About
One school. Four disciplines. Endless possibilities for impact.
Our Mission
The University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation advances excellence in education, design, research and practice through diverse academic experiences and innovative faculty research and creative professions. We ready students to craft well-designed, resilient places within the built environment.
Our Vision
Through experiential education, pioneering research, and collaborative practice, we aspire to be a global leader in the allied disciplines of the built environment—empowering students to confront the pressing and enduring challenges of our time.
Our Values
Our values reflect the foundation of our teaching, research, and practice:
- Resilience – Creating communities and environments that adapt, endure and thrive.
- Justice – Advancing fairness, opportunity and voice in the places we shape.
- Curiosity – Asking bold questions and pursuing knowledge to address society’s most urgent needs.
- Innovation – Driving pioneering ideas and transformative solutions for the built environment.
- Collaboration – Bringing people and disciplines together to reflect how real-world change happens.
- Leadership – Cultivating visionary leaders who honor local knowledge, embrace complexity and lead with integrity.
Dean's Message
Welcome to the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (MAPP+), Maryland’s Built Environment School.
At MAPP, we believe design is essential to addressing the grand challenges of our time—climate change, equity, resilience, and the health of our communities. Through architecture, planning, preservation and real estate development, our students learn to envision and shape just, sustainable and vibrant places.
From our beginnings—when our first class built housing on the National Mall for the Poor People’s Campaign—we have embraced design as a tool for social and environmental justice. Today, we continue this legacy, pairing our students and faculty with communities across Maryland and around the world to co-create solutions that matter.
Our research centers and labs confront urgent issues such as sea-level rise, gentrification, and displacement, while our students bring creativity and collaboration to projects that span disciplines from engineering to public health. Increasingly, we are also exploring the role of artificial intelligence in design and the built environment—harnessing new tools to analyze data, imagine possibilities and expand human capacity to build more resilient and inclusive futures.
At MAPP+, our tight-knit community benefits from world-class faculty, strong alumni networks and the opportunities of a major research university. Together, we prepare the next generation of changemakers to design with vision, responsibility, and care.
Join us as we shape a resilient world for all.
Dr. Dawn Jourdan, Dean