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
Making (an Even Greater) College Park
Written by Jeremy BerlinView Article Details for Making (an Even Greater) College Park 
Prime Real Estate
When Eric Walter ‘04 MRED ‘10 was first breaking into real estate development after graduating from the University of Maryland, the prevailing response he heard from recruiters was, “You’re never going to get hired.”View Article Details for Prime Real Estate 
At UMD, an Orthodox Nun Builds on Her Calling
Associate Professor Joseph Williams has delivered hundreds of lessons at the University of Maryland, but only once was he the one who got schooled. The historian had just finished a lecture on medieval architecture when one of his students approached him to graciously correct a reference he’d made to Orthodox Christian liturgy.Although an undergraduate, the young woman had it on good authority—after all, she had dedicated her life to the faith as an Orthodox nun.View Article Details for At UMD, an Orthodox Nun Builds on Her Calling
Events
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Save the Date: Kibel Gallery Spring Opening
More details to comeSeptember 25, 2026September 25, 2026View Event Details for Save the Date: Kibel Gallery Spring Opening