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Pratt Institute

Program in Urban Design

Brooklyn, NY

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Overview

The School of Architecture at Pratt Institute: Educating Future Leaders in Design

Ranked by "DesignIntelligence" magazine as one of the country's best architecture programs in the nation, the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute provides graduate programs in architecture, urban design, city and regional planning, construction and facilities management, sustainable environmental systems, real estate practice, and historic preservation. With a strong foundation in traditional academics, the School of Architecture plays a pivotal role in innovative, research-driven practices that are developing fields such as sustainability, digital design, and material research.

The school offers a Master of Science, Architecture and Urban Design degree.

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Excellent Facilities within an International Research Network

The School of Architecture at Pratt has excellent facilities, trans-disciplinary connections with the well-known art and industrial design departments of Pratt Institute, and a developing research network that connects the graduate architecture department to national and international work in urban design. Distinguished visitors present their work to graduate students from all over the world on a regular basis in research forums and guest studios and seminars.

The School of Architecture Pratt Institute has an "ecological" approach that encourages feedback relationships among industry, manufacturing, political agencies, theoretical studies, and other categories and disciplines that are newly emerging in contemporary culture.

The Master of Science Degree in Urban Design

At Pratt Institute, the Master of Science, Urban Design program lasts for 3 semesters (summer, fall, and spring) and requires 33 credits. It is a post-professional program in urban design for students holding a 5-year -- or equivalent -- professional degree in architecture. Students complete a culmination project during their third semester.

Program faculty members believe that the urban design field is changing significantly. They believe that cities' expansion and contraction, as well as increasingly intricate economic and cultural exchanges among cities, suggest that professionals need new forms of analysis and design.

The graduate urban design program at Pratt aims to help students articulate, in visual and discursive ways, their long-term work in the discipline and practice. This approach helps determine where the student's individual work fits in the larger tapestry of the discipline. The program exposes students to excellent, thoughtful, inventive work in the field. Such work includes new computer mapping and visualization technologies, theoretical debates, interdisciplinary views and practice, and methodological developments.

A Distinguished Faculty of Practicing Architects and Designers

The Graduate Architecture programs at Pratt have a strong faculty of distinguished educators and practicing architects. Architect David Erdman is currently the chairperson of the Department of GraduateUrban Design at Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture where he is overseeing the master of architecture, MS in Architecture and MS in urban design programs for 200 students. David co-founded the firm davidclovers*, which has completed over 15 projects, located mostly in Asia and North America and ranging broadly in scale and type. The firm was listed among the top AD100 firms in Asia, and received various citations as winners and finalists including the A&D Trophy, and the Leaf Awards.  

Architect William Mac Donald,  Professor of Graduate Urban Design programs, is also Director of KOL/MAC LLC, Architecture + Design, a New York City firm that is exhibited worldwide. Mac Donald has received numerous academic and professional honors, including the "40 under 40" award given every decade to the 40 best architects under 40 years old.

Pratt Urban Design instructors include Elliott Maltby, an architect whose current research focuses on temporal and situational spatiality. Ms. Maltby is a partner in thread collective of Brooklyn, a multi-disciplinary firm that "explores the seams between building, art and landscape." Maltby also worked for 5 years with Mary Miss, a highly influential artist in the public realm.

An Array of Post-Professional Urban Design Courses

Recent offerings in the graduate Urban Design program included Urban Design Theory, which  is an introduction to various theoretical approaches to urban design using both historical and contemporary examples.  Pratt also offers a studio course focusing on the intervention of specific single or multi-building projects in the existing urban fabric.

Still other offerings include Methods and Computer Applications, a course that uses various computer software applications to explore graphic techniques and analytical methods used in urban design and related to design methodology, and Urban Design and Implementation: Case Studies.

Pratt Institute: a Top Art, Design, and Architecture School Located in New York City

Founded in 1887, Pratt Institute is the second largest independent college of art, design, and architecture in the United States. It is also the largest school of its kind in the northeastern region of the country.

Located in Brooklyn, New York, with an additional campus in Manhattan, Pratt attracts students from 44 states and  72 countries. Pratt Institute offers more than 25 undergraduate majors and concentrations and 25 master's degree programs. The college seeks to provide educational programs that help artists and creative professionals become responsible contributors to society. To this end, faculty members assist students in developing aesthetic judgment, professional knowledge, collaborative skills, and technical expertise.

An Urban Mix of Historic Buildings and Eco-Friendly Design

The main campus at Pratt is located less than 30 minutes from Manhattan in a residential Brooklyn neighborhood of post-Civil War townhouses. The neighborhood features an urban mix of leafy green space, brick streets, and historic buildings. The Brooklyn campus encompasses 25 acres.

Pratt takes pride in its new administrative and academic center, the first eco-friendly green building in the area that surrounds the Pratt campus.

Serving Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: The Pratt Center for Community Development

The Pratt Center is one of the nation's foremost university-based research and technical assistance organizations in the service of disadvantaged communities. A number of Urban Design courses relate to Pratt Center projects, and many graduate Urban Design students intern at the Pratt Center. Center services include identifying community needs and workable strategies; providing testimony and staging events designed to inform groups and officials about community challenges and opportunities; researching, making recommendations for action, and providing advocacy to advance community plans; and organizing neighborhood-to-regional coalitions in order to advance specific policy recommendations.

Degrees & Awards

Degrees Offered

Degree Concentration Sub-concentration
Master of Science (MS)

Degrees Awarded

Degree Number Awarded
Master's Degrees 9

Earning Your Degree

Part-time study available? No
Distance learning programs available? No

Degree Requirements

Degree Requirement
Master's Degrees Thesis Required

Admissions

Acceptance Rate

74
Applied
62
Accepted
2
Enrolled
84%

Applying

50
Application Fee - Domestic
90
Application Fee - International
Yes
Electronic
applications accepted?

Application Deadlines

Type Domestic International Priority date
Fall deadline January 5th January 5th No
Spring deadline October 1st October 1st No

Entrance Requirements

Exam Details
Master's Degree Requirements Portfolio, letters of recommendation

International Students

Exam Details
TOEFL: Required TOEFL Paper score: 550
TOEFL IBT score: 79

Tuition & Fees

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Tuition & Fees

$35,226
Tuition & Fees
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Financial Support

Financial award applicants must submit: FAFSA
Application deadlines for financial awards February 1
Types of financial support available Health Care Benefits
Institutionally-sponsored Loans
Scholarship and/or loans
Graduate Assistantships
Career or field-related internships
Federal Work-Study
Financial support for part-time students

Student Body

2
Total Graduate Students
50%
International Breakout (representing other countries)

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic/Latino 50%
Black or African American Not Reported
White or Caucasian Not Reported
American Indian or Alaska Native Not Reported
Asian Not Reported
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Not Reported
Two or more races Not Reported
Unknown Not Reported

Gender

Male (0%)
Female (100%)

Research

Focus of faculty research: Urban development process; historical, social, and economic implications of planning
Externally sponsored research expenditures last year: 0

Location & Contact

Address 200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY  11205
United States
Contact David Erdman
Chairperson
Email: derdman@pratt.edu
Phone: 718-399-4327

Pratt Institute
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