Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Design

The Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Design at the Melbourne School of Design helps develop professionals who are capable of seeing the city from multiple viewpoints and who relish working with interdisciplinary teams.

The Postgraduate Diploma equips students with the skills necessary to undertake design research and to learn about urban history, theory and communications. Successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma can lead to admission to the Master of Urban Design, a studio based course in which students gain expert knowledge, enabling them to forge a career in urban design or a related field.

The strengths of this course are the people involved and the atmosphere they create. People who make urban design at the University of Melbourne what it is are the staff and students. Our core group of staff brings together experience and active involvement in current urban design research, design research and education. A broader teaching team with expertise in landscape architecture and urban planning adds diversity and richness. Urban design students contribute their own experiences, energy, new themes and aspirations and add to a multicultural complexity that make our courses special.

Our urban design courses encourage interaction and an appreciation of creativity and difference which creates an atmosphere of collegiality and common endeavour.

Course specialities

The key quality of the urban design programs is their combined strength of urban design theory and design studios. Studio projects are always approached as design-research exercises, where innovation and discovery represent a major part of the educational experience. Studios emphasise the importance of place and fieldwork represents a significant component of studio work. Professional and wider community involvement is a regular part of the Urban Design studio experience

The program aims to:

• The course aims to develop skills in urban design-related topics and to fill in gaps in student's knowledge and skill-base, such as design or theory, to enable them to enter the Master of Urban Design if they wish; and,
• Serve an integrating role between the disciplines of the Faculty, building cross disciplinary strengths and teaching efficiencies.

All students must complete:

• 25 point graduate MSD studio design subject
• 75 point graduate electives

Students select subjects in consultation with the course coordinator from the offerings available in the Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning postgraduate programs. Students should select subjects from outside of their current field of practice, for example, architects should choose subjects from the Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning areas whilst planners should choose subjects from Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Students should contact the Environments and Design Student Centre (details above) to organise subject selection.

Details on the programs may be viewed at the following course handbook descriptions:

• Master of Architecture
• Master of Landscape Architecture
• Master of Urban Planning

A selection of appropriate subjects are listed below.

For a complete listing of subjects offered by the Melbourne School of Design click here.

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria-

· an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline, or equivalent.

2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews and tests and may call for referee reports and employer references, to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

For information about how to apply click here.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/