Transform today’s complex urban conditions into a more resilient future with WashU’s Master of Urban Design

Established in 1962 by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki, WashU’s STEM-
designated Master of Urban Design program introduces students to a range of urban conditions with an in-depth focus on sustainable urbanism. Through a core sequence of three studios and seminars, students develop the skills to make design proposals for local to global urban conditions within the contemporary metropolitan landscape. Urban design is approached through a full range of scales: from the mega-region to the district, from the district to the street, and ultimately, to the design of the public realm as the place of lively and vibrant community life.

Part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at WashU, the Master of Urban Design program is open to individuals who hold professional or pre-professional degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, or planning. WashU also offers dual degree options, where students can pair their one-year Master of Urban Design degree with a professional degree in architecture, landscape architecture, or social work.

The program is chaired by Professor Linda C. Samuels and offers many opportunities for hands-on, site-specific learning through workshops and study abroad. In the Informal Cities workshop — in 2025 led by Tanzil Shafique, author of “City of Desire: An Urban Biography of the Largest Slum in Bangladesh” — students grapple with frictions and interconnections that exist between the informal and formal aspects of the city. The Lively City workshop in the spring semester provides students the skills to put people and their needs at the heart of the creative process of reimagining cities. The MUD program culminates with the Global Urbanism Studio, which invites students to study and experience significant global cities in comparative perspective. Recent sites include Bangkok, Shanghai, Johannesburg, and Kampala.

Applications are free until December 14, 2025. The application deadline is January 3, 2026. Interested students are encouraged to attend a virtual information session either November 12 or December 5.

Details and registration are available at samfoxschool.washu.edu/mud.