Urban and Regional Planning and Design (URPD)

Graduate Degree Program
School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

Abstract

The School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation offers a Doctoral Program, the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning and Design. Participating programs include Urban Studies and Planning, Architecture, Historic Preservation, Landscape Architecture, and The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education. The program prepares students to teach at the university level in departments of Urban Planning, Architecture, Historic Preservation, Real Estate Development, or Landscape Architecture, as well as qualifies graduates to conduct research and participate in high-level decision-making in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.  Intimate and highly competitive, the Ph.D. program offers students a tailored Ph.D. experience and the flexibility to bridge a number of disciplines related to the built environment, including urban planning, design, historic preservation, and real-estate development. Our nationally renowned faculty, the affiliated National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, and proximity to the architecturally rich, historically significant, and diverse urban fabric of the Mid-Atlantic region make the University of Maryland an exciting place to study urban planning, design, and historic preservation.

Financial Assistance

The School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education together anticipate three research assistantships available to Doctoral students. Compensation for assistantships includes tuition remission for up to 10 credit hours per semester, plus a stipend. For more information contact the Doctoral Program.  Students may also find financial support on faculty research projects and teaching possibilities in the undergraduate and master’s programs.

Contact

Hiroyuki Iseki
Program Director
Urban and Regional Planning and Design Program
School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation
1112K Preinkert Hall
7480 Preinkert Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Delaney West
Program Management Specialist
Urban and Regional Planning and Design Program
School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation
1200 School of Architecture
3835 Campus Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Phone: (301) 405-9791
Email: dmwest@umd.edu

Website: https://www.arch.umd.edu/programs/phd 

Courses:  ARCH HISP RDEV URSP

Relationships:  National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG), Environmental Finance Center (EFC)

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript(s)
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)

PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• CV/Resume
• Portfolio PDF Upload (optional)
• Writing Samples (two required, up to one more optional)
• Description of Research/Work Experience (optional)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (optional)
• Master’s degree in a related field.

The program is highly selective and individualized. Approximately five students will be admitted each year. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program will be expected to have completed a Master's degree in a related field, including but not exclusively urban planning, architecture, historic preservation, or landscape architecture. Students are expected to enter the Ph.D. program with two semesters of graduate-level quantitative research methods. These courses can be taken after the entrance to the program and prior to their advanced methods course. 

Application Deadlines

RESOURCES AND LINKS:

Program Website: http://www.arch.umd.edu
Application Process: gradschool.umd.edu/admissions