Master of Urban Design students must complete a minimum of 12 elective credits that count toward their program. Six of those credits can be earned by taking any graduate-level elective offered at U-M. The remaining six credits must be completed by electing courses from a curated, pre-approved list of directed elective options (1 in each category).
Category 1 is Ecology, Landscape, and Sustainability.
Category 2 is Policy, Law and Institutions.
How do I find a directed elective course?
The pre-approved list is available on the Taubman College website under Master of Urban Design degree information.
You can also use the keyword search on our Taubman College Course List to filter to those courses that are denoted as MUD Directed Elective options within their course description. (Enter ‘directed elective’ in the search field.)
Can I suggest an alternative course to fulfill a directed elective?
Yes! The pre-approved Directed Elective list is always growing and evolving. The MUD faculty director has the discretion to review and approve alternative courses, either for one particular student or as a new addition to the published list.
Step 1: Request a Director Review
If you’d like to request that an alternative course which does not appear on the pre-approved Directed Electives list be reviewed to possibly fulfill that requirement for the degree, email the course information (name, number, description, credit hours) and a brief overview of which category you feel it applies to and why. If you have a course syllabus or other documentation that may support your request, you are encouraged to share it as well. You are also welcome to copy TaubmanCollegeAdvising@umich.edu on the email so we are aware that you are making the request.
Step 2: Director Approval
If the faculty director approves your request, they will need to notify TaubmanCollegeAdvising@umich.edu by email. The faculty director will specify to which category the course applies and whether the course is approved for you specifically or should be added to the running list of pre-approved options.
Step 3: Approval Processing
Upon receiving approval from the faculty director, Taubman College Student Affairs will complete the following steps, as appropriate.
- Update the students’ Online Advising File to reflect the approval.
- Revise the list of pre-approved directed elective options.
- Edit the course description on the Taubman College Course List.