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
Divine Interventions: Terps Reimagine Struggling Churches’ Spaces
For the past few decades, the pews at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in New Carrollton, Md., have been slowly emptying. Weekly attendance at the once-thriving, multicultural congregation has dwindled to around three dozen. Frequent flooding of the sanctuary chapel has damaged its foundation and floors. Leadership could scrape together funds to fix the building, but would anyone be there to notice?View Article Details for Divine Interventions: Terps Reimagine Struggling Churches’ Spaces 
Columbia University Reclaims Victory at Tenth Annual Colvin Case Study Challenge
College Park, Md.— The analysis of a towering, 26-story affordable housing project in the South Bronx took first place at the tenth annual Colvin Case Study Challenge on Saturday, Dec. 5. Columbia University returned to College Park for its second victory in the competition’s history, beating out student teams from Virginia Tech, UT Austin and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.View Article Details for Columbia University Reclaims Victory at Tenth Annual Colvin Case Study Challenge 
Terps Top AIA Potomac Valley’s 2026 “Emerging Professionals” Short List
Julia Campbell ’20, M.Arch ‘22 Samanty Habib’ 21 M.Arch ‘23, and Judy Tram ‘20, M.Arch, M.C.P. ‘24 join an elite cadre of early-career designers selected for the Emerging Professional (EP) Awards Program Class of 2026, a leadership development and mentorship program through AIA Potomac Valley (AIAPV). Campbell, Habib and Tram will participate in a year-long mentorship program with members of AIAPV’s Fellows community. They were three of five individuals selected this year.View Article Details for Terps Top AIA Potomac Valley’s 2026 “Emerging Professionals” Short List
Events
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Kibel Gallery Opening & Talk: STABIAE and the Visual Preservation of Architecture
Kibel Gallery Opening and TalkSTABIAE and the Visual Preservation of ArchitectureCurated by Joseph C. Williams, Lindsey May, and Lauren McNamaraOctober 3, 2025December 22, 2025View Event Details for Kibel Gallery Opening & Talk: STABIAE and the Visual Preservation of Architecture -
Fall 2025 Celebration of Graduates
Come join us in celebrating our Fall 2025 Graduates! A short program will be held in the Architecture Building Auditorium, followed by a reception serving coffee, cookies and tea in the Great Space.Speaker:December 12, 2025December 12, 2025View Event Details for Fall 2025 Celebration of Graduates -
SIRJ's Internet of Things (IoT) Stormwater Training Workshop
This event is open to the UMD CommunityDecember 12, 2025December 12, 2025View Event Details for SIRJ's Internet of Things (IoT) Stormwater Training Workshop