Certificate in Urban Design


color photograph showing city buildings at night

The Urban Design Certificate program enhances student’s ability to concentrate on topics related to sustainable place making and creating human-scale spaces by focusing on urban theory, history, and design.

These courses allow both M. Arch Students and non-degree students to achieve this certificate. All students working towards the Urban Design Certificate are required to take ARCH 620 for 3 credits.

Students in the professional M.Arch. program can complete ARCH 814 for 6 credits. Both M.Arch students and students from outside the Department of Architecture can  take urban-focused courses in ARCH and UBPL to fulfill the remaining credits.

Courses to choose from: ARCH 600 to participate on a team in the Hines Urban Land Institute urban design competition, ARCH 600 or ARCH 800 on Urban-focused topics, ARCH 700 for urban-focus independent study, or UBPL 735

Students seeking a graduate certificate must take at least half of the required 12-credits in courses at 700 level or above.

Required Courses:

ARCH 620 (3 credit hours) Theory of Urban Design 

Suggested course (6 hours) for Master of Architecture Students:

ARCH 814 Urban Design Capstone Studio

ARCH 600 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (ULI Hines Student Competition)

ARCH 600 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (Special Topics in Architecture: Urban-focused syllabus must be submitted)

ARCH 700 (3 hours) Directed Readings in Architecture: _____ (Independent study. Urban-focused syllabus must be submitted)

ARCH 800 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (Urban-focused syllabus must be submitted)

Course List

Questions regarding the Urban Design Certificate should be directed to: Andrew Moddrell, Associate Professor of Architecture, andrew.moddrell@ku.edu.

The Urban Design Certificate program enhances student’s ability to concentrate on topics related to sustainable place making and creating human-scale spaces by focusing on urban theory, history, and design.

These courses allow both M. Arch Students and non-degree students to achieve this certificate. All students working towards the Urban Design Certificate are required to take ARCH 620 for 3 credits.

Students in the professional M.Arch. program can complete ARCH 814 for 6 credits. Both M.Arch students and students from outside the Department of Architecture can  take urban-focused courses in ARCH and UBPL to fulfill the remaining credits.

Courses to choose from: ARCH 600 to participate on a team in the Hines Urban Land Institute urban design competition, ARCH 600 or ARCH 800 on Urban-focused topics, ARCH 700 for urban-focus independent study, or UBPL 735

Students seeking a graduate certificate must take at least half of the required 12-credits in courses at 700 level or above.

Required Courses:

ARCH 620 (3 credit hours) Theory of Urban Design 

Suggested course (6 hours) for Master of Architecture Students:

ARCH 814 Urban Design Capstone Studio

ARCH 600 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (ULI Hines Student Competition)

ARCH 600 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (Special Topics in Architecture: Urban-focused syllabus must be submitted)

ARCH 700 (3 hours) Directed Readings in Architecture: _____ (Independent study. Urban-focused syllabus must be submitted)

ARCH 800 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (Urban-focused syllabus must be submitted)

Course List

Questions regarding the Urban Design Certificate should be directed to: Andrew Moddrell, Associate Professor of Architecture, andrew.moddrell@ku.edu.

ARCH 620 (3 credit hours) Theory of Urban Design 

This is the seminal course, required of all Certificate students and taught by the lead architect, Andrew Moddrell, a founding partner of PORT. He is currently leading a diverse range of public realm, urban design and master planning projects, including the Master Plan Framework and Phase 1 implementation of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness Gateway Park and Phase 1 and 2 of the Lakeview Low-Line. He blends history and theory with urban reality.

ARCH 814 Urban Design Capstone Studio

(An advanced studio centered upon the research and development of transformational urban design projects, including district framework strategies, infrastructure, and public realm proposals. )

Other urban-focused elective courses as listed below can fulfill the remaining credits for both Professional M.Arch students and students outside the Department of Architecture.

ARCH 600 (3 hours) Special Topics in Architecture: _____ (ULI Hines Student Competition)

The annual ULI Hines Student Competition offers graduate students the opportunity to form their own multidisciplinary teams and engage in a challenging exercise in responsible land use. Teams of five students pursuing degrees in at least three different disciplines have two weeks to devise a development program for a real, large-scale site in a North American city.