The Concentration in Built Environment (BE) allows the study of the living environment from a variety of perspectives, ranging from building techniques and architecture to the larger context of social and ecological landscapes. Architecture is a social art, thus, this concentration is as much about design theory and practice as it is about people and how their needs and ambitions can be expressed in spaces and structures. You will study the sustainability, functionality, and beauty inherent in a well-designed building as well as the physical fabric of the city. This field involves knowledge of the following areas:

• Aesthetics: Exploring the nature of space and building materials, looking at basic design theory, the design of simple structures or landscapes, the relationships between buildings and their context, and the study of urban form.
• Human Experience: Relating spatial experience to the needs of human beings, the cultural and psychological aspects of space, and human relationships with the natural and built environments.
• History of Architecture: Introducing the history of building, its relationship to the aspirations and practical needs of various societies, and an overview of the evolution of architectural styles and urban form.
• Design Technology and Technique: Designing environmentally sound spaces and structures that meet functional standards and aesthetic goals, introducing basic construction techniques of structures and landscape elements, understanding the physical and aesthetic properties of materials used, and gaining familiarity with building codes, zoning regulations, graphic communications, and computer skills.

Classes for the BE concentration emphasize studio art, architectural history, building technology, and human use of space. This concentration develops technical skills for understanding design and planning at the building scale within the framework of creating sustainable communities.

Career Paths

The Built Environment concentration prepares students for careers in a wide range of design and construction fields that deal with the social aspects of the built environment with an emphasis on sustainability. They will also be prepared to pursue a graduate-level professional design degree in building technology, architecture, or landscape.

The BE concentration works well for students interested in the accelerated 2-year Master of Landscape Architecture (the 4+2 MLA program), with the addition of 500-level LandArch studios in the senior year.

BE Concentration Requirements

Take four concentration required courses and two electives from the approved courses list. No more than two 100-level courses can count toward concentration requirements.

Required Courses

Take four of the following courses.

Typical terms and times are listed. Please check the current departmental course offerings for up-to-date information.

Certain Landscape Architecture courses can also count as concentration required courses. However, availability of these courses to SCD students is limited. Check with instructor.

Electives

Take two concentration electives. The following classes are approved electives; students interested in counting a relevant course (3 or 4 credits) not listed may request a substitution from the Program Director. Many classes in Architecture (ARCH) and Building and Construction Technology (BCT) can count towards this concentration.

Availability of the following classes varies. In addition, some classes may have prerequisites or be limited to certain majors. Check Spire for current offerings and restrictions.

The Concentration in City and Society (CS), formerly called Urban Studies, is concerned with the quality of life in neighborhoods, towns, cities, and metropolitan areas. Closely aligned with urban planning, the CS concentration allows students to explore creative and systematic approaches to environmental, economic, and social issues affecting communities and larger regions. Sustainable communities may be created through careful economic development, control of sprawl, heritage conservation, expanded recreational and cultural opportunities, green infrastructure, improved housing, preserved open space, political reform, and environmental justice. CS concentration courses focus on social equity, human ecology, cultural vitality, economics, politics, policy, land use, and other issues related to city planning. You will build a broad social science understanding of how cities work and how they can be influenced to better serve a broad range of social and environmental goals. Studies in the CS concentration are concerned with:

• Human Settlement Dynamics: The forces that go into developing human agglomerations, how these environments change, how different groups experience these environments, and how designers and planners work within the context within which communities develop physically, but also socially, politically, and economically.
• Regulatory Processes: The legal and technical dimensions related to city planning and strategies, the implications of urban policies and practices, and how living conditions and livability can be improved through land-use and policy decisions.
• Global Issues: The challenges and opportunities found in villages, towns, cities, and mega-cities in the global context, including inequalities in the distribution of goods and services that are required for a quality life food, such as water, shelter, safety, commerce, the question of leadership and what it means to be an active and engaged citizen.
• Planning Tools and Techniques: Theories and analytic methods useful in the practice of public sector planning at the local level, including from fostering economic development and creating local employment to managing improvements efficiently.

Career Paths

Students with this concentration are prepared to work in government agencies, consulting firms, or non-profit organizations working in any of the many domains related planning better communities. They also go on for a master’s degree in planning or other related fields, such as public policy and transportation planning.

This concentration is well suited for students pursing the accelerated Master’s in Regional Planning (the 4+1 MRP program).

CS Concentration Requirements

Take four concentration required courses and two electives from the approved courses list. No more than two 100-level courses can count toward concentration requirements.

Required Courses

Take four of the following courses.

Typical terms and times are listed. Please check the current departmental course offerings for up-to-date information.

Classes in the MRP core curriculum count as a concentration required course with the approval of the Program Director. SustComm 125 is recommended for freshmen and sophomores.

Electives

Take two concentration electives. The following classes are approved electives; students interested in counting a relevant course (3 or 4 credits) not listed may request a substitution from the Program Director.

Availability of the following classes varies. In addition, some classes may have prerequisites or be limited to certain majors. Check Spire for current offerings and restrictions.

The Climate Change and Green Infrastructure Concentration (CCGI), formerly called Landscape Studies, is concerned with large-scale environmental planning and policy. This concentration focuses on the ways that cities and buildings can reduce greenhouse gasses, improve livability and resilience, and enhance ecology through building, infrastructure and planning interventions. You will learn how to enhance the environmental quality through the wise allocation of resources that mitigates, anticipates and accommodates pressures arising in rapidly changing environments and perform the delicate balancing act between development and conservation. To enter this field requires study in:

• Ecological Systems: Applied ecology and ecosystem principles, the role of the natural systems in urbanization, the impact of human activity from the global environment to specific environmentally sensitive areas, and theory and practices in resource economics and planning for greenway systems to improve ecosystems resilience and human well-being.
• Social Systems: Historical and contemporary needs and cultural attitudes that shape environments, the future of the urban form given our current context of rapid urban growth and increased environmental pressures, and the implications of these coming conditions for built form both now and in the future, and how planners and policymakers can provide environmental leadership to communities.
• Climate-related Impacts: The challenges of a rapidly changing climate and the frameworks and tools needed to address climate issues that impact people and their communities, confront climate threats, reduce vulnerability, and build resilience to extreme events.
• Policy and legal tools: Working with local, regional, state, and national governments to regulate land use, protect natural areas resources, expand sustainable practices, encourage socially responsible development, and transform transportation systems.

Career Paths

Students concentrating in CCGI are prepared to begin careers with government, non-profit, and private organizations focused on biodiversity, ecology, resource and environmental policy, or sustainable landscape planning and management. They are also well placed to attend graduate school in a wide variety of climate, design, or policy programs.

This concentration works well for students pursuing the accelerated Master’s in Regional Planning (the 4+1 MRP program).

CCGI Concentration Requirements

Take four concentration required courses and two electives from the approved courses list. No more than two 100-level courses can count toward concentration requirements.

Required Courses

Take four concentration required courses.

Typical terms and times are listed. Please check the current departmental course offerings for up-to-date information.

*Choose either SustComm 285 or RegionPl 585.

SustComm 543 Landscape Architecture History I can count as a concentration required course if the student takes SustComm 544 Landscape Architecture History II to satisfy the SCD core requirements.

Classes in the MRP core curriculum can count as concentration required courses with the approval of the Program Director.

Electives

Take two concentration electives. The following classes are approved electives; students interested in counting a relevant course (3 or 4 credits) not listed may request a substitution from the Program Director.

Availability of the following classes varies. In addition, some classes may have prerequisites or be limited to certain majors. Check Spire for current offerings and restrictions.

The Concentration in Landscape Design and Build (LDB), formerly called Horticulture Studies, is designed especially for students entering from the 2-year Associates Degrees in Landscape Contracting, or related fields. It is concerned with the small-scale details of building and maintaining sustainable landscapes. It allows environmentally-aware students to explore different aspects of the rapidly expanding ‘green’ industries and learn how to apply sound scientific, construction, and management principles in adding beauty to a sustainable environment. This concentration brings together scientific knowledge of plants, soils, and ecology with the theoretical and practical aspects of landscape design, construction technology and business management. This field requires a theoretical and practical knowledge in these areas:

• Life of Soils and Plants: Environmental factors that encourage or inhibit plant growth, requirements for sound plant growth, ecological principles that support organisms (both plants and animals), types of soil and methods of soil modification to maximize plant health, plant communities and their native habitats, and current research on concepts of sustainability.
• Plants-Human Relationships: Plants for food and utility, horticulture and the cultivation of plants, the principles of designing the layouts of small properties, and the benefits of people-plant relationships.
• Landscape Construction: Techniques in the construction and maintenance of landscapes and control of storm water run-off and erosion, economics between various construction and management systems, and reading and creating construction drawings.
• Business Management: Specific fields within the 'green industry', knowledge of the principles of estimating and accounting for small businesses, and awareness of legal responsibilities, insurances and other business responsibilities.

Career Paths

The LDB concentration serves students who want to design and build landscapes in a sustainable way. This major provides an excellent background for those who want to go on for a Master in Landscape Architecture or go to work for design and contracting firms.

The B.S. in Sustainable Community Development is awarded to students who complete the following requirements:

• Major requirements (46 – 53 credits), including eight (8) core courses and six (6) courses in the student’s area of concentration. The core courses include the IE and JYW Gen Eds.
• Gen Ed requirements (typically 29 credits outside the major), including courses in writing, math, analytical reasoning, biological and physical sciences, and the social world.
• A total of 120 credits. The credits outside of the major and Gen Ed requirements may be satisfied by courses taken for a second major, a minor, or electives of the student’s choosing. Of the 120 total undergraduate credits, a minimum of 45 credits must be taken in residence at UMass Amherst.

The official requirements for a University of Massachusetts degree are governed by the University Registrar. For more information, consult the current Academic Regulations at umass.edu/registrar/sites/default/files/academicregs.pdf.

The standard completion time for an undergraduate degree is four years. The SCD major requirements typically take three years to complete, but can be done in less time if the student’s schedule allows. Transfer students beginning in their junior year and SCD students entering from the AS in Landscape Contracting can plan to complete major requirements in two years.

Online Winter and Summer Classes

University Without Walls (UWW, also called University+) offers online classes during winter and summer sessions. The Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning department occasionally offers UWW classes that can satisfy major requirements. However, offerings are not guaranteed, and students should plan to complete classes for the major during fall and spring semesters. UWW classes incur additional fees. For more information, visit umass.edu/uww.

On the following pages are examples of what the 3-year and 4-year curriculum might look like.

Sample Three-Year Path

This course plan shows how major requirements can be distributed over three years. It assumes the student will earn an additional 30 credits of Gen Eds and electives beyond those listed below through a combination of transfer credits, test credits (e.g,, Advanced Placement), summer/winter session classes, or additional courses taken in fall or winter semesters.

1st Year

2nd Year

3rd Year

BS-SCD students may choose to pursue the 4+1 accelerated program towards a Master’s Degree in Regional Planning (MRP) or the 4+2 program towards a Master’s in Landscape Architecture (MLA). In these accelerated programs, students begin graduate coursework in the final year of their undergraduate degree, thereby reducing the total time required to complete the MRP or MLA.

The MLA and MRP programs offer a professionally accredited graduate education and training in their disciplines. These graduate degrees provide students with a rich educational experience in many areas of urban landscape design, management and planning, including sustainable development, policy analysis and implementation, environmental policy and planning, use of information technology, and other advanced planning tools and techniques.

The BS-SCD core curriculum is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary foundation in natural and social sciences, as well as design and planning fields, applicable to a wide range of planning and design issues. SCD students are therefore well prepared for graduate study in these fields.

Students pursuing accelerated graduate programs should plan to have their Gen Ed and major requirements nearly or entirely satisfied by the end of their junior year. Senior year coursework will primarily be classes required for the first year of the graduate program. To graduate from the BS-SCD program, students need a minimum of 120 credits, 12 of which can be counted toward the master’s degree. These 12 graduate-level credits (500 or above) must be taken as free electives during the senior year. Classes undergraduates take in the MRP or MLA curricula can count towards SCD concentration requirements with approval of the Program Director. Graduate courses taken as an undergraduate satisfy graduate curriculum requirements but not graduate credit requirements.

The BS-SCD + MRP (4 + 1 years) will prepare students for a professional career in public policy, resource management, economic development and planning at the national, state and local level. Undergraduate students working towards the 4+1 MRP will take SCD concentration classes in either City and Society or Climate Change and Green Infrastructure. In their senior year, they should take 12 credits of graduate-level MRP required courses. Students in the 4+1 program must take a total of 36 credits while enrolled as a graduate students, following graduation from the BS-SCD program. The 36 credits for the MRP may require students to take classes during the summer semester after completing their Bachelor’s degree, or to take additional coursework during the fall and spring semesters of their year in graduate school. As part of the MRP program, 4+1 students will also be required to do a professional internship, whether paid or unpaid, preferably for academic credit. This can be completed during the summer or the academic year. It provides a way to acquire relevant professional experience as a critical complement to academic work. For more information about MRP requirements, visit: umass.edu/larp/graduate/regional-planning-mrp.

The BS-SCD + MLA (4 + 2 years) will provide the fundamentals of the theory and practice of landscape architecture, including the history, principles, techniques, and materials of landscape design. Undergraduate students seeking the 2-year MLA will take SCD concentration classes in either Built Environment or Landscape Design and Build, and use electives to take 12 credits of the 500-level required MLA studio in their final year. Forty-eight credits are required to complete the MLA degree. SCD students should take as many requirements as possible to make room to graduate-level studios in the senior year. Six credits taken as free electives in the BS-SCD can be applied to MLA requirements. Graduate-level studios may count towards the BE concentration. LDB Concentration classes fulfill some of the MLA prerequisites. For more information about MLA requirements, visit: umass.edu/larp/graduate/landscape-architecture-mla.

Students considering the Master programs should plan their course of study with both the undergraduate and graduate Program Directors before their senior year. In their senior year, students must apply to the Graduate School, then be admitted by either the MRP or MLA program.

Sample Five-Year BS in Sustainable Community Development + Master of Regional Planning (4+1 program)

1st Year Undergraduate

2nd Year Undergraduate

3rd Year Undergraduate

4th Year Undergraduate

Twelve (12) graduate-level credits, taken as free electives during the senior year, count for the graduate degree. The additional 12 graduate-level credits can satisfy graduate curriculum requirements but not graduate credit requirements. A master’s degree requires a minimum of 36 credits earned while enrolled as a graduate student.

Graduate Summer

Graduate Academic Year

The accelerated MRP program requires 36 graduate-level credits: 6 or 9 credits for master’s project or thesis, respectively, 9 concentration credits (two required and one from the list of recommended courses), and 21 or 18 credits (depending on whether the student has done a project or a thesis) for the MRP core curriculum.

Please consult with the MRP Program Director to chart the best course for successfully completing the graduate degree.

Sample Six-Year BS in Sustainable Community Development + Master of Landscape Architecture (4+2 program)

1st Year Undergraduate

2nd Year Undergraduate

3rd Year Undergraduate

4th Year Undergraduate

The opportunities listed below are subject to change; please seek the most current information from the listed websites.

UMass Financial Aid

UMass Financial Aid Services maintains a list of scholarship opportunities available to students. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or financial need. For more information, visit umass.edu/umfa/scholarships.

SBS Scholarships

The College of Social Behavioral Sciences offers a variety of scholarships to support and help students reach their academic and professional goals. If you are pursuing internships, studying abroad, or working on research projects, we encourage you to apply for funding to help cover associated costs. SBS also provides financial support for outstanding academic achievements, need-based situations, and work-related endeavors. For more information, visit umass.edu/sbs/scholarships.

Go Get the Sustainable World Scholarship

Funded by an SCD alum, the Go Get the Sustainable World Scholarship supports juniors in the Sustainable Community Development major who are planning a community project which will have positive impact on the communities with which they collaborate. Awards of $5,000 are available each year. Applications are due in the spring.

Honors College Scholarships

Matriculated Commonwealth Honor College (CHC) students who have attended at least one semester are eligible to apply for scholarships. Available scholarships can be viewed with the Scholarship Selector at umass.edu/honors/scholarships. The Office of National Scholarship Advisement assists CHC students in applying for nationally competitive scholarships, fellowships, and awards.

Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Awards

The department offers a number of awards thanks to support from alumni and friends of the department. Students are not able to apply for LARP undergrad scholarships; they are awarded by the faculty based on awards criteria and student’s performance.

Undergraduate Sustainability Research Award

Undergraduate students who have completed a sustainability focused research paper or project for one of their courses are encouraged to apply for the Undergraduate Sustainability Research Award, offered through the UMass Library. Completed Applications will need to include a signed nominating letter from the professor whose course the research was conducted for. For more information, visit guides.library.umass.edu/undergradsustainability.

Graduate Scholarships (for students in the 4+1 and 4+2 programs)

While in graduate school, the Department offers a number of fellowships, assistantships, and work-study programs for many students in need of financial assistance. Although preference is given to students already enrolled, entering students in need of financial aid are encouraged to discuss this possibility with the Department Head or their Program Director. The Department’s ability to assist students financially varies from year to year. Any student receiving an assistantship receives a tuition waiver plus the waiver of some fees for that semester. Funding promised to incoming students is guaranteed for the first year only. Incoming foreign students are eligible to apply for a tuition waiver through the Department Head. Current foreign graduate students with one of these waivers need to reapply during the spring semester of their first year for a waiver for the following year. They are not automatically renewed.

The university maintains an office dedicated to helping graduate students with grants and fellowships. Visit the Graduate Students Grants Office at umass.edu/gradschool/funding-support.