We Build Better
Connections / Partnerships / Downtowns / Street Culture / Futures
The University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation combines world-class resources, hands-on interdisciplinary opportunities and close-knit learning environments—all just minutes from the energy and opportunity of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis. We drive innovation in design, research and community engagement to build a better future.
Design Excellence
From stunning skylines to walkable neighborhoods, our students, faculty and alumni set the bar for creativity, impact and innovation.
World-Class Faculty
Learn from leaders. Our faculty are acclaimed scholars, award-winning practitioners and forward-thinkers shaping the future of the built environment.
Campus to Capitol
Just minutes from D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis, our students learn in a living laboratory of history, design and development—connecting them to the people and places shaping the future of the built environment.
Get to Know Us
By combining hands-on learning with groundbreaking research, we empower students and scholars to shape thriving, just and resilient places.
Undergraduate Programs
UMD’s undergraduate degrees in architecture and real estate development are interdisciplinary, engaging and give students the tools to shape the cities and communities of the future.
Graduate Programs
From designing city skylines to driving neighborhood revitalization, our competitive, professional graduate programs in architecture, planning, preservation and real estate prepare students for careers that shape vibrant, just places.
Research Centers & Institutes
Our research centers and institutes forward groundbreaking research within the built environment that advances dynamic, sustainable and just places.
Emily Wang and Valeria Castillo-Hernandez's project model for a camping ground and nature lodge designed for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Julio Miguel T. Alumbro won the Spring 2025 Thesis Prize Award for his project “The “Church” in the Diaspora.”
Deisy Valasquez's housing development for Antigua, Guatemala won the Fall 2024 Thesis Prize Award.
"The Jacquelynn Residences at Uptown Place," Master of Real Estate Development student, Jack Tintle's independent senior living development. Winner of the Fall 2024 Colvin capstone competition.
Historic preservation students designed a Zine for the sounds of Prince George’s County.
A model created by an ARCH403 Design Studio student for their final project, focusing on the design of an observatory at Monocacy Battlefield.
Student Work
See our students’ ideas come to life—bold designs, thoughtful planning and creative solutions shaping our communities. From concept to creation, explore the innovative work of our students across architecture, planning, preservation and real estate.
News
UMD Wins NAIOP 2026 Capital Challenge
A dynamic entertainment corridor adjacent to the future home of the Washington Commanders proposes a new destination for D.C., and earned six graduate students from the University of Maryland’s Real Estate Development Program first place in the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP) DC l MD 2026 Capital Challenge. The win marks the fourth time Maryland has taken the top prize in the intercollegiate real estate competition for the Washington, D.C. area.View Article Details for UMD Wins NAIOP 2026 Capital Challenge 
Is Healthy Building Design all in Your Head?
By Katherine ShaverView Article Details for Is Healthy Building Design all in Your Head? 
Restoring Community to a Little-Known Part of Gotham
The historic red brick warehouses at West 126th St. and Amsterdam Avenue in West Harlem have been many things over their lifetime. For their first century, they were the epicenter of New York City’s burgeoning beer industry, until Prohibition officers dumped their contents into Harlem sewers in 1923. They became a cold storage facility, a laundry, and later housed the opulent furs of wealthy Manhattanites.View Article Details for Restoring Community to a Little-Known Part of Gotham
Events
-
TerraPlan Issue 02 Launch Event
This event is open to the UMD community.May 7, 2026May 7, 2026View Event Details for TerraPlan Issue 02 Launch Event -
PALS 2026 Showcase
The PALS showcase is an event held in an "open house" format, where students involved in PALS projects have the opportunity to prepare and present posters that highlight their work.May 8, 2026May 8, 2026View Event Details for PALS 2026 Showcase -
School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation Commencement 2026
Commencement Speaker:Diane J. Hoskins, FAIAGlobal Co-Chair, GenslerWashington, D.C.May 19, 2026May 19, 2026View Event Details for School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation Commencement 2026