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 degree seeks to develop knowledgeable specialists who possess significant ability to identify opportunities in the urban environment an the sensibility to provide for 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.

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.

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)
• GRE scores
• 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

Applications submitted after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

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 with M.Arch. in Architecture

Student 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.

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

This course is offered at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.

³

These credits may be taken from the course offerings 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 Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Elective credits may be taken from offerings in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design; other Kent State colleges, schools or departments; or the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.

Graduation Requirements

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Cleveland

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.

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)
• GRE scores (starting with fall 2025 admission term, scores will no longer be required)
• 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

Applications submitted after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students who select the master’s project are expected to demonstrate a summative understanding of their overall coursework. Students will be immersed in team settings and required to create a total company structure; estimate, schedule and complete risk assessment and sustainability goals for a proposed project; and develop a marketing plan and other expectations.

²

Students who select the master's project will complete additional graduate-level courses to meet the minimum required credit hours for the degree. The courses will be part of the student's approved plan of study and should contribute to the master's project and the student’s future goals. Students will be advised to take coursework in either construction management or a related field (e.g., architecture, business, healthcare design).

Graduation Requirements

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

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

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.

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)
• GRE scores (effective with fall 2025 admission term, GRE is no longer required)
• 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

Applications submitted after this deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

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.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students select elective courses upon approval of their advisor.

Graduation Requirements

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

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

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.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

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 English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

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

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.

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.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Many students begin their university studies with substantial proficiency in Spanish and therefore, should begin their program of study with the first course in the Spanish major, SPAN 38211. Other students may need to complete one or more of the prerequisite courses: SPAN 18201, SPAN 18202, SPAN 28201, SPAN 28202. Starting Spanish studies in the appropriate course(s) is critical to on-time graduation. All students intending to major in Spanish should contact a Spanish faculty advisor in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies for individualized placement and advising information prior to enrolling in their first Spanish course. Students entering the university with substantial knowledge of Spanish should consider taking the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), through which they may receive up to 14 credit hours of university credit. Students wishing to earn credit through CLEP should take the exam several weeks prior to enrolling in their first Spanish course to ensure eligibility, timely granting of credits and timely placement into the correct Spanish course(s).

²

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

³

It is recommended that students who have declared the Education minor and students interested in declaring a double major with Translation take MCLS 30420.

Graduation Requirements

• All students in the Spanish major are required to complete the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview, ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test and the Spanish Outcomes Assessment Test prior to being cleared for graduation. Information about the exams can be found on the ACTFL website and the Language Testing International (LTI) website, the exclusive licensee of ACTFL.

Program Note

• Some courses in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies are offered on a rotating basis, and course availability may change at any time. Please see the program coordinator or your academic advisor for course planning.

Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 14-16 credit hours of foreign language.¹
To complete the requirement, students need the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options²:

1. Intermediate I and II of the same language
2. Elementary I and II of a second language
3. Any combination of two courses from the following list:

• Intermediate I of the same language
• ARAB 21401
• ASL 19401
• CHIN 25421
• MCLS 10001
• MCLS 20001
• MCLS 20091
• MCLS 21417
• MCLS 21420
• MCLS 22217
• MCLS 28403
• MCLS 28404

¹

All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.

²

Certain majors, concentrations and minors may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular language coursework.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

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