Program Description

Full Description

The Master of Urban Design degree expands on traditional architectural, landscape architecture and planning education with an understanding of the processes of urban development, and with the skills required to the physical shaping of urban places. The program is aimed at students with a prior background in either design or urban-related studies. The degree seeks to develop knowledgeable specialists who possess significant ability to identify opportunities in the urban environment and the sensibility to provide design solutions to the most complex problems encountered.

Faculty work in close collaboration with students through rigorous curricula focused on the application of research in the design of layered and mutually reinforcing systems and public spaces. The degree culminates with either a final hands-on practicum component or a final independent design research project for eligible students.

Projects range from neighborhood plans to large-scale urban and regional initiatives engaging cultural and environmental concerns. Project locations are often in Cleveland and similar regional cities, but they address far-reaching global concerns. Students can engage in applied research in the re-design of “Cities Growing Smaller” systemic approaches to the development of urban environments, considerations of place and identity and the place-making potential of infrastructure. Further directions include the design of cities and neighborhoods that promote physical and mental health; studies of sustainable infrastructures that support sustainable ecological systems; the adaptation of traditional models of urbanism to changing conditions; and the future of urban economies as it relates to physical place-making.

Admissions

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (starting with the fall 2026 admission term, a bachelor's degree in either design or urban-related studies is required)
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• GRE scores (starting with the fall 2026 admission term, GRE scores will no longer be required)
• Goal statement (include intent and background information)
• Portfolio (design work should clearly indicate role in group projects)
• Three letters of recommendation, with one letter from a non-academic source
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Application deadline: February 1

All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to build abstract relationships and understand the impact of ideas based on research and analysis of multiple theoretical, social, political, economic, cultural and environmental contexts. This includes the wider range of media used to think about urban and regional design, including writing, investigative skills, speaking, drawing and model making.
2. Develop an ability to utilize the technical instruments of the urban design field, including legal instruments, urban systems and their organization; and the role of these varied elements in the implementation of design and their impact on the environment. This is inclusive of understanding and abilities at a range of scales from local to regional design and the implications of policy and design decision-making at these ranges of scale.
3. Manage, advocate and act legally, ethically and critically for the good of society and the public. This includes collaborative, professional and leadership skills, especially in the public arena.

Dual Degree

Dual Degree with M.Arch. in Architecture

Students have the opportunity to complete a dual degree program with the M.U.D. degree in Urban Design and the M.Arch. degree in Architecture. A separate application must be submitted for each program. Students can view admission requirements for each program on their respective catalog page. Students in the M.Arch. degree must be declared in the Accelerated Track concentration to be admitted to the dual degree.

This dual degree program prepares students to enter the profession of architecture by stimulating the growth of technical knowledge and design creativity. It fosters the refinement of design skills acquired in undergraduate programs and offers a broad exposure to professional issues and knowledge related to urban design.

Dual Degree Requirements

¹

Special topics course in professional practice.

²

Special topics related to studio.

³

With approval, students may apply other courses in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design; or from another Kent State college, school or department; or from at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Cleveland

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Exhibit the planning, organization, execution and contract skills of a construction manager.
2. Apply ethical and sustainability perspectives to construction management knowledge.
3. Demonstrate the financial, managerial and risk management of a leader in the construction industry.
4. Analyze how issues of cost, safety, quality, schedule and design impact project development and implementation.
5. Evaluate the procurement and logistics processes of underlying construction systems and devise strategies to mitigate these complexities.
6. Compare construction management technologies, innovations and processes, and how they relate to cross-disciplinary teams.

Admissions

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Curriculum vitae or résumé
• Goal Statement
• Two letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Application deadline: February 1
• Spring Semester
  • Application deadline: June 1

All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted after these deadlines will be considered on a space-available basis.

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Program Description

Full Description

The Master of Science degree in Architecture and Environmental Design is a research-intensive program with one-year full residency requirement. The program is best suited for individuals interested in pursuing a specialization in the built environment. The program covers cross-cutting themes in sustainable buildings, smart systems and healthy settings.

Students in the M.S. degree have the opportunity to pursue research in the following areas:

• Living architecture: Investigates vegetative integration upon and within buildings and structures in order to make cities more ecologically productive. Students master the conceptualization, assessment and examination of vegetative roofs, walls and related phytostructures for ecological service delivery through modeling and in-lab or field testing settings.
• Bioclimatic architecture: Explores thermal comfort, energy conservation and building systems integration for sustainable design and human experience. Research in this area emphasizes computational simulation, physical modeling of natural phenomena, field/lab experiments and building information management.
• Structural resilience: Investigates metaheuristic design principles for naturally efficient, durable, aesthetic and adaptable structural systems; performances of sustainable construction materials; and resilience of synergistically responding infrastructures.
• Creative robotics: Revisits and explores the potential of cutting-edge technologies such as robotics, physical and digital computation; interaction and game design; X-R (augmented, virtual and mixed realities); app development; and UI-UX design as possible design mediums. Students work at the intersection of architecture, industrial design, robotics, computer since and media arts, developing applied design-research skills in response to contemporary design issues and through the lens of technology.
• Kinetic systems: Investigates temporary (interactive) structures, specifically their typological, programmatic and material effects. Research includes the study of dynamic structural patterns and the role they play in the configuration of variable and/or flexible surfaces and enclosures.

The program may be taken as a dual degree with the Master of Architecture degree.

Admissions

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a professional or pre-professional environmental design program¹
• Minimum 3.000 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Résumé
• Goal statement (two pages) that includes an outline of a proposed study program
• Portfolio for design and research work
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:²
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

¹

Conditional admission may be offered to applicants with undergraduate and graduate degrees in related disciplines.

²

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Application deadline: February 1

All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Investigate new relationships within the built environment.
2. Gather, collect and analyze data.
3. Co-author technical and scientific reports, summaries, papers, abstracts, briefs and/or the development of products and technologies that may lead to patents and intellectual property.

Roadmap

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish provides students with opportunities to explore the rich diversity of Spanish cultures and develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in the Spanish language. Students also acquire an in-depth knowledge and critical perspective of history and culture of the Spanish-speaking world through the analysis of literary and non-literary texts.

Successful completion of the program fosters in students a lifetime commitment and desire to continue learning about languages, literatures and cultures different from their own.

Admissions

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.

Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Perform tasks at intermediate-high and advanced-low levels of proficiency as described by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. Proficiency, in ACTFL terms, is understood to describe a range of qualities rather than an absolute norm and will vary according to task type, language function, topic, skill (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and so forth.
2. Contribute to most informal and some formal conversations with sufficient accuracy, clarity and precision to convey their intended message without misrepresentation or confusion. They will, for the most part, be understood by native speakers unaccustomed to dealing with non-native speakers.
3. Vary the register (formality level) of their speech.
4. Talk about personal interests, topics of general interest, literature and culture and so forth in the target language.
5. Listen to extended discourse on a variety of topics and understand main ideas and most details.
6. Read texts written for native speakers and not edited or adapted for students. They will read a wide variety of text types such as poems, plays, novels, magazine articles, newspaper articles, brochures, pamphlets, menus and letters written for native speakers of Spanish.
7. Compose routine social correspondence, take notes and write cohesive summaries and resumes, as well as narratives and descriptions of a factual nature, in the target language.
8. Demonstrate a historical knowledge of Spanish history and culture and understand the diverse nature of culture throughout the ages.
9. Discuss cultural differences, distinguishing between fact, opinion and stereotypes.
10. Learn to recognize and esteem diversity as they gain the skills necessary for sensitive, effective interpersonal and intercultural interaction.
11. Learn to view concepts, issues, events and themes from the perspectives of diverse ethnic and cultural groups and esteem diversity as they gain the skills necessary for sensitive, effective interpersonal and intercultural communication.
12. Maintain an ongoing assessment of their own cultural values and behaviors.

Roadmap

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus