We collaborate and create to crush the competition. At the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, students can put their skills to work individually or as part of an interdisciplinary team in a number of competitions throughout the year.
The School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation offers scholarships on a competitive basis for students in Education Abroad programs during spring, summer and winter. Visit the education abroad website for additional programs and deadlines.
Explore current education abroad programs
Scholarship Funds:
Global Studio Collaborations
Global Studio Collaborations are joint workshops between UMD Architecture students and peers from international universities worldwide. Following in the footsteps of Madlen Simon’s Bridging the Gap graduate design studio, these workshops inspire cultural curiosity and design exchange, fostering a global mindset to create equitable spaces.
India: Chandigarh Urban Redevelopment Project
This interdisciplinary course explores urban redevelopment through site and market analysis, land use planning, urban design, real estate finance, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, architectural design, and sustainable communities. Chandigarh, planned by Le Corbusier, offers planning students a unique study opportunity.
Cuba: An Interdisciplinary Journey to Havana
Havana—fresh off its 500th anniversary—is a jewel of architectural preservation and a living laboratory of five centuries of urban planning. Its rich history, vibrant culture and complex real estate environment make it unlike anywhere else in the world.
Japan: The Built Environment, Planning, and the Exploration of Social Justice and Equity
Students will explore contemporary urban life in Hiroshima and Kyoto—two cities rich in history, culture, and influence on the built environment. Hiroshima, shaped by its experience with the atomic bomb in WWII, is a global symbol of peace and justice, reflected in landmarks like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Kyoto, Japan’s former capital, offers centuries of tradition through its temples, shrines, distinctive architecture and historic landscapes.
Scandinavia Culture + Place
Learn first hand about the role culture, geography, and history play in architectural form by investigating the built and natural environment in Scandinavia. Spend time in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland; you will stay in the national capitals of Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Stockholm, and use these urban locales as bases for excursions into the wider metropolitan milieu.
Italy: Florence and Tuscany
This program immerses you in the architectural, landscape, urban, artistic, and cultural traditions of Florence and Tuscany—foundations of many disciplines today. Most coursework happens in situ, directly in the buildings, gardens and piazzas you’re studying, with learning that blends readings, lectures, and, most importantly, hands-on observation, documentation and analysis.
See the World—Change Your View
It began in 1971 with a four-week, three-continent adventure led by brand-new faculty and a world-famous architect—and we haven’t stopped exploring. At the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, study abroad is more than a trip; it’s a cornerstone of your education. One semester you might be sketching in the piazzas of Florence, Italy— the next, tracing history at India’s world heritage sites or soaking in the fast-paced energy of Kyoto, Japan.
The Fabrication Lab—affectionately known as the Fab Lab—is where vision meets craftsmanship. Here, students and faculty transform ideas into precise three-dimensional models of urban sites, landscapes, buildings, and building components. The Fab Lab spans two spaces: the Machine Shop and the Laser/3D Print Lab. The Machine shop is dedicated to crafting model components from materials like wood, plastics and composites using both traditional woodworking tools and advanced CNC machinery.