BS in Urban Design

The School of Urban Studies has created the first undergraduate urban design degree on the west coast. While architecture focuses on the design of individual buildings, urban design operates on a larger scale – envisioning new ways of designing public spaces like parks, streets, groups of buildings, whole neighborhoods, and entire cities. Urban designers work to make these spaces functional, attractive, and sustainable. Our Urban Design major will prepare students to become proficient in the latest in design software, including SketchUp and Lumion as they create 2D and 3D plans and designs.

Additionally, the BS in Urban Design helps students turn their passions for social change and equity into meaningful urban design solutions producing livable cities and neighborhoods. This degree is designed to incorporate community questions and challenges into studio projects, preparing students for a life-time of commitment to public engagement.

Through a sequence of studio courses, students apply skills including:

• Computer modeling Design thinking
• Visual communication Public presentation
• Data gathering Visualization
• Community-engaged design processes
• Urban designers focus on place-making

These skills are applied in design studios dedicated to engaging with local and regional urban issues. Courses draw on the teaching resources of UW Tacoma faculty and experienced regional practitioners. 

Advantages of our program

• Urban setting
• Small class sizes
• Dedicated studio classrooms
• Close interaction with faculty and staff
• Collaboration with communities and institutions
• Opportunity to work and be trained by practitioners
• Career and graduate school workshops
• Innovative course of study
• Study abroad opportunities
• Scholarship opportunities

Students who meet the following requirements will be considered for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Urban Design:

• A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in all college course work. Applicants with a completed application and a minimum GPA of 2.7 will be given priority consideration for admission.
• Three years of high school math through intermediate (second year) algebra or a course in intermediate algebra at the college level
• 5 credits of English composition
• A minimum of 40 credits
• Complete the online application to the Urban Design program

Please email Sarah Young, the SUS Academic Advisor at youngsm@uw.edu for any questions on the application process and deadlines.

Prospective students meeting the above criteria are invited to complete the application for admission to the Urban Design major. Applicants should prepare a thoughtful, 1-2 page response to the following prompt:

Please describe how personal, professional, and/or educational experiences have shaped your academic, career, and/or personal goals. How will a BS in Urban Design from UW Tacoma help you attain these goals?

Tip: It is strongly recommended to schedule an appointment with the Academic Advisor to discuss your application and personal statement.

If you are a current UW Tacoma Student

Submit the Urban Design Application. For admitted students, a formal change of major request will be submitted on their behalf to the Registrar's Office. Students interested in this major are encouraged to meet with an Urban Design Academic Advisor to discuss their academic plan. 

Note:  Students must have at least 40 college-level credits to declare Urban Design as a major. Pre-majors are encouraged to take T GIS 311, and meet with the School of Urban Studies advisor to discuss other courses that will prepare them for the program.

If you are not a current UW Tacoma Student

Please visit the UW Tacoma Admissions website to submit the appropriate application or to connect with them.  You will need to be admitted to UW Tacoma prior to declaring your major. Interested applicants are encouraged to meet with the School of Urban Studies advisor to discuss admissions and degree requirements.

Major Requirements:

• Introductory courses (16 credits)
• Urban Design core courses (60 credits)
• Major electives (10 credits)
• General electives.  The additional credits needed to meet University credit requirements are general electives. Students may focus on an in-depth area of study (e.g., a minor or a certificate) or explore the liberal arts, social sciences, business, social work or health-related fields.

Introductory Courses (16 credits)
T UDE 101 Introduction to Computer-Aided Design* (5)
T URB 101 Exploring Cities (5)
T URB 102 Cities in World Development (5)
T URB 103 Urban Studies in Practice (1)

Urban Design Core Courses (57 credits)
T UDE 210 Introduction to Urban Design History and Theory* (5)
T UDE 260 Urban Design Studio I - Introduction to Urban Design* (5)
T UDE 310 Social Production of Space (5) 
T URB 220 Introduction to Urban Planning (5)
T UDE 340 Urban Design Studio II (5)
T UDE 350 Urban Design Studio III (5)
T UDE 360 Urban Design Studio IV – Tactical Urbanism (5)
T UDE 440 Urban Design Studio V (5)
T UDE 450 Urban Design Studio VI (Senior Project – Part I) (5)
T UDE 460 Urban Design Studio VII (Senior Project – Part II) (5)
T URB 480 Housing in the United States (5)

T URB 403 Professional Development for Urban Careers (2)

One of the following two classes (5 credits):
T URB 250 Immigration, Race, and American Cities
T URB 312 Race & Poverty in Urban America

Major Electives (10 credits)
Choose at least 2 courses in Sustainable Urban Development (T SUD)

General Electives
The additional credits needed to meet University credit requirements are general electives. Students may focus on an in-depth area of study (e.g., a minor or a certificate) or explore the liberal arts, social sciences, business, social work or health-related fields.

*Students transferring to UW Tacoma from other colleges or universities can satisfy course requirements (listed above and marked with an asterisk) by taking an equivalent course in any of the following areas.  300-400 level studio courses cannot be transferred in.

• One Urban Design, Planning, or Architectural History Course,
• One Introduction to Computer Graphics or Computer-Aided Design (knowledge of Sketch Up^TM is required), and
• One introductory course in design, using computer graphics

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate, in addition to degree requirements, you will also be expected to meet the following general university requirements, many of which can be fulfilled with lower-division coursework:

• Two years in high school of the same foreign language or 10 credits of one language at the college level
• 5 credits of Reasoning (RSN) coursework^*
• 10 credits of writing-intensive coursework (not including the 5 credits of English composition required for admission)^**
• 10 credits of Arts and Humanities (A&H) coursework
• 10 credits of Social Sciences (SSc) coursework
• 10 credits of Natural Sciences (NSc) coursework
• 10 additional credits in any of the above areas of knowledge (A&H, SSc, and/or NSc))

* Students who first enrolled in college prior to Autumn 1985 are exempt from this requirement.

** Writing-intensive coursework may also count toward the Humanities, Social Science or Natural Science requirements.

Degree Requirements

• Overall GPA: minimum 2.0 cumulative
• Major GPA: minimum 2.0 in each course required for the major
• T UDE GPA for studio courses: Effective Winter 2020, the minimum GPA in each studio course is 2.7. 
• Residency: At least 45 of the final 60 credits must be earned in residence at UW Tacoma
• Graduation Application: completed with advisor by 2nd Friday of final quarter