Welcome to the College of Environmental Design (CED). Choosing a college is a big decision — this website is designed to introduce you to CED’s outstanding, world-class undergraduate programs and to help you determine whether CED is the place for you.

Our Mission

The college’s mission is to produce creative and skilled graduates who craft places, cities, and regions that are ecologically sustainable and resilient, prosperous and fair, healthy and beautiful. Our undergraduate majors are broad, flexible, and interdisciplinary in nature. In CED, you will study the social, historical, and scientific aspects of your chosen major as well as the broader urban and ecological context of environmental design. You will specialize in architecture, landscape architecture, or urban studies and can select minors in a host of areas. For more information, see Programs at the College of Environmental Design.

The college guides students toward a critical understanding of cities around the world, their architectures and landscapes, and their many layers of meaning. We train students in the art of designing well-loved places that both nurture our senses and challenge our imaginations. And we help students not only to acquire technical expertise but also to develop innovative ways of seeing and refiguring the built environment.

Today’s students have inherited unprecedented global challenges that could not have been foreseen when the college was founded in 1959. This legacy will require radically new ways to fashion the buildings and neighborhoods, cities and regions, and landscapes that harbor our diverse ways of life.

The 21st century is an urban century. During this time, more people will live in cities than in any other form of human settlement. CED seeks to address the human condition that is today an urban condition. Students learn about cities as sites of economic development, crucibles of democratic citizenship, and spaces of cultural imagination. They contemplate how best to make change for better urban futures.

Much of the urban growth and urbanization of the new century will take place in the cities of the global South. How will the experiences of cities such as Manila, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Mumbai, Dakar, Bogotá, or Nairobi transform our theories and methodologies? How will the experiments and innovations being pursued in these cities expand the repertoire of design and planning? Our college has taken up these challenges, making a global and transnational approach central to our studies. We also encourage students to study abroad via a wide variety of exciting programs.

The CED Community

As a student, you will be surrounded by scholars, practitioners, and researchers — faculty who are experts in their field. To find out more about our outstanding faculty, visit the CED Faculty & Lecturers webpage and click on each name to discover the professor’s interests, education, and experience. Learn more about CED Dean Jennifer Wolch, a leading scholar of urban analysis and planning.

Many undergraduates participate in CED’s student groups to develop new skills, share talents, and make friends. Our mentorship program offers students opportunities to develop a better understanding of the various professions in the field of environmental design through the insight of our knowledgeable alumni.

Studio Experience and Student Work

A common thread linking CED’s programs is the studio experience, involving deep immersion in theory, technology, and real-time practice for diverse domestic and international clients. In studio, fledgling designers take flight, becoming visual thinkers, critical observers, and systems scientists, often working with faculty and classmates from across the college’s three departments — Architecture, City and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. This intense, interactive learning arena is the hallmark of a CED education, offering an unparalleled learning environment located at one of the nation’s top public research universities.

View some of our galleries to see examples of student work:

• Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• City and Regional Planning (Urban Studies Major)

Wurster Hall

There is always something interesting happening in Wurster Hall. Whether it’s a lecture on climate change or sustainable design, an exhibition on the history of the college, a photo walk, or an ice cream social, you are sure to find a college event to match your interests. Read our electronic newsletter to learn updates on what’s happening at the college and in the environmental design fields in general.

CED provides a rich environment for its community: A world-class library, drawings archives, research facilities, teaching garden, computer labs, simulation and prototyping labs, fabrication shop, galleries, and a café are all located in Wurster Hall.

After Graduation

Our alumni have been successful in many different careers. It is common for CED undergraduates to pursue fields as diverse as medicine, law, design, construction, consulting, or teaching. Many have gone on to graduate school — in city planning, architecture, public health. Others are engaged in the practice of urban planning. Yet others are involved in both public interest and nonprofit work as well as business-oriented careers such as real-estate development.

More Information

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions provides information about the campus as a whole and includes events, photos, and news. Planning to apply as an undergraduate to the College of Environmental Design? Read our Frequently Asked Questions list to get tips and information about admissions.