ABOUT THE MUDS PROGRAM

The Master of Urban Design Studies (MUDS) program will provide intensive, advanced education in Urban Design from an interdisciplinary perspective for students who plan to pursue a professional career in an urban discipline such as planning, urban development policy, private-sector urban real estate development, municipal and planning law and the design disciplines. The MUDS degree is based on an intense one year (two semester) program. It is intended to provide an entry into the area of Urban Design for students coming from a broad range of disciplines (in contrast to the MUD program in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, which requires prior completion of a professional degree in Architecture or Landscape Architecture or a graduate degree in Planning with a design specialization).

The objectives of the program are to augment the prior education, training and experience of incoming students by fostering a deeper understanding of the interdependence of economic, social and political forces that shape the character, physical structure and dynamic properties of cities, and to develop their knowledge of the principles and practices of urban design broadly defined. These objectives are achieved through the completion of two semesters of intensive coursework in urban design history and theory, methods and regulatory frameworks, and in studios/workshops in which students develop and apply their skills to real case studies. A central feature of the program is its integration with social science perspectives on the shaping of urban form. This approach will provide students with a firm understanding of the possibilities for, and limits of, urban design.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Candidates will be accepted into the Master of Urban Design Studies program under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Admission to the MUDS program is anticipated from three different streams. The specific admissions criteria applied to each stream are as follows:

Stream 1: Bachelor’s degree with high academic standing or its equivalent in Planning, Architecture, or Landscape Architecture with a strong design concentration. An average of at least B+ (or upper second class) standing in the final year is required.

Stream 2: Master’s degree in a professional field such as Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Business Administration, and Law. An average of at least B+ in graduate studies is required.

Stream 3: Bachelor’s degree with high academic standing or its equivalent in any discipline plus evidence of significant professional experience (normally at least five years) in an area related to Urban Design and Planning. An average of at least a mid-B standing in final year.

 Due to limited enrolment capacity, meeting minimum standards does not guarantee admission.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students are required to take a total of eight half-courses. Students entering the program with significant prior design workshop/studio experience (as determined by the admissions committee) must complete a core program of five half-course credits (three half -courses and 1 full-course), plus a further three half-courses to be chosen from electives given within the Program in Planning, the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, and from the offerings of other graduate departments. Students without significant prior design workshop/studio experience must complete the above core program and PLA 1652H, plus a further two half-courses of electives. The requirements for the degree will normally be completed within one academic year, and must be completed within four years of the first registration in the program.

For full details of the MUDS program, including core courses and electives, see Section 4 of the Program in Planning Handbook.