Course Descriptions

The following directory draws from the official course catalog for the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. New and one-time courses offered since the last publication of the catalog may not be included here. Visit Testudo for a list of current course offerings.

Key: # Alternate MRED Core, + Required Certificate

• Historic Preservation

• HISP 640 Historic Preservation Law, Advocacy and Public Policy (3)

  Introduces students to legal, advocacy and public policy issues in the field of historic preservation. Student activities will be designed to teach basic working knowledge of relevant legal subjects, including historic preservation ordinances, state and federal preservation statutes, and important constitutional issues. (Previously HISP 619C)
  Syllabus

• HISP 680 Preservation Economics (3)

  This course introduces students to a range of economic theories, methods, and issues that must be considered in the practice of historic preservation. Case studies related to community economic development, adaptive reuse, tax credit programs, project finance and land use will be presented in this course.
  
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• Real Estate Development

• RDEV 630 Fundamentals of Real Estate Development and Finance (3)

  This course provides an introduction to real estate finance and development. Students learn the basic financial analytical methods (IRR, discounting, compounding, etc.) and apply them to real estate transactions.  The course is taught in a Socratic method, with frequent visits from guest speakers from various segments of the real estate finance and investment industry.  After taking this course, the student should have a good foundation in real estate finance and should be able to create basic pro forma projections as well as being able to value a variety of property types.

  
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• RDEV 635 Capital Markets & Real Estate Investments for Developers (3)

  The objectives of RDEV 635 are: (1) to acquaint students with the capital and municipal bond markets and provide them with the fundamentals of those markets; (2) to provide students with a basic introduction to the public capital market sources of financial capital for real estate; (3) to have a familiarity with alternative methods of financing real estate development; (4) to have an understanding of basic concepts of the following types of financing:  multifamily mortgage revenue bond financing, tax increment financing, payment in lieu of taxes financing, special assessment financing, low income housing tax credits, REITS, CMBS, LISC financing, capital fund financing, commercial bank financing, and industrial revenue bond financing; (5) to enhance each student's analytical and presentation skills; and, (6) to provide a foundation for further study of all aspects of real estate development financing.   The course methodology incorporates homework assignments, in-class examinations, student presentations, guest lectures and site visits.

  
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• RDEV 650 Essentials of Design and Construction Management for Development Professionals (3)

  This course presents the fundamentals of: (i) architectural design process, administration, and approvals; (ii) project delivery methods and requests for proposal; (iii) pre-construction services and bidding; (iv) construction management and field administration; (v) construction materials, equipment and systems; (vi) LEED and sustainable design; (vii) technology tools; (viii) code compliance such as the Americans with Disabilities Act; and (ix) and ethical considerations in the design and construction process.

  
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• RDEV 688A Development Law, Process, and Ethics (3)

  This course will acquaint students with an overview of the real estate development industry - the process, parties, politics and wide variety of development types and companies as well as develop a facility with the vocabulary and concepts of real estate law.  Students in this class will acquire an understanding of basic concepts of the following areas of law:  real        property, contracts, administrative law, constitutional law, environmental law, corporate organizations, tax, bankruptcy, and insurance.

  
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• RDEV 688D Principles of Property Management for Developers (3)

  This course when offered  as a corporate property management course,  concentrates on the demand side of commercial real estate focusing on the tenant/user perspective, but with the dynamics of a dual viewpoint: (A)the Corporate Real Estate Professional's (CRE) objectives and constraints; along with planning and analysis, reporting and internal approval functions, all of which impact transactions. (B) And the Owner, Investor who markets to and negotiates with the CRE, and as a consequence must understand these issues for successful design, marketing and deal making.  Coursework will include guest lectures, case study and group project work, with an emphasis on interactive participation in the classroom.

  
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• RDEV 688E Resolving Conflict and Negotiating Agreements (Also PUAF 752) (3)

  This course is designed to enhance the student's negotiation and leadership skills for managing differences between individuals and groups.  The students will study the nature of conflict, learn how to handle two and multiparty conflicts.  It builds on work of Roger Fisher at the Harvard Law School and co-author of Getting to Yes.  The course will be a blend of skill building exercises and theory discussions about the behavior of individuals to understand the negotiation dynamics. 

  
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• RDEV 688G Planning Policy, Practice, and Politics for Real Estate (3)

  This seminar course is designed to introduce and familiarize real estate graduate students and graduate students in related professions with the planning, zoning, and other entitlement processes and requirements that can influence development.  It will also look at the roles planning and politics have in shaping the built environment and the development process.  The course has three primary objectives, those being (1) Develop an understanding of how planning shapes the development process; (2) Develop an understanding of zoning, historic preservation, and other regulatory and entitlement processes and requirements applicable to development; (3) Develop an understanding of how to address neighborhood issues and concerns that can affect the development process.

  
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• RDEV 688I Capstone Course in Real Estate Development (3)

  This is the culminating course styled as an independent study course, directed by a faculty member, that will provide two alternative options; a) Practice Based - marketing feasibility analysis of a proposed project, its schematic design and cost estimation and complete financial analysis that may be in a studio format or independent study, or b) Research Based - an approved analytical or theoretical paper to explore a relevant development topic or problem with a real estate professional.

  
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• RDEV 688L Essentials of Commecial Leasing (3)

  Through a hands-on look at commercial real estate leases, lease provisions, and current market activity, students will learn: (1) the role commercial leasing plays in the development process; (2) the terminology of commercial leasing; (3) the principal parties and participants in the leasing process and their roles; (4) the various lease types (e.g. office versus retail) and lease structures (e.g. full service, modified, triple net); (5) the economic drivers of a lease and their pro forma impact; (6) critical analysis of leases for acquisitions; (7) the negotiation process; (8) relevant statutory and case law; and (9) essentials for a down market.

  
  

• RDEV 688R Affordable Housing - Roots and Rudiments (3)

  The course consists of an examination of public policy and private actions to promote the development and operation of affordable housing for lower income families.  This embraces an historical and analytical survey of key challenges to the enterprise, focusing on approaches - failed and successful - designed to ameliorate such problems, and includes broadly related aspects of community development.  The course utilizes an assigned textbook, two or three leading court decisions, contemporary academic reports and analyses, and expert practitioner guest lecturers.

  
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• RDEV 688X Introduction to Principles, Practice and Process of Real Estate Development (3)

  The course provides an overview of the real estate development process from entitlement to site and financial analysis.  Through the prism of market analysis and valuation, we will explore the factors of supply and demand for a variety of residential and commercial land uses.   The course includes guest lecturers representing a variety of professions engaged in the real estate industry including practitioners in development, law, finance, brokerage and analysis.  Team projects include conducting market and valuation analysis of actual projects within the Washington Metropolitan area.

  
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• RDEV 688Y Practical Issues in Sustainability (3)

  This is a practical issues course addressing the business impacts and drivers of sustainability.  Students taking this class will receive broad-based business issue exposure to a wide range of sustainability-oriented topics and be challenged to think about the business issues and impacts of sustainability across numerous subject matters.  The goal is for students to apply macro insights gained from this class to their ongoing curriculum, coursework class assignments, and professional careers.
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• RDEV 689B Financing and Investing with Historic, Low-Income and New Market Tax Credits (3)

  Many new income producing real estate projects as well as many rehabilitation projects meet the criteria for various tax credits (federal, state and local) making tax credits a potential equity source for a wide variety of projects.  To qualify for tax credits, a developer must understand the various tax credit programs, their application, impact on the project and project structure, the monitoring and reporting requirements, and the syndication and investment markets to turn credits into equity. This course provides an understanding and, through various spreadsheet exercises, practical application on how the rehabilitation tax credits (historic), low-income housing tax credits, and new market tax credits - are used to enhance equity.

  
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• RDEV 689F Advanced Real Estate Finance: Real Estate Repositioning (3)

  Real estate companies, banks and investment firms face strategic challenges during rapidly changing economic cycles. This course will focus on strategies in analyzing markets, repositioning troubled assets/debt, cost control techniques and managing internal change and conflict during uncertain times.  The course incorporates lectures, class discussion, case studies and guest lecturers. The guest lecturers include; real estate transaction workout/bankruptcy attorneys, bankers, finance executives, real estate developers, market analysts and strategic planners. Topics include:
  *       Evaluating financing sources and structures
  *       Monetary and non-monetary loan default resolution
  *       Developing an asset or portfolio plan
  *       Purchasing and selling real estate in a credit constrained market
  *       Bankruptcy and consensual workouts
  *       Developing and implementing workout plans and alternative strategies
  *       Evaluating your overall position within the market
  *       Strategic planning in a rapidly changing economic environment
  

• RDEV 689K International Development Challenges and Practices (3)

  This course will acquaint students with the international real estate development industry, and its process, etiquette, particulars between internal regions within a state and illustrate a broader understanding of regulatory differences between foreign and US practices.  Understand the motivations and the cultural differences encountered by US developers overseas as well as the nature of development, regulatory, political and economic perspectives in the global arena.  Explore legal issues and ethical choices with oversight provided by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  The course will give a basic understanding to the student who is considering a career in international development.

  
  

• RDEV 689L Risk Management for Real Estate Developers (3)

  This course focusses the students' attention on pure risk (as compared to speculative or transactional risk).  The course includes a visit to a local shopping center to understand property and liability hazards, guest lectures on habitational risk issues and  environmental risk issues and a final project that requires the students to apply conceptual and practical risk management strategies to a fictional real estate portfolio.

  
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• RDEV 689P; 689Q, 689R Public Private Partnerships (1)

  The series of 1 credit courses is designed to introduce and familiarize students with the predevelopment process for Public/Private Partnerships.  Students will assess the attractiveness of multiple RFQ/RFPs for different project types including downtown redevelopment, new town centers and transit-oriented development. Students will also apply market demand theory, complete site capacity models and complete mixed-use developer pro formas to determine financial feasibility.  Students will prepare public economic impact models to determine job creation and tax revenue impact of real estate development.  Students will also learn about different public funding sources including the application of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) to assist in gap financing.   Includes lecture, hands-on lab assignments (Financial Modeling) and site visits to notable public/private developments around the Washington DC area.

  
  

• RDEV 690 Capstone Project/Thesis in Real Estate Development (3)

  This is the culminating course styled as an independent study course, directed by a faculty member, that will provide two alternative options; a) Practice Based - marketing feasibility analysis of a proposed project, its schematic design and cost estimation and complete financial analysis that may be in a stuido group format or independent study, or b) Research Based - an approved analytical or theoretical paper to explore relevant development topics or problems.

  
  

• Architecture

• ARCH 461 Sustainability In Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 401 and ARCH 410 or permission of department.  Strategies of sustainability as related to the broader context of architectural problem solving.
  course synopsis
  

• ARCH 654 Urban Development and Design Theory (3)

  Advanced investigation into the history, and practice of urban design, planning, and development.
  course synopsis
  http://www.arch.umd.edu/ARCH654/index.html |

• ARCH 655 Urban Design Seminar (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 654 or permission of department. Advanced investigation into problems of analysis and evaluation of the design of urban areas, spaces and complexes with emphasis on physical and social considerations; effects of public policies through case studies. Field observations.
  course synopsis
  
• Business

• BUSI 610 Introduction to Financial Accounting (2)

  Overview of financial accounting, periodic financial statements and the financial reporting process. Importance of financial statements as information source for creditors and investors and as a means by which managers can communicate information about their firms.
  

• BUSI 611 Managerial Accounting (2)

  Use of accounting data in corporate planning and control. Cost-volume- profit analysis, budgeting, pricing decisions and cost data, transfer pricing, activity-based management, performance measures, and standard costing. Non-majors should review their registration eligibility in the statement preceding the BUSI courses.
  

• BUSI 771 New Venture Financing (3)

  Exploration of various funding sources. Criteria used in evaluation and decision process, including commercial banks, venture capital companies, small business investment companies, underwriters, private placement-financial consultants, mortgage bankers, and small business innovative research grants (U.S. Government). Topics will include: methods of financing, techniques for valuing new businesses, financial structure, and evaluation methods used by investors and lenders.
  
• Civil Engineering

• ENCE 620 Risk Analysis for Engineering (3)

  Sources of hazards, definition of risk, system analysis, functional modeling and analysis techniques, probabilistic risk assessment procedure, risk methods, risk acceptance, assessment of failure likelihood, consequence assessment, risk benefit assessment, uncertainty sources and types, modeling uncertainty, risk analysis and decision making under uncertainty, collection of data, expert-opinion elicitation, human-machine interface and human factors engineering.
  

• ENCE 626 Web-based Project Management (3)

  This course examines the use of Internet and Intranet based project management in the context of collaboration, decision making and information exchange, and presents a systematic understanding of the principle issues in Web based tools- ease of use, efficient decision making, and cost effectiveness. The course will use project case histories as part of a team project.
  

• ENCE 661 Project Cost Accounting and Finance (3)

  This course reviews the fundamentals of accounting; examines project cost accounting principles, applications, and impact on profitability; examines the principles of activity based costing; covers the elements involved in cash management; introduces the framework for how projects are financed and the potential impact financing has on the projects; and a framework for evaluating PC based systems and what resources are needed for an effective project cost system.
  

• + ENCE 662 Introduction to Project Management (3)

  Introduction to project management including: overview and concepts of project management (principles, body of knowledge, strategies); planning successful projects (defining, specifying, delivery options, scheduling, budgeting); implementing (organizing the team, work assignments, team building, effective leadership); executing (performance measurement, maintaining the schedule, adjustments/mid-course corrections, record keeping, status reporting, communications, managing conflict, time management); and closeout(performance measurement, maintaining the schedule, adjustments/mid-course corrections, record keeping, status reporting, communications, managing conflict, time management).
  
  

• ENCE 664 Legal Aspects of Engineering Design and Construction (3)

  Examines ways in which the legal system affects the design and construction process. Focuses on contract types and the relationships between the parties in different delivery systems. Covers basics of procurement protocols along with negotiating techniques and strategies. Topics include contract law, the relationships between the parties, tort and negligence law, and the statutory principles affecting construction.

  
  

• ENCE 665 Management of Project Teams (3)

  This course examines the utilization of human resources at the individual, small group, and project team levels. It also examines the multiple modes of effective communications, both human and graphic.
  
• Historic Preservation

• HISP 619M Special Topics in Historic Preservation: Case Studies in Adaptive Reuse (3)

  This course explores adaptive use projects, one of the most common types of historic preservation activity, from several different perspectives. The primary goal of the course is to convey the general principles and current practices in the field, so that each student can form a set of criteria for guiding and evaluating reuse projects.
  
  
• Landscape Architecture

• LARC 440 Urban Studio Design (5)

  The landscape architect's role within the interdisciplinary urban design process, focusing on urban site design issues. Pedestrian friendly site design and the future of sustainable development will be studied
  
• Public Affairs

• PUAF 734 Foundations of Social Policy (3)

  Provides an overview of government's role in social policy and the history of the development of federal and state policies with respect to welfare, aging, education, and housing. Analyzes current federal institutions and legislation in the same policy areas and the demographic history of the United States. Develops skills in analytic writing and presentation of descriptive data.
  

• PUAF 737 Strategies of Equality (3)

  Concentrates on the institutional and political means by which disadvantaged segments of the United States population have sought to enhance their social, economic and political prospects. Race, gender and disability are the substantive focal points. Also explores legislation, litigation, administration, agitation and constitutional reform.
  

• PUAF 740 Public Policy and the Environment (3)

  Surveys of major federal environmental legislation; the development and implementation of laws, and alternative ways of thinking about the relationship between humans and the environment.

  
  

• PUAF 741 Global Environmental Problems (3)

  Suitability of analytic tools for examining global environmental problems, human overpopulation, land abuse, ozone depletion, climate change, acid rain, loss of biological diversity, the scarcity of food, fresh water, energy and nonfuel mineral resources, and health hazards of pollutants toxic metals and radiation.
  

• PUAF 770 Housing and Community Development (3)

  This course examines issues and strategies affecting  affordable housing and community development in urban, suburban and rural settings, utilizing case studies.

  
  
• Real Estate Development

• RDEV 688J Principles of Urban Design / Visual Literacy and the Development Process (3)

  To introduce students to the issues associated with the development of the basic asset classes (office, retail and residential) and the context driven forces that shape these different development types.   This course is aimed at those pursuing careers in real estate from the points of view of the developer, investor, designer, and policy makersd.  Analytic tools will be introduced to examine the different asset classes in relation to context with the intent of understanding the particular forces that shape these developments and create the urban fabric.

  
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• RDEV 688P Entrepreneurship Basics for Real Estate Developers (3)

  This multi-disciplinary course helps students develop the entrepreneurial mindset, functional skill sets, and relationship assets to launch and manage real estate development ventures. Through lectures, guest speakers, and the creation of an original business plan, students learn how to assess the feasibility of a startup venture, as well as how to apply best practices for planning, launching, and managing new ventures. Students also develop the foundational skills for identifying and analyzing entrepreneurial opportunities throughout their career.

  
  

• RDEV 689J Corporate Real Estate: Acquisitions and Operations (3)

  All Businesses are real estate businesses by the estimation of many, but the practice of real estate in-house at large scale corporations is a specialized perspective on property management in its broadest terms.  This course concentrates on the demand side of Commercial Real Estate in granular detail, focusing on the tenant/user perspective, but with the dynamics of a dual viewpoint from both the Corporate Real Estate Professional who must plan, analyze, report and obtain internal corporate approvals, and the Owner/Investor who market to and negotiates with the CRE.
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• Urban Studies & Planning

• URSP 603 Land Use Planning: Concepts and Techniques (3)

  Basic techniques for regulating the use and appearance of land. Legal framework, social implications, planning approaches, communicating land use information.
  
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• URSP 606 Microeconomics of Planning and Public Policy (3)

  Resource allocation in a market economy, the nature of market failures, and the justifications for public sector intervention. The limits and possibilities for planning in a market economy. 
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• URSP 631 Transportation and Land Use (3)

  Coordination of land use and transportation is one of today's hot topics in urban planning, mainly because other Asolutions@ to traffic congestion have proven so ineffective. If we cannot pave our way out of congestion, we must reduce the need for so much vehicular travel, or so the theory goes. This is where coordinated land use and transportation planning comes in. This course is based on a training course developed for the National Transit Institute and delivered to land use and transportation professionals in 30 metropolitan areas across the U.S. The greater time available for this course should allow us to do a better job than in the NTI training course.
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• + URSP 640 Growth Management and Environmental Planning (3)

  The course deals with policies and strategies by which governments attempt to control the amount, location, pace, pattern and quality of development within their jurisdictions. This is a foundational course frequently taught by one of the experts on faculty at the Center for Smart Growth.  Environmental requirements relative to brown fields, asbestos and lead paint are anticipated to be addressed in this course as well.  One or more other planning courses offered at the School may be substituted for this core course with approval of the director.

  
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• URSP 660 Function and Structure of Metropolitan Areas (3)

  Prerequisite: URSP 606 or equivalent. Structural shifts m the national economy and their impact on urban areas. Theory and empirical evidence on the inter- and intra-metropolitan location and movement of population and employment.
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• URSP 661 City and Regional Economic Development Planning (3)

  Also HISP 620.  Prerequisite: URSP 606 or equivalent. Causes of urban and regional growth and decline. Focus on application of economic theory and urban planning techniques. Analysis of local economic development planning potential. Strategies for urban and regional revitalization.
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• URSP 688F Recent Developments in Urban Studies: Negotiation/Conflict Resolution (3)