Why the School of Architecture & Urban Planning?

The School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), a Center of Excellence in the University of Wisconsin system, offers an extensive array of degree programs—BSAS, M.Arch, Ph.D., MUP and Coordinated M.Arch/MUP, matched by only 6 other architecture schools nationally. The Ph.D. program is one of only 23 in the nation.

SARUP extends its global outreach with both sponsored studios and travel abroad. These special topic studios provide our students with venues to address serious global issues in collaboration with practitioners and industry leaders. The international dimension is evident in our study abroad programs in France, England, Italy, Mexico and Puerto Rico. In the past few years, programs have been expanded to Japan, China, The Netherlands, India, Cuba and Chile. Regional issues tackled in the global arena are evident in SARUP’s international Solar Decathlon competition entry for a carbon neutral house.

The School offers two significant international design awards, the $100,000 Marcus Prize, a biennial award given to emerging international voices in architecture and the $50,000 Urban Edge Award, recognizing excellence in urban design and the ability of individuals to create major, positive change within the public realm. These prize winning architects provide new lenses through which students learn to view architectural design, discourse, and problem solving.

The School’s current pedagogical position is best summarized in the journal of selected student design work, Calibrations 3: Positions.

In addition to leading studios, SARUP’s outstanding faculty have collectively written over 60 books that are distributed internationally and used by schools and practices around the world. A number of the texts are best sellers and considered seminal works in their fields. Faculty continue to receive national recognition for their work in research and practice including the NCARB Prize for Design Research and the AIA Award in the Curriculum Development Category.http://www4.uwm.edu/sarup/school/unique/