Master of Urban and Regional Planning / Urban Design

Program Overview

The M.U.R.P./M.U.D. Dual Degree is an advanced course of study in the programs of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning. Spanning traditional disciplinary boundaries, the degree fosters experimental design and planning approaches in the study of contemporary urban phenomena. During their studies, students gain a broad range of skills, and courses integrate real estate and public finance, urban governance, design culture, environmental stewardship, and the humanities. Building on those areas of inquiry, the design studio sequence curates the development of analytical, projective and speculative design work addressing complex urban dynamics, globally.

The M.U.R.P./M.U.D. Dual Degree combines the two-year/48 credit hour (4 terms) MURP professional degree with the three semester /45 credit hour (3 terms) M.U.D. post-professional degree. The resulting 5-term program of study, includes 78 credits, with 15 double-counted credit hours. Graduates with the dual degree are highly qualified professionals who pursue careers in academia, at a wide range of private and public agencies and in non-profit organizations.

Course of Study

Students admitted to the combined program are required to complete the first-year courses in the M.U.R.P. degree program first, and then begin the M.U.D. program during the fall of the second academic year. Students may apply for admission to both the M.U.R.P. and M.U.D. programs simultaneously, or apply to the M.U.D. program while in residence during the first year of the M.U.R.P.

Degree Requirements

The dual M.U.R.P./M.U.D. degree requires the completion of a minimum of 78 credit hours. Specifically, a student must complete:

  • A minimum of 30 credit hours of URP courses (courses with course titles starting with “URP”).
  • Required specific core urban planning courses, including introduction to statistics (unless waived), public economics for planning (unless waived), planning history and theory, planning institutions and law, planning methods, fundamentals of planning practice, spatial thinking and environmental systems, and fiscal planning and management.
  • A minimum of 27 credit hours of urban design UD courses (courses with course titles starting with “UD”).
  • Sufficient urban design courses to satisfy the other distributional requirements for the MUD program of study: a 3 credit hour elective on Sustainability Landscape or Ecology, and a 3 credit hour elective on Law, Policy and Institutions.

A total of 15 credit hours may be double-counted toward the two degrees and students must earn a cumulative GPA of “B” in each unit. The courses are:

  URP 500 Planning History and Theory (3 credits)
  URP 502/503 Planning Institutions and Law (US or Comparative) (3 credits)
  URP 510 Physical Planning and Management (3 credits)
  URP 603/UD 722 Capstone or Studio II (6 credits)

Sample Course Sequence

The following sequence presents a sample or representative array of courses that would satisfy the dual degree program of study. Applicants interested in undertaking the dual degree program of study should confer with the directors of the MURP and MUD program degrees to discuss course options. Once enrolled in the dual degree program of study, the student is responsible for ensuring that all degree requirements have been met and should confer with academic advisors regularly during his/her studies accordingly.

Year 1 Graduate Study

Fall Term Credit Hours
URP 500 Planning History and Theory (for UD 713) 3
URP 509 Public Economics for Planning (unless waived) or elective 2 or 3
URP Elective(s) 3-6
Elective 3
URP 600 Expanded Horizons (Optional) 1
Total 13-16
Winter Term Credit Hours
URP 502/503 Planning Institutions and Law (US or Comparative) 3
URP 506 Planning Methods 3
URP 507 Fundamentals of Planning Practice 3
URP 550 Representation and Communications for Planners (if not design) 4
URP Elective 3
Total 16

Year 2 Graduate Study

Fall Term Credit Hours
UD 712 Studio I 6
URP or UD Elective 3
UD 714 Representation 3
URP 510 Fiscal Planning and Management (for UD 716) 3
Total 15
Winter Term Credit Hours
URP 603/UD 722 Capstone or Studio II 6
URP Elective 3
UD 715 Theories and Methods of Urban Design 3
URP Elective 3
Total 15

Year 3 Graduate Study

Fall Term Credit Hours
UD 732 Studio III 6
UD 717 The City and Urban Design: History, Movements, Policies and Outcomes 3
*Elective(s) Number of elective hours depends on credit hour need 6-9
Total 15-18

Admission Requirements

Students must file separate applications to and be admitted by both programs. An application fee must accompany each application. Each program will apply its own standards in making admission decisions. Applicants may apply to both the M.U.R.P. and M.U.D. programs simultaneously, or they may apply first to the M.U.R.P. program and then, if admitted, apply to the M.U.D. program during their first year of M.U.R.P. graduate study. M.U.D. students may apply for admission to the M.U.R.P. program once in residence.

Note that admission to the M.U.D. degree program requires submission of a portfolio, which is not required for the M.U.R.P. degree. M.U.R.P. applicants are encouraged to work on their design portfolio during their first year of study in the M.U.R.P. program of study. Applicants interested in this option should confer with academic advisors in the M.U.D. degree to explore this option in a timely manner.

/ Contact

Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Urban and Regional Planning Admissions
University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Blvd. Room 2330/2332
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2069
Phone: (734) 763-1275
Email: taubmancollegeadmissions@umich.edu

Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Urban Design Admission
University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Blvd. Room 2150
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
Email: taubmanstudentservices@umich.edu