Master of Urban Design (MUD)

The Master of Urban Design (MUD) at Iowa State University is an advanced, interdisciplinary program of study that focuses on contemporary challenges of urbanism at local, regional and global scales. The workshop-based program is geared toward students with previous professional degrees in architecture (BArch, MArch), landscape architecture (BLA, MLA) or planning (BSCRP, MCRP, MUP), and relevant professional experience. The program draws faculty from these and other related disciplines within the college and university. Degree Program In this three-semester (summer, fall, spring), 36-credit degree program, students integrate design into the understanding and framing of urbanized environments by engaging directly in a community of inquiry and practice-learning to create more adaptable, flexible and resilient cities and regions within the context of a changing world. Through this program, students will: gain knowledge of new practices, technologies and methods of urban design, learn advanced thinking skills and integrate concepts, ideas and approaches in a team-based, interdisciplinary design process, and acquire knowledge and skills that support professional leadership in research and design work focused on local, regional and global issues in the contemporary built environment. The MUD program also offers special opportunities to participate in the College of Design's design-based outreach and international programs; and to engage in collaborative studio projects with universities and practitioners from around the world. Students can pursue concurrent degrees with other graduate programs in the College of Design, including the Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP), Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Science in Architecture (MS in Arch) and others.