The University of New Mexico

Program + Courses

Core Requirements

9 credits taken in addition to Master’s Degree Requirements

Town Design Studio (6 credits)


The primary learning objectives of the studio are:

  • Urban design skills – Ability to work within a complex built environment, with multiple designers and a welter of stakeholders, and to “weigh the impact of their work on present users and future generations” (Boyer and Mitgang Building Community 1996).
  • Collaborative skills - Ability to identify and assume divergent roles that maximize individual talents, and to cooperate with other students when working as members of a design team and in other settings, and to work with a diverse range of community members and clients in an effective and respectful manner.
  • Site Conditions – Ability to respond to natural and built site characteristics in the development of a program and design of a project.
  • Project Definition – Ability to propose urban design approaches to address community goals, including as assessment of client and user needs, a critical review of precedents, an analysis of the site conditions, and a definition of the site selection and design assessment criteria.

Normally, this studio should be taken in the final term of coursework for the Certificate. The requirement may be fulfilled by one of the following:

  • Arch 602, CRP 508, LA 508 Design and Planning Assistance Center
  • Pre-approved studio
  • Pre-approved independent study

Concentration 3 credits

One course within the concentration should be chosen in consultation with the Certificate Director to provide fundamental town design skills and define an area of emphasis. The concentration courses may be fulfilled the following:

  • Arch 592/LA 592/CRP 592 Public Works
  • Arch 593/LA 593/CRP 593 Civic Places
  • CRP 565 Land Development Economics
  • Arch 571 Real Estate Development
  • Pre-approved concentration

Co-Requirements

9 credits that may be taken to fulfill both master’s degree requirements and certificate requirements. The Certificate Coordinator may waive these co-requirements for post-degree students with appropriate experience and/or education.

  1. Requirements 6 credits

    • The urban theory requirement may be fulfilled by:

    CRP 568 Advanced Urban Design, ARCH 562 Urban Design Theory, pre-approved theory course

    • The regulation requirement may be fulfilled by:

    CRP 533 Foundations of Physical Planning, CRP 545 Land Use Controls, Pre-approved course on regulation

  2. Elective 3 credits

The elective should chosen in consultation with the Certificate Director to broaden the student’s background in areas of design relevant to town design. For example architecture students may wish to take an elective in theories or techniques in Landscape Architecture or Community and Regional Planning if they have not previously done so. Courses which typically fulfill this requirement include: