Urban Design Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the certificate program intended for?

Students in professional and doctoral degree programs in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning who wish to specialize in urban design.

Any student accepted to the BLA, MLA, MArch, or MUP programs; anyone accepted to the Interdisciplinary PhD in Urban Design & Planning or the PhD in the Built Environment.

That is very unlikely.

This is not an official University Extension certificate program; however, local professionals are welcome to take any course at the University of Washington as a non-matriculated student on a space-available basis. See University of Washington Non-Degree Enrollment information for non-matriculated students. Please email Neile Graham if you would like to be added to our email list for course and event announcements; we are happy to add anyone interested to this list.

Not formally, no. However, students from other programs are more than welcome in many of our urban design courses, and please email Neile Graham if you would like to be added to our email list for course and event announcements; we are happy to add anyone interested to this list.

It is helpful for students to have some sort of design background. However, if you don't have a design background, there are a number of courses each quarter that can help you develop your design skills. Every other Autumn Quarter (odd years: 2005, 2007, 2009...) we offer a course called Urban Design Composition which can be of great help to you. The College also offers many excellent courses on design graphics. We recommend a sequence of courses through Architecture, Arch 210 and 211 Design Drawing I & II, respectively. Also recommended are: ARCH 314 Introduction to Architectural Drawing, ARCH 415 Architectural Sketching, ARCH 416 Freehand Drawing and the Digital Realm, ARCH 418 Watercolor Drawing, L ARCH 310 Landscape Architecture Field Sketching, L ARCH 311 Introduction to Design Graphics, and L ARCH 411 Landscape Graphics. We also believe that any class--whether an official UW course or something through your local community college or neighborhood center--that will help you work on your hand-eye drawing coordination will be beneficial to you.

There is not currently a specific "Introduction to Urban Design" course offered. Please see our course requirements for introductory courses for specific degree programs.

Yes, if you plan carefully, can handle a full course load every quarter, and don't have other electives you wish to take. However, in practice very few students can do this. On average, certificate students take one extra quarter to complete their degree. Of course, on average all students seem to take one extra quarter to complete their degree, whether they complete a certificate as well or not.

Yes. Many courses overlap with degree requirements, and those that don't will count toward your electives.

Talk to us and find out if there is a substitute available, or if you can take the course the following year.

Talk to Neile Graham, the program coordinator, if you have general questions about course availability, how to fit courses into your degree program, how to request course waivers, etc. Her office is Gould 410L, just off the main Urban Design & Planning Office. Her hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 - 12:30. Her phone is 206-543-5996. The program is currently governed by its faculty, so if you have more academic questions about the discipline, your background, how the certificate will match your interests and your professional ambitions, etc., please ask Neile who is the most appropriate person for you to consult.

Request a waiver. We ask that you write us a brief memo outlining what the course covered and which course you think it is similar to, attaching a copy of the syllabus, your transcripts, your assignments for the course, or some other material that documents what the course covered.

Usually students' professional degree programs have the largest effect on the kind of jobs they are eligible for upon graduation; what the certificate program does is to prepare you for urban design positions within your profession, for example with urban design firms, or with public and private agencies that deal with urban design.

We have an annual gathering in early October, and you will meet other interested students in your urban design classes and studios. We also occasionally have other gatherings and events.

There is a Statement of Interest form available available at the link or in Neile's office in Gould 410L. All you have to do is complete the form and return it to her.

In the quarter following your second urban design studio, we will try to schedule a time for you to meet with two or three Urban Design Faculty members, and Neile. There are two purposes for this review: the first is to give you an opportunity to discuss urban design and your graduate program plans with members of the urban design faculty; the second is to give the faculty a chance to assess your progress, program accomplishments, and achievements in urban design at this point in the program and to talk with you about your plans for your thesis and your future career.

It's not a test, so there's no pass/fail. The faculty may suggest you be re-reviewed when you have gone a little farther in your progress toward your certificate, but that's it. Nothing to be nervous about.

We will have your urban design program file on hand. In addition, please bring a sample of your studio work and any other material you wish to bring to give the faculty some idea as to your design skills and background and areas of interest within urban design: reports, drawings, projects, papers, etc. Anything you think is appropriate.

Your thesis must have an urban design component, and it must be chaired by a faculty member from the Urban Design Program.

The certificate requires that your chair be on the Urban Design Program faculty and your department requires that your chair be on your department's graduate faculty. How do you find out who is on both lists?

1. Go to the Graduate Program's Faculty Locator page, and on the pull-down menu select your home department. Click "find now". This will generate a long list.
2. On this list locate names that also appear on the Urban Design faculty.
3. Read the write-ups on the faculty page to see who might be interested in your topic.

We have a list of theses done by urban design students for your perusal. These are all available in the CAUP library.

Not officially, no, but it is helpful to drop off a copy of your thesis proposal to Neile for review. We ask that BLA students take a research prep course. Additionally, we do check with your thesis chair at graduation to confirm that your thesis is indeed appropriate for the certificate, so it is worth your while to discuss this with your thesis chair while you're developing your thesis.

An actual piece of paper with an official seal and signatures stating that you having completed the certificate. Completion of the certificate program is recognized by employers as substantial preparation for a career in urban design.

If you have a question that you think should be addressed here, please contact Neile.

Student Information Page | Main Urban Design Program page

Introduction to the Certificate Programs | Historic Preservation Program

College of Architecture and Urban Planning | University of Washington