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
In Student ‘Shark Tank’ Competition, Creativity Is in the Water
With its tree-lined sidewalks, carpet-like quads and manicured flowerbeds, the archetypical college campus isn’t thirsty for scenery. But its scenery is thirsty all the time, gulping millions of gallons of water a year to keep up appearances. A pitch for a modular vegetation wall that could keep universities (and other properties) lush through rain- and gray water harvesting, filtering and storage was one of two concepts to take the top prize this year at ArchiNova, the annual “Shark Tank”-style ideas competition for University of Maryland architecture students.View Article Details for In Student ‘Shark Tank’ Competition, Creativity Is in the Water 
When Easter Eggs Roll at the White House, a UMD Alum Scrambles
Written by Katherine ShaverThe thousands of children and their families planning to descend on the White House grounds on Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll will find plenty of brightly colored eggs—and become part of a University of Maryland alum’s running history of the 148-year-old spring tradition.View Article Details for When Easter Eggs Roll at the White House, a UMD Alum Scrambles Kathryn Howell Receives 2026 Best Article in the Journal of Urban Affairs Award
University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth Director Kathryn Howell has earned a 2026 Best Article in the Journal of Urban Affairs Award for her paper, “A data feminist approach to urban data practice: Tenant power through eviction data,” one of two papers recognized nationally for its outstanding contribution to the field of urban affairs.View Article Details for Kathryn Howell Receives 2026 Best Article in the Journal of Urban Affairs Award
Events
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Architecture Lecture Series + Events: Spring 2026
February 25, 2026KEA DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR LECTURE 4 - 5:20 p.m. | AuditoriumAlan RicksFounding Principal + Co-Executive Director,MASS Design GroupFebruary 25, 2026April 22, 2026View Event Details for Architecture Lecture Series + Events: Spring 2026 -
Designing with Scarcity in Africa: Aziza Chaouni
This Craig and Mimi Spangler Lecture is part of the Spring 2026 Architecture Lecture series.April 8, 2026April 8, 2026View Event Details for Designing with Scarcity in Africa: Aziza Chaouni -
Admitted Master's Student Open House
This event is open to the publicJoin us for an Open House for admitted master’s students in our Architecture, Community Planning, Historic Preservation and Real Estate Development programs.April 8, 2026April 8, 2026View Event Details for Admitted Master's Student Open House