The graduate programs in Urban Planning, Policy and Design at AUB (MUPP-MUD) train students to the necessary skills for tackling the challenges of contemporary urbanization while upholding the principles of livability, sustainability and equity, focusing especially on Lebanon and the Arab region. MUPP-MUD rely on a two-year curriculum that combines theoretical and methodological courses with hands-on studio courses articulated around real-life exercises. The training is multi-disciplinary and research-based. Students learn to analyze urban contexts and formulate interventions in the form of projects and/or policies.
Our graduates work in a wide range of positions, within the private, non-profit and less frequently, public sector. Most are occupying leading positions in the Arab region where they contribute to advancing innovative planning and design interventions.
The MUPP-MUD programs provide the best applicants with scholarships that can reach up to 100% (graduate fellowships). Students can join the programs either in the Fall or Spring terms. Please check the Admissions portal for related deadlines.
Program length 2 years (full‑time) 2 years (full‑time)
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| Total credits 30 credits 33 credits |
Shared core (21 credits)
Research or Professional Track
| - 3 core courses for 9 credits (Research Methods, Planning Theory & Policy, Urbanism)
- 1 Planning/Design Workshop (6 credits)
- 6‑credit Thesis (Research Track) or 6-credit Advanced Planning/Design Studio (Professional Track)
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Specialization / Studio Training
(9 credits for MUPP; 12 credits for MUD)
| - 9 credits in a concentration area where planning & policymaking skills are applied (e.g. Ecological Planning, Transportation Planning, Development Planning)
| - 3 credits in Urban Design Theory and Practice
- 6 credits in applied design studio
- 3 credits in a Free Elective
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Graduate Seminar
(0
credit)
| Register for “City Debates” graduate seminar twice during residency, to
discuss timely urban regional issues, featuring an international conference
|
Mission Statements
The Master of Urban Planning and Policy is designed to provide a broad professional education in urban planning. Emphasis is placed on the development of multi-disciplinary analytical skills necessary to address contemporary urbanization as well as the mastery of the tools and approaches adopted in the contemporary practice of urban planning and policymaking. The MUPP program guides students in defining a specific area of expertise within the wider practice of urban planning and in locating their expertise in relation to other professions of the city. The program welcomes university graduates with professional degrees and/or degrees in the social sciences and prepares them to occupy leading professional roles in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
The Master of Urban Design program emphasizes the mastery of the design tools necessary for the effective practice of urban design. Students are exposed to a multi-disciplinary understanding of contemporary urban challenges that trains them to position the design profession amidst other professions of the city. They learn to integrate design tools with policy strategies and institutional development. The MUD program has adopted the studio-based approach to professional education as the main context of learning. The program accepts university graduates and practitioners from design fields and prepares them to occupy leading professional roles in design and planning firms.
Programs Description:
The MUPP and MUD programs span over two years of full-time enrollment. The MUPP track requires students to take a total of 30 credits with 9 credits in a sub-discipline of specialization where planning and policymaking skills are applied, and 6 credits in applied studio format. The MUD track requires students to take a total of 33 credits, with 12 of them in applied design studios. The two tracks share a common core of 21 credits consisting of three core courses (Research Methods, Planning Theory and Policy, and Urbanism), one planning/ design workshop, and a six-credit final thesis. The thesis is research-based and aims at generating innovative ways of thinking and understanding the context of urban and regional planning and design practice. In addition, all students enrolled in the MUPP/MUD programs are required to register for the 0-credit “City Debates" seminar at least twice during their university enrollment.