Master of Science in Urban Design (Post Professional)

Students in Pratt Institute’s Master of Science in Urban Design (Post Professional) gain practical urban-design skills through intensive studio work centered on Brooklyn and New York City as a real-world laboratory. The program combines urban design research with 3D fabrication, data modeling, digital twin cities, large-scale urban prototypes, interactive design critiques, and advanced architectural media, giving students opportunities to test design ideas through both digital and physical methods. Field studies also connect students with New York community partners, professional offices, museums, and archives, while Pratt’s fabrication and spatial-analysis resources support research and prototyping.

Program-specific experiential learning includes:

• Urban design studios: Students develop studio projects focused on Brooklyn and New York City, addressing urban densification, adaptive reuse, infill development, conservation, urban interiority, and composite building typologies through faculty and guest critiques.
• 3D fabrication: Students create large-scale prototypes of urban blocks using the Graduate Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design fabrication labs, translating urban-design concepts into physical models and prototypes.
• Data modeling and digital twins: Architectural media seminars introduce students to big-data information modeling and digital twin cities, supporting contemporary approaches to analyzing and representing urban environments.
• GIS and spatial analysis: Pratt’s Spatial Analysis and Visualization Initiative (SAVI) provides access to geospatial technologies and GIS learning resources; students can request ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online access for spatial analysis and mapping.
• SAVI research facility: SAVI functions as a GIS research lab and service center, providing GIS resources, data analysis, technical assistance, workshops, and research opportunities relevant to urban and spatial studies.
• Field studies: Students participate in dialogues with New York community partners, office visits, and workshops in New York museums and archives, connecting urban-design study with the city's professional and cultural context.
• Interactive critiques: Studio work is tested through interactive design critiques involving students, faculty, industry professionals, guests, community partners, and the Urban Design critic at large.
• Fabrication and making: Pratt provides access to facilities supporting CNC milling, 3D scanning and printing, laser cutting and engraving, robotic production, water-jet manufacturing, woodworking, and other digital fabrication processes, useful for developing and testing physical design proposals.
• Research and materials: Pratt’s Material Lab supports hands-on materials research with a collection of more than 25,000 material samples, while Pratt Libraries provide architecture, design, urban-design, and related research resources.
• Climate-focused research: The program’s urban-design research connects with Pratt’s Center for Climate Adaptation and research activities at Pratt’s Research Yard, supporting exploration of climate adaptation and resilient urban environments. 

The Master of Science in Urban Design (Post Professional) at Pratt Institute is designed to prepare graduates for advanced urban-design practice and research, with alumni working in urban design firms, research organizations, and academia. Pratt specifically highlights alumni working as Urban Designers at AECOM and Gensler, as well as research and teaching roles, providing several directions for graduates interested in professional practice or further academic work.

Career opportunities:

• Urban Designer — opportunities in architecture and urban-design practices such as AECOM, Gensler, and KPF, where Pratt identifies alumni working in urban design.
• Urban Design Researcher — graduates can pursue research-oriented roles, with Pratt identifying alumni working with the Institute for Public Architecture.
• Design Educator / Lecturer — alumni have progressed into teaching positions at institutions including Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan.
• Urban Design Consultant — the program's combination of advanced design research, urban analysis, climate resilience, and collaboration with professionals provides preparation for consulting-oriented urban-design practice.

Career services and employment support:

• Career coaching: Pratt's Center for Career and Professional Development provides one-to-one guidance covering job and internship strategies, applications, interviews, networking, résumés, cover letters, and professional websites.
• Employer connections: Pratt reports that more than 200 employers participated in campus career events during the 2022–23 academic year, while its Handshake platform listed more than 1,700 relevant job opportunities.
• Career support for alumni: Pratt's career strategists continue to provide services to students and alumni, supporting longer-term professional development.
• Employment outcomes: Pratt reports that 94% of the class of 2024 were gainfully employed or attending graduate school within 12 months of graduation; this is an institute-wide figure and is not specific to the Urban Design M.S.
• Salary information: Pratt's First-Destination Survey collects graduate salary, position title, employer, and location information, but Pratt does not publish a program-specific salary figure for the M.S. in Urban Design on the official program page.

University–industry connections: Pratt's Urban Design program provides direct exposure to professional practice through interactive design critiques with industry professionals, New York office visits to leading urban-design firms, workshops, and collaborations with community partners. The program also identifies alumni working at AECOM, Gensler, and KPF, demonstrating connections with major professional practices.

Professional and accreditation value: The M.S. in Urban Design is a 33-credit, three-semester post-professional STEM degree intended for students who already hold a five-year B.Arch., M.Arch., or international equivalent. Pratt's official accreditation information separately identifies the School of Architecture's accredited professional architecture programs; the Urban Design M.S. itself is a post-professional urban-design degree rather than a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree.

Graduation outcomes: Pratt's Urban Design alumni are documented in roles including Urban Designer, research fellow, professor, and lecturer, with employers and institutions including AECOM, Gensler, the Institute for Public Architecture, Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the National University of Sciences and Technology.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.S. in Urban Design, graduates can pursue advanced research or academic careers, including doctoral-level study or university teaching. Pratt also offers graduate programs such as the Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, and Master of Science in Architecture (Post Professional), allowing students to build further specialization in architecture, landscape architecture, or architectural research.