which faculty you have within this program depends on your chosen courses or interests. For a list of all School of Architecture & Urban Planning faculty and staff please click the button below.
- Teaching Assistant, Architecture
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- Affiliated Faculty, Historic Preservation Institute
- bustosl2@uwm.edu
- Arch & Urban Planning 327
- Associate Professor & Co-Chair, Urban Planning
- cesswein@uwm.edu
- 414-977-7744
- Arch & Urban Planning 389
- Associate Professor, Urban Planning
- Founding Director, Center for Equity Practice & Planning Justice
- keharris@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5824
- Arch & Urban Planning 322
- Teaching Assistant, Doctoral, Architecture
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- ismat@uwm.edu
- Arch & Urban Planning 426
- Director, Historic Preservation Institute
- mjarosz@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5686
- Arch & Urban Planning 299
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- koch6@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4014
- Arch & Urban Planning 493
- Dean, College of the Arts & Architecture
- Professor, Architecture
- newmanw@uwm.edu
- Art 284
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- Interim Head of School, School of Architecture & Urban Planning
- Associate Professor, Architecture
- reynol54@uwm.edu
- Arch & Urban Planning 245
- Associate Professor, Architecture
- jshields@uwm.edu
- 262-385-0553
- Arch & Urban Planning 383
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- dfshuvra@uwm.edu
- Arch & Urban Planning 426
- Associate Professor, Architecture
- Director, Design + Construction Initiative
- timmer@uwm.edu
- Arch & Urban Planning 225
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Architecture
- Affiliated Faculty, Historic Preservation Institute
- aswagner@uwm.edu
- Arch & Urban Planning 272A
- Associate Professor & Department Chair, Architecture
- wallick@uwm.edu
- 414-229-3221
- Arch & Urban Planning 251
- Professor, Architecture
- Director, Institute for Ecological Design
- Affiliated Faculty, School of Freshwater Sciences
- jwasley@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4045
- Arch & Urban Planning 293
