The Graduate Certificate in City Design is a joint program between the School of Architecture and the Department of Landscape Architecture. The certificate program promotes design inquiry and application at the scale of the city for students and practitioners of architecture and landscape architecture. The program’s objectives are to consider the human condition, particularly in making signification urban places; design integrated systems of movement with increased accessibility; promote a greater mix of uses and amenities within a well-scaled urban fabric; foster new opportunities for energy production at the local scale; define new means of ‘greening’ the city; and capture greater senses of identity, meaning, and quality within the city fabric.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 15 hours of coursework from the course menu, as specified in the certificate application, and have a minimum of 3.00 GPA on all certificate coursework. All grades on courses taken towards the certificate program in courses numbered 400 and above are included in the GPA. Courses at the 300 level and below are not eligible for certificate credit and subsequently do not affect the graduate GPA.

The minimum grade to receive certificate credit can be no lower than B-. Students who take letter-graded 400-, 500-, and 700-level courses do not have the option of taking the courses for ‘credit only’ if they intend for the course to be part of the graduate certificate. Transfer credit from other institutions is not allowed for the graduate certificate. All course work must be registered through NC State University.

All certificate requirements must be completed within four (4) calendar years, beginning with the date that the student commences courses applicable to the certificate, unless a more restrictive time limit has been established by the program or academic college/school.

More Information

City Design Program Website

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must complete an application form to be considered for the certificate program. To qualify for admission to the certificate program, students must be enrolled in a professional program in architecture or landscape architecture. At the time of application, students must have a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) in their professional degree program.

Applicant Information

• Delivery Method: On-Campus
• Entrance Exam: None
• Interview Required: None

Application Deadlines

Please visit The Graduate School Application Deadlines page for more information.

Plan Requirements

Certificate students are expected to complete a total of 15 hours of coursework. There are three methods of fulfilling this requirement:

• one studio option;
• two studio option;
• no studio option.

Studios must be approved by the certificate coordinator in advance, as to whether they fulfill all, or a majority of the intentions of the certificate program.

Certificates earned will be distributed as: "Graduate Certificate in City Design" without studio option specifications.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours	Counts towards
Required Courses		9
ARC 570	Anatomy of the City
ARC 503	Advanced Architectural Design (Series)
or LAR 507	Advanced Topics Studio in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Elective Courses		6
Select at least two courses from the following:
School of Architecture Courses
ARC 544	American City Planning History
ARC 571	Urban House
ARC 572	Regional Infrastructures
ARC 574	Place and Place Making
ARC 575 Participatory Design in Architecture – course pending Admin Board Approval 2021
ARC 576	Community Design
ARC 577	Sustainable Communities
ARC 589	Architectural Travel Study II 1
ARC 590	Special Topics in Architecture
ARC 630	Independent Study 1
Department of Landscape Architecture Courses
LAR 535	Environmental Social Equity and Design
LAR 542	Human Use of the Urban Landscape
LAR 545	City Planning and Design - Building Great Communities
LAR 582	Special Topics In Landscape Architecture (Intro to Environment and Behavior for Designers)
LAR 582	Special Topics In Landscape Architecture 1
LAR 630	Independent Study 1
Total Hours		15

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Requires approval of certificate coordinator