Universities and Online Degrees Guide

University of the Witwatersrand

Master of Urban Design

The Master of Urban Design in Design is offered by University of the Witwatersrand.

Program Length: 2 YEARS.

Master of Urban Design offered by the University of the Witwatersrand

The Urban Design Masters at Wits is an interdisciplinary studio-based think tank engaged with design visions, strategies and solutions for cities and towns, focussed on learning lessons from the globalising cities of the South.

The MUD qualification is a two-year part-time programme on urban design. The focus is on the design of cities in South and Southern Africa, drawing from other precedents globally. In a diverse and complex context, urban design relates closely to architecture, planning and landscape architecture, and other disciplines, to produce a unique focus on the design of spaces for people. In the diversity and complexity of our cities there is a need to understand how spaces operate socially, culturally, politically and economically in order to design places for people.

The degree has a number of core theoretical courses which are practically applied in design studios. The core courses introduce students to understanding cities of the global south in order to appreciate the context within which we design. The theories and histories of urban design provide the tools, precedents, examples, and appreciation of urban design in cities through time. Professional Practice allows students to develop an understanding of how to run an urban design practice, as well as of the mechanisms, regulations and procedures required for the implementation of projects. The core courses are applied in practical ways in urban design studios where the student is exposed to projects involving the preparation of designs in response to context. Research forms a large part of the programme.