Master of Architecture in Urban Design

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Harvard University

Program Overview

Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) at Harvard University is a two-year, post-professional program designed for architects who want to deepen their expertise in contemporary urban design through advanced studios, applied research, and the study of urban history and theory. Who it suits: It is intended for students with a five-year professional architecture degree or equivalent, with learning focused on urban form, housing, infrastructure, public space, inequality, climate change, environmental issues, public health, and the complex social, political, and technological forces shaping cities.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: The first year establishes the program’s core urban-design foundation through STU 1221 Elements of Urban Design Core Studio, where students develop design strategies for complex urban conditions, alongside SES 4496 Urban Design Contexts and Operations, which examines the contexts and operations shaping contemporary urban design. Students then progress to STU 1500 Urban Planning and Design Studio Option and SES 5210 Cities by Design, combining advanced studio-based investigation with the study of cities through design.

Year 2: The second year gives students greater freedom to shape their academic direction through Option Studio work and distributional or general electives across the GSD, Harvard, and MIT. Students may follow an option-studio pathway, combine an option studio with ADV 9204 Preparation for Independent Thesis Proposal for UPD, or develop an ADV 9302 Independent Thesis, allowing them to pursue advanced research around an individual urban-design question or project.

Focus areas: Contemporary urbanism, urban design, housing, infrastructure, public realm, urban history and theory, inequality, climate change, environment, public health, socio-spatial dynamics, technological contexts, institutional contexts, political contexts, and complex built environments.

Learning outcomes: Students develop the literacies, critical frameworks, design strategies, research capabilities, and technical skills needed to interrogate and transform complex built environments and respond meaningfully to contemporary urban challenges.

Professional alignment (accreditation): Post-professional degree; Harvard classifies the MAUD as a Master’s (Post-Professional) program rather than a professional architecture degree, and the university’s NAAB annual report identifies the MAUD among its post-professional architecture programs.

Reputation (employability rankings): Harvard GSD states that Harvard established the first formal North American program in urban design in 1960 and has since played a leading role in urban planning and urban design education; a specific MAUD employability ranking is not stated on the official program page.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Harvard’s Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) is a studio-based, post-professional program where students develop advanced urban design skills through intensive design instruction, applied research, and real-world urban challenges. The two-year curriculum places students in core and option studios where they investigate urban environments, develop formal and organizational strategies, and receive direct feedback through desk critiques, pin-ups, midterm reviews, and final reviews. Students can also pursue advanced studios, interdisciplinary electives, field-based work, and an individual elective thesis, creating strong opportunities to connect urban design theory with practical design and research.

Urban Design Studio: The Elements of Urban Design Core Studio introduces advanced concepts, strategies, and technical skills for analysing and shaping urban environments, requiring students to develop design responses to complex urban conditions.
Urban Planning & Design Studio: The second-term Urban Planning and Design Option Studio gives students intensive project-based experience within the MAUD curriculum and allows them to investigate contemporary urban design issues through studio work.
Collaborative Studio Work: GSD studios use desk critiques, pin-ups, midterm reviews, and final reviews where students present and receive feedback on their work; option studios also involve small groups studying real-world sites and producing projects addressing the built environment.
Field Studies: GSD option studios can require on-site study, giving students the opportunity to investigate specific urban conditions directly. Recent studios have examined locations including Athens, Brussels, Boston, and Denver.
Digital Design Tools: The GSD’s Digital Media Workshops provide tutorials in core and emerging design technologies, including project-based workflows across multiple software packages.
Digital Fabrication: The Fabrication Lab supports design experimentation, prototyping, physical mock-ups, and research with CNC routers, milling machines, 3D printers and scanners, laser cutters, wood and metal shop equipment, and associated software.
Research & GIS: The Frances Loeb Library provides research consultations, research guides, academic writing support, and mapping and GIS resources that can support urban design research and spatial analysis.
Research Projects: The MAUD curriculum combines studio work with extensive applied research and allows students to develop an individual elective thesis, providing an opportunity for deeper investigation of a chosen urban design topic.
Interdisciplinary Learning: Students can take advanced studios and elective courses across all three GSD departments and can also access courses at other Harvard schools and MIT, expanding the program's urban design, planning, architectural, and interdisciplinary project opportunities.
Gund Hall Studios: Students work in GSD's central studio environment, the Trays, where dedicated studio desks provide a home base for desk critiques and collaborative review of design work.
Library & Research Facilities: The Frances Loeb Library provides print and digital design collections, research and teaching services, mapping and GIS resources, writing support, workshops, reading rooms, and individual and group workspaces.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Harvard Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) is designed for post-professional architects seeking advanced expertise in contemporary urban design, combining intensive studio work, applied research, and urban theory. Graduates can move into influential roles across urban design, architecture, planning, consulting, real estate, government, and related multidisciplinary practices, supported by Harvard GSD’s international alumni and employer network.

Career Roles: Urban Designer, Architect/Urban Designer, Urban Design Consultant, Design Strategist

Career Services: Harvard GSD Career Services provides MAUD students with career advising, employer events, CREATE, networking opportunities, alumni connections, mentorship, and access to internships and the Community Service Fellowship.
Employer Network: GSD identifies employers recruiting MAUD/MLAUD students and graduates, including AECOM, Arup, Gensler, BIG, Buro Happold, Boston Planning and Development Agency, HR&A, MASS Design Group, OMA, Perkins Eastman, Sasaki, SOM, Snøhetta, Woods Bagot, and WXY Architecture + Urban Design.
Industry Connections: Students can build professional relationships through GSD alumni, faculty, visiting speakers, networking events, the GSD Alumni Council, mentorship opportunities, internships, and the broader Harvard community.
Employment Statistics: A program-specific employment rate or graduate employment percentage for the MAUD was not stated on Harvard GSD’s official MAUD career resources reviewed.
Salary Figures: A program-specific graduate salary figure for the MAUD was not stated on Harvard GSD’s official MAUD career resources reviewed.
Professional Recognition: Harvard’s official NAAB annual report identifies the Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) as a post-professional architecture degree offered by the GSD. The MAUD is distinct from Harvard’s professional M.Arch pathway, so students should not interpret the MAUD itself as a professional architecture degree leading to initial architectural licensure.
Graduation Outcomes: Graduating MAUD students are eligible for recognition such as the Award for Excellence in Urban Design, which honors exceptional design ability throughout the program. Harvard’s 2026 awards also recognized MAUD graduates for academic excellence, leadership, outstanding urban design, and thesis work, demonstrating the program’s emphasis on high-level design and research achievement.
University–Industry Exposure: The program’s employer network spans architecture and urban-design practices, engineering and consulting firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and planning-related organizations, giving graduates opportunities to pursue multidisciplinary careers beyond conventional architectural practice.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MAUD, students can pursue advanced research through an individual elective thesis within the program or consider doctoral-level study and other advanced Harvard pathways. Harvard GSD also allows the MAUD to participate in concurrent-degree arrangements with eligible GSD programs, creating opportunities to combine urban design with fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and design studies.