Implementation Date: 2012
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
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Master of Architecture and Urban Design Dual Degree
The curriculum for the dual M.Arch/M.U.D degree is noted below. The curricula for the dual degree opportunities of M.U.D/M.A. Geography (Community Planning) and M.U.D/M.B.A. M.S.R.E (Real; Estate) are developed to suit the individual student interested in these options once the student is accepted onto both programs.
Master of Architecture / Master of Urban Design Curriculum
The dual M.ARCH/M.U.D degree requires a minimum of 8475 hours to be completed.
Year One
Fall (152 hours)
ARCH 5305 Building Systems Integration (3)
ARCH 7101 Design Studio: Comprehensive (6)
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (3)
ARCH 5203 Architectural History III: Survey of Contemporary Theory (3)
ARCH 5604 Computational Methods (3)
Spring (12 hours)
ARCH 7201 Design Methodologies (3)
MUDD 5602 Planning, Law and Urban Design (3)
MUDD 6112 Sustainable Urbanism and Open Space Design Studio (6)
ARCH 7102 Design Studio: Topical (6)
ARCH 5205 Arch History Topic (3) OR ARCH 6050 Arch. Elective (3)
ARCH 6306 Technology Topic 1
Summer (9 hours)
MUDD 7101 Advanced Capstone/Global Urban Design Studio (foreign-based first Summer session) (3)
MUDD 7101 Advanced Capstone/Global Urban Design Studio (Charlotte-based second Summer session) (3)
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (integrated with foreign studio) (3)
Year Two
Fall (12 hours)
ARCH 7102 Design Studio: Topical (6)
MUDD 6101 Urban Design 1. Fundamentals Studio (6)
MUDD 5601 Community Planning Workshop (3)
MUDD 6213 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)
MUDD 6205 Urban History / Theory Elective
Spring (12 hours)
ARCH 7103 Design Studio: Topical (6)
ARCH 6050 Architecture Elective (3)
ARCH 5204 Architecture History Elective (3)
MUDD 6102 Urban Design 2. Urban Open Space/Infrastructure Studio (6)
MUDD 5602 Planning, Law and Urban Design (3)
ARCH 7201 Design Methods (3)
Summer (12 hrs)
MUDD 7101 Urban Design 3.Vertical / Global Urbanism (foreign based first summer session) (3)
MUDD 6204 Urban History / Theory Elective (3)
MUDD 7101 Urban Design 3.Vertical / Global Urbanism (Charlotte based second summer session) (3)
MUDD 6050 Urban Design Elective
Year Three
Fall (9 hours)
ARCH 7202 Final Project/Thesis Document (3) (approved urban focus required)
ARCH 6050 Architecture Elective (3)
MUDD 6213 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)
ARCH 6307 Technology Topic 2
Spring (129 hours)
ARCH 7104 Final Project/Thesis Studio (6) (approved urban focus required)
ARCH 5206 Professional Practice (3)
ARCH 5605 Computational Practice
Graduate Advising
A critical component of any successful graduate program is academic advising and guidance during the course of a student's program of study. The primary advisors for all urban design graduate students in the School of Architecture will be the Associate Director of the School of Architecture, in consultation with the Director of the Urban Design Program.
Transfer Credit
Transfer credit may be granted under special circumstances (e.g., approved post-baccalaureate status prior to entry into the program) and is limited to a maximum of six hours of graduate credit.
Waiver Credit
Waiver credit may be allowed if a student can demonstrate that a course or courses taken in his or her prior undergraduate or graduate curriculum equals or exceeds in both content and rigor of a course or courses required in the graduate curriculum. If a required course in the curriculum is waived, the student will be allowed to fill those credit hours with another course as advised by the Associate Director of the School of Architecture, in consultation with the Director of the Urban Design Program.
Application for Degree
In order to meet UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School requirements for degree candidacy, all graduate students must receive a written certification from their department confirming a successful capstone project. This report requires approval from the Director of the Urban Design Program, as well as the signatures from the graduate faculty members involved in the project. The completion of this report results in the granting of the degree. In addition, and prior to this completion, each student should make application for his/her degree by completing the online Application for Degree through Banner Self Service no later than the filing date specified in the University Academic Calendar.
Research and Study Abroad Opportunities
M.U.D students may engage in research activities via the School of Architecture’s Design + Society Research Center (D+SRC). Full-timeAll students automatically obtain international study experience through the required global Summer studio.
Assistantships, Tuition Differentials, and Scholarships
A number of research assistantships, scholarships, tuition differentials, and tuition waivers are available to M.U.D candidates. Awards are based on the applicant's academic merit or promise of academic merit, and/or on demonstration of need.
Courses in Urban Design (MUDD)
Studio Courses
MUDD 5101050. Design Studio: Basics. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6100. Prerequisite: B.A., B.S. or equivalent college degree. This introductory graduate course in architecture is intended for students newly admitted to the School of Architecture's 3+ year professional program. This five-week, intensive studio-based course includes an introduction to freehand drawing, 2-D composition, 3-D modeling, and visual theory. In addition, the course offers an introduction to a variety of related topics (history, urbanism, structure, lighting, materials, etc.) that serve as critical departure points for understanding and making architectural and urban projects. (Summer)
MUDD 61011. Fundamentals of Urban Design Studio. (6) This introductory urban design studio focuses on fundamental concepts as well as the acquisition and practice of a wide range of technical and graphic skills and media. It is intended to serve as an arena to explore and test issues focused around the making of sustainable public infrastructure, spatial definition by buildings, and the particular dynamics of civic and social spaces. (Fall)
MUDD 61012. Sustainable Urbanism and Open SpaceUrban Open Space and Infrasructure Design Studio. (6) Prerequisite: MUDD 61011 (or ARCH 7101 for dual degree MarchII/M.U.D students). This intermediate design studio focuses on the sustainable development of neighborhoods, districts, sites and urban open spaces, exploring design process issues as well as the continued acquisition and practice of a variety of technical and graphic skills. (Spring)
MUDD 7101. Advanced Capstone/Vertyical Urbanism/Global Urban Design Studio. (6) Prerequisite: MUDD 61012. This advanced design studio focuses on site-specific projects in countries outside the USA and emphasizes methods of research and design as well as technological and systemic issues of sustainability in dense and vertical urban environments. This course pursues a directed research and design agenda that varies according to faculty interest, expertise and/or project requirements. In addition, this course may build upon the resources of the Design + Society Research Center (D+SRC) at the School of Architecture. (Summer-First and Second Sessions)
MUDD 7134. Independent Capstone Research Project (6) Prerequisite: MUDD 61012. This is an alternative capstone course to MUDD 7101 for students in exceptional circumstances only. This advanced project offers support and structure for students undertaking their capstone experience as individualized research and/or design work within the parameters of the M.U.D program but outside the normative full-time sequence of studios or as part of a dual degree option with an individually tailored course plan. An individually defined urban research and/or design project will be taken under the direction of a M.U.D faculty member and other advisors as appropriate. (Fall, Spring)
Required Seminar Courses
MUDD 5601. Community Planning Workshop. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. Serves to acquaint students with contemporary theory and practice in planning and urban design; to give students experience in applying planning and urban design theory and methods to actual problems; to provide students with experience in compiling and analyzing community scale data, working with citizens, professional planners and designers, and elected officials, to provide students with experience in the preparation of oral reports and technical documents; and to examine what it means for the planner and urban designer to demonstrate ethical responsibility to the public interest, to clients and employers, and to colleagues and oneself. (Fall)
MUDD 5602. Planning, Law, and Urban Design. (3) Examines the impact of planning law on the urban form of cities, both historically and in terms of contemporary professional practice. It surveys the impacts of planning regulations from Philip of Spain’s “Laws of the Indies” at the beginning of American colonization through the development of English common law property rights, their extension to America and the development of zoning and planning legislation during the 20th century. Special attention is paid to current applications of form-based zoning codes in Britain and America and their implications for urban design and the patterns of settlement. (Spring)
Elective Seminar Courses
MUDD 6050. Topics in Urban Design Elective. (3) Study of topical areas of urbanism and urban design. May be repeated for credit as topics change. May include courses from the M.A. in Geography (Community Planning Track) by permission of the Director of the M.U.D Program. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
MUDD 6050. Urban Form, Context and Economics. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. Urban development and redevelopment can be considered typologically in two main categories: large “catalyst” projects (performing arts centers, entertainment complexes, and other large, mixed-use projects); and smaller, incremental interventions in the urban setting that lack glamour but contribute much needed depth and complexity to the urban environment. This course focuses on how and why urban projects are formulated by public and private interests. It engages the conceptual origins, design development and production of urban projects large and small, in an effort to understand the relationship between development economics, social factors, program development, design concepts and urban contexts.
MUDD 6050. Shaping The American City. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. Throughout the Twentieth Century, urban politics, policies, and programs have shaped the space of the American City, including the architecture of urban settlement patterns, public space, transportation, and housing. An understanding of the political / social / historical / spatial foundations of urban policies in relation to the American City is critical in understanding the development of our current urban patterns, the spatial distribution of people and resources, and the future production of sustainable design in urban settings.
MUDD 6050. Dilemmas of Modern City Planning. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. The patterns of man’s settlement are predicated upon particular paradigms of urbanism, as well as more pragmatic concerns of politics, economics and geography. An examination of these influences and their interconnections provides the necessary theoretical and historical background from which to propose sustainable improvements to the contemporary landscapes of our cities.
MUDD 6050. Strategies for the Public Realm. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. Contemporary theories and practices in urban design underscore the connection between the citizen and the public realm and between the physical and social attributes of the city. Sustainable urban design is not so much an aesthetic as it is a strategy for change, transformation, dialogue, and interaction. Urban design is the link between architecture and urbanism, tying together the city’s disparate parts and celebrating the complexity and connectedness of space.
MUDD 6050. Public Space in Cities. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. The public realm has historically constituted a set of real places possessing physical form and has been the setting for civic and communal life. This traditional role of public space is brought into question by the advent of cyberspace, with unknown consequences for city form. This course focuses on the origins and transformations of public space within American culture, and to understand principles of urban design as they have related to the creation of public space during different historical periods. Course material will also focus on the historical connection between the public realm and democratic principles, and the threats to the continued existence of truly sustainable public space in American cities.
MUDD 6050. The Changing Urban Landscape: The Development of Uptown Charlotte, 1875-Present. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. The design and evolution of cities is a reflection of evolving attitudes about gender, race, crime and socioeconomic conditions as well as governmental interventions and the efforts of private enterprise. Charlotte’s Center City is a unique result of those many influences and serves as an excellent laboratory for gaining an understanding of the forces that shape the making of the places we live. Specific topics will include the development of First Ward from a public housing ghetto to a mixed income neighborhood, the demise of the Brooklyn neighborhood in Second Ward, professional sports in Uptown Charlotte, the development of Fourth Ward, the civic patron/ corporate factor, transportation in Uptown Charlotte and finally, the 2010 and 2020 plans for Uptown.
MUDD 6050. Real Estate Development Studies: Introduction to Real Estate Development. (3) Cross-listed as ARCH 6050. The production of buildings requires both architectural and economic skill. Likewise, the production of our landscape is both a private and public endeavor. To balance these skills and endeavors requires an understanding of basic facts. This course focuses on an introduction to the real estate development process. Course material, lectures and case studies focus on the identification and evaluation of critical assumptions and issues related to market and site feasibility, financial feasibility, planning, acquisition, construction, and operation of economically viable commercial real estate projects.
MUDD 6100. Directed Independent Study. (1-3) Prerequisites: permission of the M.U.D Program Director and the graduate faculty member advising the study. This course enables directed individual study and in-depth analysis of a special area related to the interests of the student and the expertise of the advising faculty member. May generally be taken once for credit towards degree. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
MUDD 620513. Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective. (3) Study of topical areas of urban history and theory. May be repeated for credit as topics change. (Fall)
MUDD 62014. Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective. (3) Study of topical areas of urban history and theory. May be repeated for credit as topics change. (Spring, Summer)
Other Courses
MUDD 7120. Graduate Summer International Study. (3-6) Cross-listed as ARCH 7120. Prerequisite: Approval of the M.U.D Program Director. The premise of this course is to allow graduate students to engage a summer experience abroad to support their growing knowledge of architecture and architectural discourse. This experience is intended to inform and motivate possible interests that the students might pursue in further study. (Summer)
MUDD 7999. Master’s Degree Graduate Residency Credit. (1) Prerequisite: permission of the instructor(s) overseeing research and of the M.U.D Program Director. Non-graded course to provide continuity of enrollment. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Master of Urban Design
The Master of Urban Design (M.U.D) degree can be taken as a stand-alone qualification, or may be combined with a Master of Architecture two-year degree for a dual M.Arch/M.U.D degree. Opportunities also exist for students to craft individually approved curricula combining the M.U.D degree with the M.A. in Geography/Community Planning for a dual urban design and planning graduate degree or with the real estate track within the MBA programMaster of Science in Real Estate (M.S.R.E) for a dual degree in urban design and real estate development and finance.
The stand-alone Master of Urban Design degree (M.U.D) serves two groups of students: (1) Students with an architecture or landscape architecture undergraduate or graduate degree (including a B.Arch five-year degree) and (2) those holding a B.A. or B.S. undergraduate degree or a master’s degree from disciplines other than architecture. For those students with an architectural or landscape undergraduate or graduate qualifications, the courses within the program can be completed in one calendar year/three consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment from late August one year to early August the following year (Fall-Spring-Summer).
For students with undergraduate or graduate degrees in planning or other non-design disciplines, the program begins with an intensive second Summer semester experience in the July preceding enrollment in the Fall semester. Students with an interior design background will be evaluated on an individual basis regarding enrollment in this preparatory summer class.
The M.U.D Program prepares students and professionals to engage complex issues faced by towns and cities across America. The program uses the fast changing Charlotte metropolitan region as its laboratory to provide students with relevant design skills to influence urban life under the pressures of globalization, environmental change, and cultural diversification. To emphasize this global perspective, part of the final Summer semester will be based outside the USA, primarily in China or Great BritainEurope, involving design problems in an international context and with input from faculty in those countries.
The first semester in the Fall focuses on the fundamental skills and techniques of urban design; the second Spring semester foregrounds issues of urban sustainability, infrastructure and urban open space, and the third semester during the summer months examines advanced topics of urban sustainability and vertical urbanism through complex urban design problems in locations outside the USA. Each semester also includes two seminar courses, several some of which comprise individual elective choices from a menu of topics in urban design and urban history and theory.
Students with an undergraduate degree from an accredited architectural program may also apply for a 3-year M.Arch/M.U.D dual degree, combining the two-year Master of Architecture program with the 12-month M.U.D program. Details of this dual degree program are noted below and also in the preceding Catalog section regarding the Master of Architecture program.
Admission Requirements
Online applications must be made to the UNC Charlotte Graduate School, either for the stand-alone M.U.D degree or the dual M.Arch/M.U.D degree. This dual degree has its own application option within the online system. Students seeking other dual degree opportunities with programs in other colleges (M.U.D/M.B.AM.S.R.E. and M.U.D/M.A. in Geography [Community Planning]) should initiate individual counseling with the appropriate Program Coordinators/Directors prior to application and complete separate applications for each degree program. Applicants should study all the varying requirements carefully and should comply with the all the application mandates of the other programs.
In addition to the admissions materials required by the Graduate School, the School of Architecture requires the submission of a portfolio of creative work. Applicants to the M.U.D program should submit examples of work that offer evidence of creativity, self-motivation and critical appraisal. Such examples do not have to be solely urban design–related, but may also include visual work such as painting, sculpture, furniture making, photography, writing, and other reasonable evidence of their creative abilities. However, the portfolio must include some clear visual and/or written evidence of an interest in urban settings and conditions. Specific admission requirements by the School include:
1) An undergraduate degree with a 2.75 grade point average (GPA) overall, and a junior/senior grade point average of 3.0 overall
2) A Statement of Purpose describing the objectives relative to graduate study
- Fulfillment of the University’s Graduate School application requirements in effect at the time of application
Students who do not meet the GPA requirements noted above may still submit an application for admission; however, this will be weighed against those meeting these requirements.
Students enrolled in the fifth year of the Bachelor of Architecture program at the UNC Charlotte School of Architecture may apply for admission into the M.U.D program for entry after completion of their fifth year. They will need to fulfill all normal application requirements during either the Fall or Spring semesters of their fifth year program and, if admitted to the M.U.D program, can complete a two year sequence of the B.Arch professional degree plus the M.U.D post-professional qualification in two calendar years.
Recommendation for Automatic Admission
Students applying to the M.U.D program who have completed either the four-year Bachelor of Arts in Architecture or the five-year Bachelor of Architecture from UNC Charlotte must have an undergraduate degree GPA of 3.25 or above to receive a recommendation to the Graduate School for automatic admission.
Master of Urban Design Curriculum
The M.U.D program requires a minimum of 36 hours to be completed (39 hours for non-design based applicants). There are two study options: (1) a full-time program that can be completed in three consecutive semesters (Fall-Spring-Summer), or (2) a part-time option for working professionals that may be completed generally within three two years. However, part-time students should note that the foreign-based Summer studio has to be taken as a full-time commitment.
Students enrolled in the dual degree MArch II/M.U.D program complete their extended program in three calendar years of full-time study, including the Summer semester spent abroad in either China or Great BritainEurope. The dual degree option is only available to full-time students.
- Full-Time M.U.D. Option
Year One
Summer (3 hours)
MUDD 5101050 Preparatory Studio/Design Studio: Basics (3) (For non-design based applicants only. May be waived if determined in the admissions process.)
Fall (12 hours)
MUDD 61011 Urban Design 1. Fundamentals of Urban Design Studio (6)
MUDD 5601 Community Planning Workshop (3)
MUDD 620513 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)
--OR—
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (3)
Spring (12 hours)
MUDD 61012 Urban Design 2. Urban Open Space/Infrastructure Studio (6)Sustainable Urbanism and Open Space Design Studio (6)
MUDD 5602 Planning Law and Urban Design (3)
MUDD 62014 Topics in Topics in Urban History /and Theory History Elective (3)
--OR--
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (3)
Summer (12 hours)
MUDD 7101 Urban Design 3. Advanced CapstoneVertical /Global Urban Design StudioUrbanism (foreign-based first Summer session) (3)
MUDD 6204 Topics in Urban History / Theory Elective (3)
MUDD 7101 Urban Design 3. Vertical /Global Urbanism Advanced Capstone/Global Urban Design Studio (Charlotte-based second Summer session) (3)
MUDD 6214 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (3)
Note: Elective options must contain at least one Urban History and Theory elective.
- Part-Time Option
Year One
Summer (3 hours)
MUDD 5101050 Preparatory Studio/Design Studio: Basics (3) (For non-design based applicants only. May be waived if determined in the admissions process.)
Fall (6 hours)
MUDD 5601 Community Planning Workshop (3)
MUDD 620513 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)
--OR--
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (3)
Spring (6 hours)
MUDD 5602 Planning, Law, and Urban Design (3)
MUDD 62014 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)
--OR--
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (3)
Year Two
Fall (6 hours)
MUDD 61011 Urban Design 1. Fundamentals Studio (6)
Fundamentals of Urban Design Studio (6)
Spring (6 hours)
MUDD 61012 Urban Design 2. Urban Open Space/Infrastructure Studio (6)
Sustainable Urbanism and Open Space Design Studio (6)
Summer (9-9-12 hours)
First First Summer sessionn abroad must be taken as a full-time load. Second Summer session studio must be taken immediately on return to Charlotte. Second summer session elective may be deferred, plus part-time OR full-time second Summer session in Charlotte
MUDD 7101 Urban Design 3.Vertical / Global Urbanism (foreign based first summer session) (3)
MUDD 6204 Urban History / Theory Elective (3)
MUDD 7101 Urban Design 3.Vertical / Global Urbanism (Charlotte based second summer session) (3)
MUDD 6050 Urban Design Elective*
MUDD 7101 Advanced Capstone/Global Urban Design Studio (foreign-based first Summer session) (3)
MUDD 7101 Advanced Capstone/Global Urban Design Studio (Charlotte-based second Summer session) (3)
MUDD 6050 Topics in Urban Design Elective (integrated with foreign studio) (3)
MUDD 6214 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)*
*This elective may be deferred to the following Fall for part-time students.
Year Three
Fall (3 hours)
MUDD 6123 Topics in Urban History and Theory Elective (3)**
**Seminar taken in the Fall if only 9 hours taken in Summer.
Note: Elective options must contain at least one Urban History and Theory elective.