Master of Science in Architecture – Concentration in Urban Design

The Master of Science in Architecture – Urban Design at the University of Houston is a studio-centered, design-based program that uses Houston itself as a laboratory for investigating contemporary urban challenges. Students work across urban design, planning, ecological systems, infrastructure, economic development, and building performance, developing design-based research and professional skills through investigations ranging from community initiatives to large-scale public works and speculative urban projects. The two-semester program culminates in advanced design inquiry, giving students opportunities to test new approaches to the contemporary city.

Students gain this practical experience through:

• Houston as a Living Laboratory: Students investigate Houston's transforming urban environment, including community development initiatives, large-scale public works, environmental studies, city segments, and speculative projects addressing future urban conditions.
• Urban Design Studio: The concentration is centered on a design studio where students integrate urban design, planning, and environmental thinking to develop new methodologies for understanding and intervening in contemporary cities.
• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: The program prepares students to lead multidisciplinary design teams and examines urban issues across economic development, landscape and infrastructure integration, ecological systems, urban energy systems, and building performance.
• Design-Based Research: Students develop advanced research skills through design inquiry, allowing them to investigate contemporary urban problems through projects rather than relying solely on theoretical study.
• Applied Urban Investigation: Projects can address disadvantaged neighborhoods, public infrastructure, environmental conditions, and evolving urban areas, giving students experience with different scales and types of urban intervention.
• Digital Fabrication Facilities: Graduate students have access to the Burdette Keeland, Jr. Design Exploration Lab, which contains more than 50 machines covering woodworking, metalworking, and digital fabrication. The lab supports prototyping, fabrication, and model building.
• Digital Design Tools: The Keeland Lab provides fabrication templates for AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, and Rhino, supporting the transition from digital design work to physical models and prototypes.
• Design Computing: Hines College provides computing resources to graduate students, supporting the digital workflows used throughout its studio-based design environment.
• Materials Research Collaborative: Students have access to the College's Materials Research Collaborative (MRC), providing a research-oriented resource for investigating materials and their applications in design.
• Architecture and Art Library: The College maintains an in-house Architecture and Art Library, giving graduate students dedicated library resources for design research and coursework.
• Design/Build Experience: Hines College's Design/Build program allows students to experience how design ideas develop from initial concepts toward completed construction, providing hands-on exposure to making and implementation.
• Studio-Based Project Work: The College's open studios integrate coursework with project-based learning, material investigations, and applied research, reinforcing the program's emphasis on learning through design activity. 

The Master of Science in Architecture – Urban Design prepares graduates for design-based research and professional practice focused on contemporary cities, with an emphasis on integrating urban design, planning, ecological thinking, infrastructure, and community development. Because the program uses Houston as a living laboratory and prepares students to lead multidisciplinary design teams, graduates can pursue roles such as Urban Designer, Urban Design Researcher, Planning & Design Consultant, and Design Strategist.

Career support and progression opportunities include:

• Career Services: Hines College students receive access to the College’s Career Services Liaison for career and major exploration, mock and on-campus interviews, résumé and cover-letter assistance, workshops, and career fairs. University Career Services also provides access to Cougar Pathway, where students and employers can connect for internships and employment opportunities.
• Employer Connections: The University of Houston’s Architecture + Design Career Fair brings employers to campus for networking and interviews, with participating employers required to post job opportunities through Cougar Pathway.
• Houston Professional Environment: The program specifically takes advantage of Houston as a laboratory for urban research and intervention, with investigations ranging from community development in disadvantaged neighborhoods and public-works projects to environmental studies and designs for city segments.
• Multidisciplinary Preparation: The curriculum prepares graduates to facilitate community discussions and lead multidisciplinary design teams, connecting urban design with planning, ecological systems, infrastructure, economic development, energy systems, and building performance.
• Employment statistics and salary: The University of Houston’s official program and career pages reviewed do not publish a program-specific employment rate, graduate salary median, or salary range for the MS Architecture–Urban Design concentration; therefore, no salary figure or employment percentage is stated here.
• University–industry connections: UH provides employer recruitment through University Career Services and Cougar Pathway, while the Hines College describes Houston as offering access to one of the largest concentrations of professional and industrial resources.
• Accreditation value: The Hines College is accredited by NAAB for its Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture professional programs. The MS Architecture–Urban Design is a post-professional degree and is not listed by UH among its NAAB-accredited professional degree programs, so students should not treat this MS concentration itself as a NAAB professional architecture degree for licensure purposes.
• Graduation outcomes: Graduates leave with advanced preparation for design-based research and professional practice at the forefront of urban thinking, particularly where architecture, planning, landscape, infrastructure, environmental systems, and community development intersect.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MS Architecture–Urban Design, students can continue into further graduate-level research or related interdisciplinary study in areas such as architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, environmental design, or other built-environment fields. The University of Houston itself offers further graduate options through the Hines College, including the Master of Architecture and other architecture-related graduate programs.