MA Urban Design: Course Details, Eligibility, Career Scope

In an increasingly urbanised world, there is growing international demand for urban design graduates. As ‘an umbrella’ field of study and profession, Urban Design lies at the critical junction of an ever-increasing urban population that continues to add pressure to global systems, with effects that connect through scale, from political strategies right down to an individual’s everyday personal experience. Now is the time we must be innovative and joined-up in our thinking. Whether you have a background in architecture, Landscape Architecture, Planning, or other fields; Urban Design is an acknowledgement that we need to work together to face the current global challenges and develop integrated responses that open new opportunities for all of us. In this MA Urban Design course, you will know how to critique, create and experiment with the design of high quality, trans-disciplinary urban places.

What is Urban Design?

In simple terms, Urban Design is the process of designing and shaping the physical features of cities, towns and urban settlements in general for the provision of municipal services to residents and visitors.

It is a multidisciplinary field. It consists of elements belonging to disciplines such as:

1. Planning
2. Design
3. Architecture
4. Technology
5. Civil Engineering
6. Management
7. Legal Aspects

An Urban Settlement is not just limited to buildings and infrastructure! It is a complex system! An urban settlement consists of many systems that are present within it! These systems function independently and often overlap each other. In short, these systems influence each other directly and indirectly.

Here are some of the prominent systems that make an urban settlement –

1. Infrastructure
2. Sanitation System
3. Water Management System
4. Transportation System
5. Working Spaces
6. Residential Areas
7. Open Spaces
8. Green Spaces

Course Structure

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

• The Dynamic City: Urban Design and Planning in Context
  • Based on practical design project enables students to gain an insight into the relationship between urban design theory, practice and local context. Students investigate the city as networks and adjacencies; the intricate dynamics of movement, activity, information, ecology and social interactions that frame the context of urban design interventions.
• Urban Form and Growth
  • This module It concerns the physical and spatial form of cities at the urban design scale, realised in various geographical or historic contexts, exploring the basic fabric of urban form: buildings, streets and spaces together with the with forces that shape them, how they differ globally, the regulatory contexts, how they provide physical environment to enable activities and livelihoods and how this can influence urban design and planning. Students learn key theoretical approaches to urban morphology, tissue studies, typo-morphological investigations, spatial development patterns, historic development, graphic methods, spatial analysis and various forms and manifestations of the physical built environment of cities.

Other modules include:

• Urban Design and Development Process
• Urban Design Project
• Place and Experience in Design of Urban Spaces
• Urban Design Field Trip
• Sustainable Cities and Neighbourhoods
• Dissertation / Major Project

Top Universities Offering MA Urban Design

• Master of Arts in Urban Design (MAUD) – National University of Singapore
• MA in Urban Design – Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom
• Master of Arts in Community Planning, Policy, and Design (CPAD) – College of Charleston: School of the Arts, USA
• MA Architectural Design – University of Plymouth, United Kingdom
• MA Urban Design – Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom
• MA in Urban Design – Cardiff University, United Kingdom
• Urban Design MA – University of Westminster, United Kingdom
• MA Intelligent Mobility – Royal College of Art, United Kingdom
• Master of Arts in Urban Christian Ministries – Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary, USA

Elgibility Requirements

• A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2) in architecture, landscape architecture, town planning or another related discipline, together with practical or professional experience in their own field or in urban design. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio.
• If your first language is not English you should have an IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.0 in writing.
• Applicants are required to submit one academic reference.

Admission Process

The application process takes place over a period of time and begins months before the commencement of classes. The universities have two main intakes known as the fall intake and winter intake for international students to kickstart their journey. You can call our Leverage Edu experts on 1800 572 000 to find out how the application process can be fast-tracked. Here’s an easy 5-step process to complete your application process:

• Call our experts on 1800 572 000 to shortlist your favourite universities and courses. Start your application to multiple universities through our one dashboard platform
• Compile all your documents like SOPs, essays, certificates and LORs and exam scores like IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, etc
• Meet all the applications deadlines and start the application process for accommodation,students visa, and scholarships/student loans
• Accept the offer letter and meet your teachers, college mates and roommates virtually
• Get your visa approved and fly to your dream university!

Job Opportunities

The opportunities for graduation are very broad across the built environment, and typically, students will be able to work on multiple roles and jobs types within typical daily practice.

Urban design requires confidence, resourcefulness, flexibility and the ability to respond creatively to opportunities that arise.

Specific areas and themes:

• Private practice, as an ‘urban designer’ within multidiscipline practices adding urban design input into diverse scale projects
• Private practice, at a specialist urban design consultancy and/or as an independent (sole-trader): as urban design consultant, collaborating/co-designing on various scale/sector projects
• Working in local government for towns and cities, as officer (planning dept.) and/or designing, providing design guidance
• Collaborative coordinator on various projects

Particular work/sectors

• Civic space and places
• Planning process, approval
• Governmental projects, advisory bodies, independent expert
• Housing sector, residential development
• Community, participation and inclusivity work

If you have made your mind to study MA Urban Design from a top university in the world but you are confused about where to start from, then let Leverage Edu take care of it. Securing your admission in a top university is undoubtedly a challenging task but not when you have the industry’s top career experts to write your essays, resumes and SOPs. Book your 30-minute free career counselling session with us now!