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 Researchers Set Their “Sites” on More Affordable Housing Along Purple Line
A grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) will help researchers at the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) investigate methods for the redevelopment of affordable housing along the Purple Line Corridor.View Article Details for UMD Researchers Set Their “Sites” on More Affordable Housing Along Purple Line 
UMD Team Finds E. coli, MRSA Contaminating Potomac River After Sewage Spill
This article originally appeared in Maryland Today. Written by Fid Thompson. University of Maryland researchers have detected high levels of fecal-related bacteria and disease-causing pathogens in the Potomac River following a massive sewage spill, raising urgent public health concerns and underscoring the risks posed by aging sewer infrastructure.View Article Details for UMD Team Finds E. coli, MRSA Contaminating Potomac River After Sewage Spill 
A Design Career Takes Off
This article originally was published in Terp.AN AIRPORT’S MOVING walkway offers a window into the spectrum of human emotion in motion: the exhaustion of a mother placating her toddler with M&Ms; the collective fury over a canceled flight; the apathy brewing in a stagnant queue at Starbucks.View Article Details for A Design Career Takes Off
Events
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PlaceHack 2026
This event is open to undergraduate students from the University of Maryland.February 6, 2026February 7, 2026View Event Details for PlaceHack 2026 -
Resume Workshop
This event is open to the MAPP Community onlyPrepare your resume ahead of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Career Fair. Get tips and tricks to have your resume ready to present to employers at the upcoming career fair.February 9, 2026February 9, 2026View Event Details for Resume Workshop -
First Generation Student Networking Event
This event is for the MAPP Community onlyFebruary 11, 2026February 11, 2026View Event Details for First Generation Student Networking Event