Environmental Design < University of Colorado Boulder

Department in Environmental Design
Stacey Schulte
Chair, Department in Environmental Design
314 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0552
T: 303-492-8010
stacey.schulte@colorado.edu

Programs Offered

Bachelor's Degrees

Minor

Environmental Planning - Minor

Built on strong traditions within the design fields, the Department in Environmental Design (ENVD) offers an integrative approach to education and research. The department offers the Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEnvD)—a four-year, preprofessional degree that prepares students for careers in design and graduate study in design fields. ENVD offers four majors: architecture, environmental products of design, landscape architecture and sustainable planning & urban design. With a diverse faculty committed to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship and creative and professional work, ENVD provides students with a range of learning opportunities. Course content ranges from environmental products and prefabricated building systems to open space issues, political systems and institutional arrangements.

Building on an underlying philosophy of environmental awareness, students in ENVD work within their majors to:

Design solution-based approaches that blend technical, ecological, economic, social, cultural, aesthetic and ethical concerns.
Employ evidence-based knowledge to help inform design and planning decisions.
Participate in interdisciplinary dialogues that integrate core design disciplines with the sciences, humanities, arts and other professions.
Obtain a disciplinary foundation that prepares students for careers in both traditional and emerging design fields.

Graduates from the Department in Environmental Design are uniquely qualified to confront significant environmental challenges. Becoming adept at complex problem solving, analytical thinking and leadership through coursework in theory, history, ecological impact, materials and methods and systems thinking. Students enroll in studios, lectures and seminars taught by faculty with both academic and professional expertise. Students employ state-of-the-art educational technology, including computing tools, fabrication equipment and advanced media.

Sharing in the varied resources of Boulder campus—from natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and technology fields—ENVD offers an educational opportunity like no other. The cross-disciplinary collaborations with colleagues in affiliated CU programs enhance the curriculum and research within ENVD.

Structure of the Undergraduate Curriculum

The Bachelor of Environmental Design curriculum is comprised of a shared core (lasting three semesters) followed by five semesters of coursework focused on one of four majors: architecture, environmental products of design, landscape architecture and sustainable planning and urban design.

The shared core provides an intensive and balanced introduction to the traditional professions contained within the broad field of environmental design. The core provides students the information and flexibility to hone their major area and career direction. Allowing opportunities for hands-on problem solving that features eight-week design studios as the primary teaching pedagogy. Anchored through a combination of lecture courses and studio instruction, the core curriculum builds upon studios where students solve design problems at four scales of the built environment: urban systems, landscapes, buildings and environmental products. Students may declare their major in architecture, environmental products of design, landscape architecture or sustainable planning and urban design at any time, and should no later than after completing the core program.

The major coursework in the final five semesters allows students to pursue in-depth projects and gain more specialized skills necessary for entering the design fields or further graduate study. Students can also pursue approved education abroad options as part of the curriculum as well. The final academic year culminates into capstone requirements for the chosen major.

Educational Advantages of the BEnvD

The Department in Environmental Design provides a balanced introduction to environmental design. ENVD’s emphasis on both the breadth and depth of design allows students to gain the appreciation, information, skills and experiences needed to make an informed decision about their career direction.

For the past 50 years, ENVD has retained a focus on studio instruction in small class sizes. From a student's first semester, they learn to work both in small groups and individually to solve design problems. By the end of a student’s first year, the small classes and unique teaching style builds relationships with several faculty and a cohort of their peers.

ENVD’s curriculum stresses both critical thinking and applied project work. Experiential learning is a core component of design education with students engaging in hands-on activities. Student satisfaction within higher education has been directly linked to teaching that incorporates projects where small student groups work together to solve real-world problems that they know are important.

ENVD pedagogy celebrates an interdisciplinary culture for both students and faculty. Mirroring emerging workplace trends in industry, students work within teams. Sometimes students work within multi-disciplinary teams where each profession shares its expertise and coordinates with others and sometimes within inter-disciplinary teams where the separate expertise is not as important as the ability to mutually and collaboratively define and solve a problem.

Education Abroad

The Department in Environmental Design has, in partnership with the office of Education Abroad, developed an exciting selection of study abroad options. Studying abroad gives students an array of unique experiences, and it can often make students more competitive for employment and for graduate study. Summer programs and faculty-led programs (global seminars and global intensives) are available to students at various stages of their academic coursework. Full-semester programs are available to students starting in their third year. The study abroad program provides an academically challenging experience with extensive local support.

Education Abroad course offerings are open to students of all ENVD majors—architecture, environmental products of design, landscape architecture and sustainable planning and urban design. Students may pursue studio courses as well as electives. These courses offer students an opportunity to study in another culture and to examine their own perceptions and attitudes toward design. Environmental design programs, of varying lengths, are currently offered in Auckland, Berlin, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Dublin, Medellin, Rome, Sydney and Wellington.

Students can find out more about these options through the Ed Abroad ENVD major guide. The Office of Education Abroad offers additional programs with courses appropriate to design students. Programs outside of the pre-approved listing may be considered for approval. Please meet with an ENVD academic advisor for details.

For more information about the study abroad programs, contact: Education Abroad (Located in C4C S355). Advisors available via walk-in or appointment.

Dual Degrees, Minors & Certificates

Dual Degrees

In addition to the BEnvD degree, students may pursue a dual degree at CU Boulder. Students may receive the BEnvD degree concurrently with undergraduate degrees in any CU Boulder college. Typically, specific course requirements do not change in either program of a dual degree. Additional credit hours (varying by college) may be required.

All undergraduate students must complete the general education requirements and the requirements for their specific major within the Department in Environmental Design in addition to the other degree requirements. Students considering a dual degree are encouraged to speak with advisors in both units to determine requirements and procedures for application.

Certificates and Minors

Environmental design encourages students to expand their education opportunities and explore certificates and minors available on campus. Students interested in certificate options or minors offered at CU should contact their academic advisor to have a plan set in place prior to their junior year.

To filter through all the minors and certificates offered at CU Boulder, see the undergraduate Programs A-Z section.

Faculty

While many faculty teach both undergraduate and graduate students, some instruct students at the undergraduate level only. For more information, contact the faculty member's home department.

Anderson, Brandon
Teaching Assistant Professor; MArch, Texas Tech University

Arias, Ernesto G.
Professor Emeritus

Arp, Jared
Teaching Assistant Professor; BS, Metropolitan State University

Bacalzo, Dean
Teaching Associate Professor; MSD, Arizona State University

Charlet, Caitlin
Teaching Associate Professor; MArch, Parson’s School of Constructed Environments

Chawla, Louise
Professor Emerita; PhD, CUNY System Office

Crichlow, Gregory
Teaching Professor; M. Arch., University of Illinois at Chicago

de Lange, Marcel
Teaching Professor; MS, Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)

Ehly, Jeremy G.
Teaching Associate Professor; MArch, Illinois Institute of Technology

Evers, Neal
Associate Director, Teaching Associate Professor; MBA, University of Colorado Boulder

Fantalis, Maryanne
Teaching Associate Professor; JD, Rutgers University

Felderman, Melissa
Teaching Associate Professor; MPS, New York University

Goldstein, Bruce
Professor Emeritus; PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Greenwood, Emily
Teaching Associate Professor; MLA, University of Colorado Denver

Grisales, Juan
Teaching Assistant Professor; MLA, Harvard University

Henao Cano, Valeria
Teaching Assistant Professor; MURP, University of Colorado Denver

Hersey, John K.
Teaching Assistant Professor; M.A., University of Massachusetts--Amherst; M.A., University of Maryland College Park Campus

Holbert, Marianne Bellino
Teaching Professor; MArch, Washington University

Juhasz, Joseph
Professor Emeritus

Kamal, Azza
Teaching Associate Professor; PhD, Cairo University (Egypt)

Krizek, Kevin J.
Professor; PhD, University of Washington

Lee, Rachel
Teaching Associate Professor; MArch, Tulane University

Lindberg, Case
Teaching Professor; PhD, Stanford University

Mansour, Nesrine
Assistant Professor; PhD, Texas AM University

Paddack, Martin
Teaching Associate Professor; MArch, The Catholic University of America

Massey, Susan
Teaching Associate Professor; MA, University of Michigan

Matson, Zannah
Assistant Professor; MLA, Harvard Graduate School of Design

McCall, Raymond Jr.
Professor Emeritus

Muller, Brian H.F.
Professor Emeritus; PhD, University of California-Berkeley

Polizzi, Jade Venus
Teaching Professor; MArch, University of Colorado Denver

Roudbari, Shawhin
Associate Professor; PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Rukamathu, Mark
Teaching Associate Professor; MArch, Harvard Graduate School of Design

Sabinson, Elena
Assistant Professor; PhD, Cornell University

Samper, Jota
Associate Professor; PhD, MIT-DUSP

Sancar, Fahriye Hazer
Professor Emeritus

Schulte, Stacey
Teaching Professor; MURP, University of Colorado Denver

Tabatabaie, Sara
Teaching Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder

Van Vliet, Willem K.T.
Professor Emeritus

Xu, Ping
Professor; PhD, Harvard University

Courses

ARCH 2100 (6) Studio 1: Foundations of Architecture

Provides a framework for students to learn the basic strategies and techniques of architectural design. This project-based studio focuses on concepts of medium-scale building design, site, and climate. Through multiple design exercises, students learn how these factors assist in shaping our buildings.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1120 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite ARCH 2115.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARCH 2115 (3) Architecture Materials and Methods

Exposes students to the elements and processes used in constructing buildings. Through lectures, technical drawing, material research and exposure to practicing professionals, students build a foundation of knowledge necessary to approach the specification and design of materials and to foster a curiosity in the innovative frontiers of assembly, aesthetics and sustainable life-cycle considerations.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite ARCH 2100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARCH 3100 (6) Studio 2: Intermediate Architecture

Emphasizes the interaction of form, programmatic use, human behavior and context in creating structure. May include a client-based community engaged project, real world applications, and result in a physical product. Students work across analog and digital platforms to produce designs that provide solutions to contemporary challenges.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ARCH 2100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite ARCH 3114.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARCH 3114 (3) History and Theory of Architecture 1

Focusing on buildings, surveys the built environment starting with some of the first structures built by humans and moving through time to the Industrial Revolution. The course focuses on the development of major styles, influential people, and the drivers of building form.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1024 (minimum grade C-) and restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) or Architectural Engineering (AREN) majors only with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior).
Recommended: Corequisite ARCH 3100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARCH 3214 (3) History and Theory of Architecture 2

Picking up after the Industrial Revolution and continuing through to today¿s Contemporary Architecture, history is taught thematically to cover important structures, key figures, and movements that have shaped our modern world.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1024 (minimum grade C-) and restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) or Architectural Engineering (AREN) majors only with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior).
Recommended: Prerequisite ARCH 3114 with a C- or better.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARCH 4100 (6) Studio 3: Capstone in Architecture

Engages students in complex design challenges such as integrating building technology, structural systems, user experiences, and environmental sustainability. Students will focus on contemporary architectural issues within the profession and produce design proposals that address key topics such as climate-resilient, human-centric, and systematically responsive design solutions.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ARCH 3100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite ARCH 4115.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARCH 4115 (3) Architecture Building Technology

Presents the fundamentals of building physics and climate science through experimentation and testing. Students learn the concepts related to structural and mechanical systems necessary for proper building function by first studying and then implementing the key systems through hypothetical building assignments. This class covers active and passive green building systems that are necessary when designing structures for an evolving climate.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ARCH 2115 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1001 (1) ENVD First-Year Seminar

Transitions first-year ENVD students into college through the process of discovering their path to educational success. Provides opportunities to facilitate learning through peer support groups and curricular integration with the ENVD core classes.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Social Factors

ENVD 1002 (2) Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design

Introduces technological competencies to support studio work including design representation and presentation. Students develop fundamental competencies in sketching, graphic design, file management and 3D modeling. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the following two 8-week studios. ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design, taken the first half of the semester, followed by ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, taken in the second half of the semester.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and to IUT On Track students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1004 (3) Introduction to Environmental Design

Introduces methods, principles and philosophies that guide environmental design. Explores ways of thinking about, and accomplishing, the act of design. Students contemplate the processes and motivations behind design decisions including discussions of environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

ENVD 1010 (3) Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design

Introduces students to concepts and techniques related to the design of products at a human scale. In an immersive project-based studio environment students develop the foundation of design communication and thinking through a series of hands-on projects with physical outcomes. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design is taken the first 8-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, taken in the second 8-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and to IUT On Track students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: History and Theory

ENVD 1012 (2) Technology 2: Visual Communications

Explores the basic visual communication skills necessary for environmental design through image manipulation, vector and raster graphics, and composite renderings. Students will explore concepts in visual hierarchy, composition, and color theory to inform graphics within each environmental design major. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the following two 8-week studios. ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken the first half of the semester, followed by ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, taken in the second half of the semester.

ENVD 1020 (3) Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture

Introduces students to strategies and techniques of architectural design and communication in a hands-on studio environment. Students explore architectural form-making and design opportunities through an iterative design process culminating with a small-scale architectural project that responds to environmental, contextual and programmatic needs. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1020, Studio 1: Introduction to Architecture, an 8-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1010, Studio 1: Introduction to Environmental Products of Design, taken during the first 8-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1002, Technology 1: Applications for Environmental Design is a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and to IUT On Track students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1022 (2) Technology 3: Intermediate Applications for Environmental Design

Explores more advanced competencies in graphic design, diagramming, 3D modeling, and digital fabrication.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1012 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1024 (3) History of the Built Environment

Fosters an appreciation for the designed environment by exploring historical contexts that have shaped our built environment. Students gain insight into how design themes have emerged in response to significant historical movements. Covering a diverse range of topics, this course examines everything from small objects to iconic buildings, significant landscapes, gardens, and urban spaces. Through this exploration, students develop an understanding of how the built environment influences and reflects societal values throughout history.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1004 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and to IUT On Track students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1030 (3) Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture

Exposes students to concepts and strategies inherent to the practice of landscape architecture. Students design for biodiversity, climate resilience and human and beyond human physical and mental health within an urban context. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken the first 8-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, taken in the second 8-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and to IUT On Track students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1040 (3) Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

Explores concepts and strategies related to urban planning and design. Students collaboratively develop a design solution to a small-scale problem within an urban fabric using basic skills of analysis and design iteration. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1040, Studio 1: Introduction to Sustainable Planning and Urban Design, an 8-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1030, Studio 1: Introduction to Landscape Architecture, taken during the first 8-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1012, Technology 2: Visual Communications, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and to IUT On Track students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1110 (3) Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1

Explores the core principles shared across environmental design disciplines, including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Product Design, and Sustainable Planning and Urban Design. Through a multidisciplinary studio approach, students engage in spatial problem-solving, sustainable design strategies, peer-to-peer collaboration, and design thinking. Hands-on projects challenge students to apply foundational tools and methods to real-world challenges, considering social, environmental, and cultural impacts in both built and natural environments. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1110, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1, taken the first 8-weeks of the semester, followed by ENVD 1120, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Design 2, taken in the second 8-weeks of the semester, along with ENVD 1022, Technology 3: Intermediate Applications for Environmental Design, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite courses of ENVD 1040 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1120 (3) Studio 2: Fundamentals of Design 2

Explores the core principles shared across environmental design disciplines, including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Product Design, and Sustainable Planning and Urban Design. Through a multidisciplinary studio approach, students engage in spatial problem-solving, sustainable design strategies, peer-to-peer collaboration, and design thinking. Hands-on projects challenge students to apply foundational tools and methods to real-world challenges, considering social, environmental, and cultural impacts in both built and natural environments. Course is part of a co-requisite sequence: ENVD 1120, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Design 2, an 8-week class which is taken in the second half of the first semester. ENVD 1110, Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 1, taken during the first 8-weeks of the semester, and ENVD 1022, Technology 3: Intermediate Applications for Environmental Design, a 16-week class that is taught alongside the two 8-week studios.

ENVD 1130 (3) Studio 2: Fundamentals of Design 3

ENVD 1140 (3) Studio 2: Fundamentals of Environmental Design 4

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1040 (all minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1150 (3) First Year Writing for Environmental Design

Introduces students to the fundamentals of effective academic and professional communication within Environmental Design. Students develop strong written and oral communication skills and build knowledge of research techniques. Classroom activities and discussions challenge students to become critical and flexible thinkers.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 1976 (1) Colloquium - Exploring Careers, Research and Practice

Develops an understanding of the breath of environmental design careers, research and practice, through a series of faculty and professional lectures.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 2001 (3) Human Behavior and Design

Examines reciprocal relationships between people and the built and natural environments and the ways that human well-being is impacted by the built environment. Traces major issues and approaches in design research to understand how people are influenced by the environment and how they can create healthy, just, and livable places.

ENVD 2003 (3) Ecological Systems in Design

Introduces the essential principles and concepts of ecology as they relate to the design and understanding of the built environment. Students explore interactions between people and nature, the design of resilient ecological systems and ways that the built world is influenced by its environment.

ENVD 2011 (1-6) Special Topics: Social Factors in Environmental Design for non-majors

Addresses variable topics in the relationship of human experience and behavior to the built environment.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to non-Environmental Design majors with 0-56 credits (Freshmen or Sophomores).

ENVD 2012 (1-6) Special Topics: Computer Methods and Graphic Applications for non-majors

Addresses variable topics in design communications, animation and environmental simulation, and computational methods of technical evaluation and optimization.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to non-Environmental Design majors with 0-56 credits (Freshmen or Sophomores).

ENVD 2013 (1-6) Special Topics: Physical Factors in Environmental Design for non-majors

Addresses variable topics in appropriate technology, public policy and natural hazards, organization of the designing and building process, and physical elements of urban development.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to non-Environmental Design majors (not ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN or open option ENVD)with 0-56 credits (Freshmen or Sophomores).

ENVD 2014 (1-6) Special Topics: Theory, History and Historiography of Environmental Design for non-majors

Addresses variable topics in theory and criticism, history and historiography of environmental design.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to non-Environmental Design majors with 0-56 credits (Freshmen or Sophomores).

ENVD 2015 (1-6) Special Topics: Technology and Practice for non-majors

Addresses variable topics in the new technologies and issues of professional practice in the environmental design professions.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to non-Environmental Design majors with 0-56 credits (Freshmen or Sophomores).

ENVD 2101 (3) Context of Design: Planning and Implementation

Explores the regulatory and procedural context in which design decisions are made and implemented. Includes an examination of finance, policy, and development procedures necessary in bringing conceptual designs to life.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 2352 (1-6) Special Topics: Beginning Digital Applications

Foundation level computing skills for design analytics and representation.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 3002 (3) Revit I: Introduction to Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Introduces students to BIM modeling through the Revit platform. Fundamental skills will be taught to help students understand technical and practical aspects of this software to support academic projects and gain early exposure to expectations in professional practice.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1022 (minimum grade C-) and 30+ credits. Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 3003 (3) Site Planning

Introduces the site planning process including: site analysis and its relationship to building program and site concept, and preparation of site plans. Emphasis is placed on the planning of the physical site through a thorough understanding of process, land use, site constraints and synthesis of ecological, functional and aesthetic considerations in the site planning process.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite ENVD 2130.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Physical Factors

ENVD 3009 (1-6) Special Topics in Environmental Design

Seminar or design lab on special issues in environmental design, including study abroad. Variable topic class.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 21.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 3011 (1-6) Special Topics: Social Factors in Environmental Design for non-majors and ENVD students

Addresses variable topics in the relationship of human experience and behavior to the built environment.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Recommended: majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) are required to take class for grade.

ENVD 3012 (1-6) Special Topics: Computer Methods and Graphic Applications for non-majors and ENVD students

Addresses variable topics in design communications, animation and environmental simulation, and computational methods of technical evaluation and optimization.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 3002 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) are required to take class for grade.

ENVD 3014 (1-6) Special Topics: Theory, History and Historiography of ENVD for non-majors and ENVD students

Addresses variable topics in theory and criticism, history and historiography of environmental design.

ENVD 3023 (1-6) Special Topics: Physical Factors in Environmental Design for non-majors and ENVD students

Addresses variable topics in appropriate technology, public policy and natural hazards, organization of the designing and building process, and physical elements of urban development.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Recommended: Prerequisite majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) are required to take class for grade.

ENVD 3035 (1-6) Special Topics: Technology and Practice for non-majors and ENVD students

Addresses variable topics in the new technologies and issues of professional practice in the environmental design professions.

ENVD 3052 (3) Digital Tools for LAND/PLAN

Weave together digital tools used in the landscape architecture and sustainable planning professions. Emphasizing the exploration of design, 3D modeling, analysis, and how to use and present data. Tools covered include software for mapping, data analysis and 3D modeling.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1022 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD) and Environmental Planning Minor students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 3100 (6) ENVD Interdisciplinary Design Studio

Explores a sequence of investigations that lead to the development of design concepts for critical evaluation and discussion. Students analyze intermediate to advanced design practices that are common to the disciplines of architecture, planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and product design through an interdisciplinary design project.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and Environmental Planning Minor students with 40+ credits and ENVD 2003 or ENVD 2001 prerequisites.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Studios

ENVD 3102 (3) Revit II

Provides students a learning and practice environment to deepen and expand their skills within the Revit software. The experiential nature of this software benefits from repetitive use and expansion of skills, which this course provides. More attention will be given to presentation techniques, family building and templates which support project advancement and production. This course may also integrate plug-ins and other software compatible within and alongside Revit.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 3002 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 3150 (3) Professional Communication for Design Students

Prepares students for the projects they will undertake as design professionals. Enriches students' awareness of writing as a life-long tool and communicates the importance of writing well, while emphasizing effective written and oral communication skills.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 3152 (3) ArcGIS: Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Focuses on construction and use of computer-based information systems to represent and manipulate geographic data. Emphasizes the recording, mapping, and transforming of data for analysis and use by environmental designers.

ENVD 3212 (3) Color Theory

Develops visual awareness and technical knowledge while exploring the significance of color in the design world. Color plays a crucial psychological role, evoking emotions and influencing behavior, making it essential for designers to use color intentionally and thoughtfully. Through hands-on activities, we examine contemporary uses of color and patterns, learning how to achieve color harmony in design.

ENVD 3252 (3) RHINO: Intro to 3-D Modeling

Teaches beginning to intermediate skills and design practices of 3D modeling using Rhino-Rhinoceros 3D software. Learn strategies around representing your design in 3D models and how to use these techniques.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1022 (minimum grade C-) and 30+ credits. Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 3314 (1-6) Special Topics: History of Design

Provides a lecture exploring various topics of design history of the built environment. The focus of this course is directed to all majors.

ENVD 3352 (1-6) Special Topics: Intermediate Digital Applications

Intermediate level computing skills for design analytics and representation.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 3252 or in progress. Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 3909 (1-6) Independent Study

By special arrangement with instructor.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 3919 (1-6) Teaching Assistant

By special arrangement with instructor.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to Program in Environmental Design (ARPLU) students with 87 -180 credits (Seniors).
Recommended: Prerequisite three point zero GPA.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 3929 (1) Peer Leadership and Mentorship and Transitioning Students

Explores the student transition to university life and engage students in active leadership and mentoring capacity-building activities. Examines the role peers play in leading students through transitional development. Students will learn the theoretical basis for understanding student transition and develop their mentoring capacities as well as examine personal identity and values and its intersection with leadership and mentorship.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 3.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 27-180 credits (Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors).
Recommended: 3.00 GPA.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 3939 (1-3) Exploratory Internship

Offers professional experiences allowing students to discover a variety of design-related environments. In addition to the internship experience, students attend classroom sessions providing professional development exercises.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 27-180 credits (Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 3972 (3) Advanced Writing in Environmental Design

Prepares students for researching, planning, and writing a Senior Honors thesis and for professional life. Enriches students' awareness of writing as a life-long tool and communicates the importance of writing well. Emphasizes clear, persuasive, and effective written and oral communication skills. Projects explore the many ways in which writing is a powerful tool in the world of design.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 57 credit hours and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 4009 (1-6) Special Topics in Environmental Design

Variable topic seminar or design lab on special issues in environmental design.

ENVD 4023 (3) Environmental Impact Assessment

Provides a field-oriented seminar in current environmental impact controversies. Gives attention to history, theory, and application of impact analysis at state levels for designers, land-use planners, and others involved in resource decision making. By instructor consent, open to nonmajors on a space available basis.

ENVD 4052 (3) Portfolio Design: Graphic Communication for Designers

Explores topics related to graphic design and visual communication aimed at constructing your professional identity. Topics include layout, composition, fonts, color theory, printing, publication and web-based presence. Comprehend the fundamentals of graphic design and their application in visual communication through the use of Adobe Creative Suite.

Requisites: Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD), with 60+ credit hours.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 4055 (3) Professional Practice of Environmental Design

Explores how projects are conceived, designed, documented, and built. Students will examine the complexities of the design and construction process, including industry standards, project delivery methods, and practice management. Emphasizing problem-solving and real-world applications, the course prepares students to navigate the challenges of translating ideas into built environments.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 4100 (3-6) Advanced Design Lab 1

Design lab exploring new and emerging themes in design.

ENVD 4112 (3) Advanced Graphics for Designers

Illustrates techniques of graphics communication and presentation for environmental design, including advanced illustration and color studies.

ENVD 4122 (3) Digital Photo for Designers

Explores digital photographic workflow from capture to exhibition. Students gain the ability to document their projects and utilize photography as a means of creative expression. Topics include: using DSLRs, Adobe Lightroom, retouching with Adobe Photoshop, time-lapse photography, Adobe Premier, professional printing, landscape and architectural photography, sharing work through blogs and social media, and submitting work for publication and exhibition.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 4152 (3) Digital Design and Fabrication

Teaches beginning to intermediate concepts, strategies, and techniques in digital design and fabrication. Students will use 3D modeling (Rhino) and parametric plugins (Grasshopper) to investigate new ways of making using 3D printing, CNC machining, laser cutting and other processes.

ENVD 4252 (3) Advanced Digital Design and Fabrication

Teaches intermediate to advanced concepts, strategies, technologies and joinery around ways to make objects and systems using computer software, analytical software and machines such as 3d printers, laser cutters, CNC machines and robot arms, etc. Explores more personal driven object typologies around furniture, building skins and small structures/folies tailored around performance and optimizations around materiality, manufacturing tolerances, embodied energies and sustainability.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD) and Environmental Planning Minor students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ENVD 4311 (3) Housing Policies and Practices

Provides students with a descriptive knowledge and analytical understanding of the use and development of residential settings in global and political economies of high-, low-, and middle-income countries.

ENVD 4322 (1-6) Special Topics: Graphics

Provides an advanced seminar on special issues in design communications.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Methods and Techniques

ENVD 4352 (1-6) Special Topics: Computer Methods

Topics include animation and environmental simulation, computational methods of technical evaluation and optimization, and computational mapping and analysis.

ENVD 4361 (1-6) Special Topics: Social Factors in Design

Addresses variable topics in the relationship of human experience and behavior to the built environment, e.g., social research methods in environmental design.

ENVD 4363 (1-6) Special Topics: Physical Factors in Environmental Design

Includes such topics as appropriate technology, public policy and natural hazards, organization of the designing and building process, and physical elements of urban development.

ENVD 4364 (1-6) Special Topics: History and Historiography of Environmental Design

Provides an advanced seminar on history and historiography of environmental design, e.g., American dwellings.

ENVD 4365 (1-6) Special Topics: Technology and Practice

Provides an advanced seminar on new technologies and issues of professional practice in the environmental design professions.

ENVD 4420 (3) Senior Capstone Seminar

Focuses on theoretical concerns and practical issues inherent in environmental design and planning. Views concerns and issues in terms of setting, processes, and planning and design outcomes. Provides a critical synthesis of the inherently interdisciplinary nature of planning and design education.

ENVD 4764 (1-6) Special Topics: Theory and Criticism in Environmental Design

Provides an advanced seminar on theory and criticism in environmental design.

ENVD 4909 (1-6) Independent Study

By special arrangement with instructor.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Recommended: Prerequisite Students should have a minimum three point zero GPA.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 4919 (1-6) Teaching Assistant

By special arrangement with instructor.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Prerequisite 3.00 GPA.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 4929 (1-6) Research Assistant

By special arrangement with instructor.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Prerequisite Students should have a minimum three point zero GPA.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 4939 (3) Professional Design Internship

Students develop design and professional skills outside of the curriculum while working for an organization in the field of Environmental Design. Students also attend classroom sessions providing professional development exercises.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Recommended: Prerequisite Students should have a minimum three point zero GPA.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 4972 (1-3) Honors Research Methods and Thesis Preparation

Prepares students for undertaking a research based honors thesis project in Environmental Design. Students engage with existing literature in the field to understand how research and design projects are conducted, and how their contribution fits within a long tradition of scholarship.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 3.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

ENVD 4979 (1-3) Honors Thesis

Working with an advisor, students prepare, complete, and defend a research-based honors thesis project, in an area of Environmental Design.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 3.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Miscellaneous

EPOD 2004 (3) History and Theory of Environmental Products of Design

Explores the chronology of product design and how it has shaped our engagement with the everyday context. The course will explore impactful precedents and the design thoughts behind them. Surveys advances in production and material technologies that have propelled key product designs from regional exclusivity to global access. Investigate product design¿s influence on cultural adaptations. Class discussions will give space to think critically about product design intent and perceived successes.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite EPOD 2100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

EPOD 2100 (6) Studio 1: Foundations of Environmental Products of Design

Project-based studio in which students focus on the design of products at a human scale with an emphasis on visualization, both graphic and 3D modeling, digital fabrication file production, and translation to physical form to design and build solutions for real users.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1120 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite EPOD 2004.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

EPOD 3100 (6) Studio 2: Intermediate Environmental Products of Design

Introduces students to emerging technologies and techniques in digital fabrication and design through a project-based studio environment. Students will be asked to develop design solutions that benefit humanity through material investigations, cradle-to-cradle methodology, and more advanced methods in design optimization.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of EPOD 2100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite EPOD 3101.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

EPOD 3101 (3) Theory and Ethics in Design

Engages with key theories and provocative ideas at the intersection of design, sustainability, and ethics. Students will explore contemporary challenges designers face, critically analyzing readings and discussions to develop their own principled foundations. The course emphasizes the ethical impact of design outcomes on society, the environment, and individuals. By the end, students will articulate personal values and ethical guidelines, gaining tools to address complex moral issues in their future design work.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite EPOD 3100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

EPOD 3105 (3) Human Centered Design and Entrepreneurship Strategies

Exposes students to innovation and entrepreneurial practices around the topic of Environmental Products of Design through human/user centered design strategies.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

EPOD 4100 (6) Studio 3: Capstone in Environmental Products of Design

Draws on design research processes such as design thinking, human-centered design, and speculative/critical design to create a comprehensive proposal. In this capstone experience, students identify a specific need, opportunity, or problem and then develop a design solution that addresses the challenge. This proposal is brought to life through the creation of a full-scale physical prototype.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite courses of EPOD 3100 and 4115 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

EPOD 4115 (3) Materials and Manufacturing Processes in Product Design

Explores the creation of products through an environmental lens as they relate to Material Science, Manufacturing Methods and Production Systems. Students have the opportunity to investigate innovative alternative materials and industry production approaches that improve upon pre-existing materials and paradigms; including sustainable materials, advanced production techniques at a variety of scales and a thorough understanding of the environmental cost incurred in the creation of products.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD) students with 30-180 credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 2004 (3) History of Landscape Architecture

Through an examination of distinct historical periods, this course explores the human narrative of reshaping nature through the practice of what is now Landscape Architecture. This course introduces major histories, theories, and sites guiding Landscape Architecture while questioning the Eurocentric perspective that has framed history¿s curation. Students will survey humanity¿s redesign of natural surroundings such as fields, groves, avenues, gardens, terraces, coastal restorations, riparian ecological systems, national parks, and urban greenways.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD), and Environmental Planning Minor students only.
Recommended: Corequisite LAND 2100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 2100 (6) Studio 1: Foundations of Landscape Architecture

Introduces essential landscape architecture skills through a project-based studio. Building on design literacy, students incorporate varied ecological processes, explore landscape as a medium for connecting the natural and cultural, develop analog and digital communication tools and focus on the importance of place-making.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1120 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD), students with 40+ credits.
Recommended: Corequisite LAND 2004.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 3003 (3) Site Planning, Materials, and Technologies

Presents the fundamental skills in site planning and decision-making. Students will perform analysis, concept generation, and programming through biophysical and socio-economic parameters, while reflecting on the subjective experiences, and historical, cultural, and infrastructural factors influencing design. Additional emphasis on the practice of site grading, surveying methods and infrastructure detailing in the context of watersheds and landscape restoration. Students will gain insights into materiality and design technologies.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite LAND 3100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 3100 (6) Studio 2: Intermediate Landscape Architecture

Advances the understanding of the practice of landscape architecture. Focusing on concepts such as community engagement and client-based projects and covering topics such as health-focused spaces, ecological adaptability, green equity and gentrification. This studio builds on digital technologies, drawing, and graphic communication skills.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of LAND 2100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 3103 (3) Ecological Planting Design

Introduces species identification, planting design concepts, and design tools and methods. By framing the course in local ecological systems, the course eclipses the mere fundamentals of planting design resulting in students building a robust plant palette applicable to Colorado and the American West and the knowledge needed to deploy an ecologically responsive design intervention. Students are exposed to planting design methods of placemaking, embracing senescence, planting habitats, and designing for changing climates.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Recommended: Corequisite LAND 3100.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 4100 (6) Capstone in Landscape Architecture

Emphasizes individual project development and well-defined design concepts. Capstone experience introduces critical strategies, advanced design techniques, and representation skills to address pressing issues in landscape architecture.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of LAND 3100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

LAND 4114 (3) Landscape Architecture Theory

Students research and interrogate the boundaries of landscape architecture theory and practice. Analyzing the values and concepts that have shaped landscape architecture throughout its history into the present. The course further focuses on connecting central theories to lived experiences, studio practices and contemporary design that exemplifies these theoretical approaches.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of LAND 2004 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and Environmental Planning Minor students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

PLAN 2004 (3) History and Theory of Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

Surveys the key urban theories that shape sustainable planning and urban design. Covers the evolution of city form, policy approaches, history of planning, and evolution of sustainability and its approaches globally.

PLAN 2100 (6) Studio 1: Foundations of Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

Expands on introductory sustainable planning and urban design concepts and methods to address social and ecological challenges in communities. Exploration skills include spatial analysis, basic community engagement techniques, legal and regulatory framework, and policy alternatives. The resultant project addresses challenges at the intersection of social and environmental systems.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENVD 1120 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD), students with 40+ credits.
Recommended: Corequisite PLAN 2004.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

PLAN 3005 (3) Process and Practice

Introduces the regulatory and legal structures surrounding sustainable planning, design, and development. Covers issues of environmental policy, property rights, zoning, and building codes and laws. Includes work on professional development in the field of planning and design.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

PLAN 3100 (6) Studio 2: Intermediate Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

Utilizes intermediate-level planning concepts and practices to create solutions to specific challenges in a collaborative process. Through a sequence of planning, policy, and design investigations students explore issues such as equity, housing, transportation, community engagement and land use.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of PLAN 2100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to all majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

PLAN 3102 (3) Strategies and Techniques for Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

Explores analytical strategies and techniques in applied research and professional skills needed in sustainable planning and design. Includes quantitative and qualitative methods used by planners and designers to make informed decisions.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

PLAN 4100 (6) Capstone in Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

Applies advanced concepts in comprehensive planning, plan-making, and plan implementation for communities. Capstone experience provides an opportunity for students to engage with real-world challenges, working closely with communities to address complex issues. The project integrates both qualitative and quantitative skills, focusing on solving social, environmental, and ecological problems while emphasizing sustainable, impactful planning solutions for community development and resilience.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of PLAN 3100 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN), open option (ENVD), and Environmental Planning Minor students.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

PLAN 4101 (3) Sustainable Futures Planning

Surveys innovative ways that planners and designers are addressing the great social and ecological challenges of the present and future. Includes issues such as population growth and climate change.

Requisites: Restricted to majors in Environmental Design (ARCH, EPOD, LAND, PLAN) and open option (ENVD).
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

On This Page

Departmental Policies & Requirements
Design Careers
Facilities and Design Centers
Living and Learning Communities

Design Careers

Preparing for a Professional Design Career

Environmental design prepares undergraduate students for entry directly into the design professions or to enter graduate study in the design professions. The BEnvD degree prepares students for study in master degree programs: Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA), Master of Urban Design (MUD), Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP), Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in design or Master of Industrial Design (MID).

It is common for Bachelor of Environmental Design graduates to receive advanced standing for the work they have completed, which allows them to complete a graduate degree at other design schools in a shorter time. Advanced standing for graduate study is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, according to the standards of each graduate program as demonstrated by and in accordance with a student's prior academic accomplishments in the application, portfolio and the transcript.

Preparation for a Career in Architecture

A BEnvD prepares undergraduate students to practice as an architectural designer in the professional field or attend graduate study in architecture. A Bachelor in Environmental Design equates to other preprofessional architectural design degrees such as the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. In the United States, architecture licensure is granted by each state’s regulatory agency. The National Architecture Accreditation Board (NAAB) recognizes a Master of Architecture (MArch), five-year Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), and Doctorate of Architecture (DArch) as accredited degrees that are then typically identified by state regulatory agencies as a traditional path to architecture licensure. Most regulatory agencies also recognize alternative paths to licensure that include non-accredited degrees like the Bachelor in Environmental Design, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. Colorado is one such state that has charted a licensure pathway for the BEnvD, specifically.

Preparation for a Career in Sustainable Planning and Urban Design

A BEnvD prepares undergraduate students to enter the professional field as a designer or for graduate study in planning. The practice of planning is currently not licensed in most states. Professional membership and certification are overseen by the American Planning Association (APA) and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Although students interested in entry-level positions in planning may find the BEnvD degree sufficient, an advanced degree (MURP, PhD or other graduate planning focus) is often desirable. Students primarily interested in professional practice often obtain a graduate degree in urban planning, in urban and regional planning, in urban planning and community development or in urban design. Students interested in teaching or research in planning should complete a PhD.

Preparation for a Career in Landscape Architecture

A BEnvD prepares undergraduate students to enter the professional field as a designer or for graduate study in landscape architecture. In the United States, licensing is overseen both at the state level and nationally by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). Accreditation of educational programs is voluntary. The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) evaluates programs and provides an assessment.

Although students interested in entry-level positions in landscape architecture may find the BEnvD degree sufficient, an advanced degree (MLA, PhD or other graduate landscape architecture focus) is often desirable.

Preparation for a Career in Environmental Products of Design

A BEnvD prepares undergraduate students to enter the professional field as a designer or for graduate study in industrial design, architecture, or other product design programs. The practice of product design does not require licensure in the United States, and professional membership is overseen by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Degrees in the field are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Most students interested in working as a product designer will find the BEnvD degree sufficient; an advanced degree Master of Industrial Design (MID) may be desirable in relation to design management and is considered the terminal industrial design degree. Students with a BEnvD will find themselves prepared to work for a company, attend graduate school in a variety of disciplines or start their own businesses.

Facilities and Design Centers

Facilities for the department are provided in the Environmental Design Building and at the Center for Innovation and Creativity (CINC) facility.

Environmental Design Building

Located in the heart of campus, the ENVD building houses administrative and faculty offices, studio spaces, conference rooms, lecture rooms and exhibit spaces, as well as an academic research center, high-end computing lab classroom and an academic support center specializing in digital outcomes.

ENVD is a studio-based design program, where students participate in no less than 42 credits of lab setting instruction. Studio instructional spaces provide large open areas with individualized worktables available to students 24 hours a day during their course. Studios are located on the third floor and sublevel of the ENVD building.

Digital Media Center

The Digital Media Center (DMC), an ENVD Academic Support Center housed in the ENVD Building, offers students digital imaging computer workstations, a printing and production lab with state-of-the-art large format printers for professional-style presentation boards, a photographic studio for portfolio creation and in-house 3D printing. The DMC also includes a 24-person active learning classroom where students can engage with imaging-based software and other programs or meet with the DMC Peer Tutors for one-on-one tutoring sessions. ENVD students can walk in to ask questions or use the flexible creative space to work on projects.

Creative Lab Center (CLC)

The CLC is located in the university's Center for Innovation and Creativity (CINC), located on East campus. The CLC is an approximately 15,000 square-foot facility that houses makers spaces, classrooms, studio spaces, fabrication shops and a high-end computing lab.

The Creative Lab Center provides students access to studio spaces along with specialized fabrication facilities where students learn technological design skills and fabricate components for their projects. In addition to teaching, learning, and assembly spaces, students have access to various design and fabrication resources at the CLC supported by a state-of-the-art wood lab, metal lab, laser cutting machines, 3D printers and CNC milling machines.

A mandatory basic safety orientation is conducted for all students before access to the shops is granted. This course offers an introduction to ENVD’s safety policies as well as the proper use of personal safety equipment and safety practices with the fabrication equipment. Specific trainings are offered and some may be required within the individual labs depending on the need of the user.

The CLC also offers a virtual reality (VR) lab where students can test their designs and ideas in the digital world before building them. These labs enhance the ENVD curriculum by providing students with the technological resources for design visualization, scale modeling and full-scale prototyping, turning ideas into tangible objects.

Living and Learning Communities

The Environmental Design (ENVD) Living Learning Community (LLC) is a unique community where students accepted into environmental design are housed together in Willard Hall and participate in First-Year Experience (FYE) programming. Students in the LLC create meaningful connections with their cohort, engage in social and academic events and gain the tools to continue their design education in confidence beyond the first year.

People

The ENVD LLC is run by architecturally licensed teaching professors with the intention of supporting students both academically and socially as they journey through their first year of a design education. Additionally, a team of friendly and highly skilled upper-level mentors are matched with first year students to create peer-to-peer partnerships assisting students in navigating their first year.

Location

Willard Hall is home to ENVD’s Living Learning Community. Built in 1955, Willard Hall is a four-story dorm just south of Farrand Field on CU’s central campus. Willard Hall houses 450 students and the environmental design first-year class lives on the top floor.

First-Year Experience Structure

Designed to engage all incoming students in establishing a formative connection to the profession while addressing skill variables, our First-Year Experience events target competencies that expose students to the design world. Programming includes field trips, social activities, site visits and hands-on experiences all aimed at building proficiencies in our first-year students.

Analytics

Environmental design student retention from year one to year two is ten percent higher than CU Boulder campus average.
Four-minute walk from the Willard Residence Hall to the Environmental Design Building.
Fifteen $500 first-year engagement scholarships awarded at the end of the academic year.
Ten first-year mentors available for one-on-one mentoring alongside first-year activities.
Over thirty events and activities throughout the year that explore design, target skills and make connections.

For more information, visit Living and Learning Communities.

Departmental Policies & Requirements

The following Policies and Requirements are for students who entered the Department of Environmental Design in the academic year 2025-2026, or were previously ENVD students.

Academic Excellence

Recognition of Academic Achievement

Environmental design provides an atmosphere for study and creative investigation. ENVD holds academic rigor and quality in the highest esteem. In recognition of high academic achievement and professional attainment, the Department grants scholarly honors at graduation.

Thesis Honors in Environmental Design

Environmental design students may graduate with Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude or cum laude). Students with a GPA of a 3.3 or above may apply and propose an honors thesis project to work on under the guidance of a primary faculty advisor. Students defend their thesis to a committee of faculty in their senior year.

Latin Honors candidates present work that is student initiated and student-directed well beyond the requirements for required class work. Department in Environmental Design Latin Honors projects fall into two major categories: research and design.

Research projects present a heretofore-unanswered question then seek to answer it, relying on a variety of data or types of evidence. The product is a paper, which is determined by the topic in conversation with the faculty advisor.
Design projects present a problem and propose a solution to that problem. The product is a design or object, presented with a critical introduction. Design theses go beyond designing a product, building, landscape, urban district or planning problem that responds to conventional programmatic assumptions, to propose a new response to a problem identified by the student. The scope of the project and the design presentation are determined in conversation with the faculty advisor.

Honors Distinction

Students achieving a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.749 (distinction) and 3.75 to 4.00 (high distinction) are recognized at commencement. Honors distinction is based on coursework completed at the University of Colorado. A minimum of 70 credit hours of coursework must be completed at CU to be eligible for honors distinction.

Scholarships and Awards

A wide range of scholarships and awards are available to environmental design (ENVD) students. The awards are sponsored by the department, the campus, the professions and other foundations and donors.

In addition to these scholarships, interested students may participate in faculty-student research projects funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), in other research opportunities provided by the campus or in cooperation with ENVD faculty.

Academic Standards

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Environmental design is part of an academic community whose mission requires an open learning and working environment for students, faculty, staff and administrators. An open learning and working environment values and protects individual dignity and the integrity of human relationships and is based upon mutual trust, freedom of inquiry, freedom of expression and the absence of intimidation and exploitation. Any infringement upon these freedoms and rights may cause review by ENVD and/or by other university offices for retention in the Department. Students are subject to the policies and procedures governing student rights and responsibilities. See the campus-wide Student Conduct & Colorado Creed section.

GPA Requirements and Academic Standing

Good academic standing in ENVD requires a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above in University of Colorado work. Students who fail to meet the minimum cumulative grade point requirement of 2.00 may apply to be permitted to continue their studies on a provisional basis.

Withdrawal

Students in environmental design who withdraw from all their registered courses two semesters in a row will have a hold placed on their account prohibiting them from further registration except for registration in Summer Session classes, which are not counted in the regular academic year. Students will not be readmitted to CU Boulder before one full academic year has elapsed (not including the semesters of withdrawal).

Attendance

Students are expected to subscribe to attendance and participation guidelines specified by instructors for individual courses in a manner that complies with university protocol. Given that a considerable portion of the ENVD curriculum is offered via studio courses, students are fully expected to comply with guidelines that may be different and more onerous than traditional lecture or seminar courses (e.g., attending skill sessions, lectures, juries and presentations).

Credit and Enrollment

Requirements for Admission

High School Students

Candidates interested in admission into environmental design should see CU Admissions for specific requirements. Students applying to undergraduate programs are strongly encouraged to meet the following Higher Education Admission Recommendations (HEAR) when applying to any Colorado four-year public college or university. Students with enrollments prior to Summer 2023 will be held to the previous CU Boulder MAPS requirements. Students should consult the catalog of their first enrollment term for the MAPS requirements of the college, school or program in which they are earning their degree.

Transfer Students

Transfer students entering environmental design are admitted through CU Boulder's admission process directly into the Department. A college-level GPA of 3.0 or higher is required. Preference is given to students who have taken college-level courses in the areas of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, or product design. Completion of courses in related fields of social science, natural science, fine arts or humanities is also considered in admission review. All coursework except the last term, if in progress, must be completed and must be listed on the official transcript sent for admission consideration.

Students are encouraged to transfer as early as possible in their undergraduate career due to the required sequence of design courses in the first two years of the curriculum. While transfer students are admitted for the fall and spring terms each year, it is important to note that the core curriculum sequence begins in the fall semester with only limited opportunities to begin study out of sequence. Students who start the sequence in the spring semester will be required to complete summer classes in order to stay on track in the curriculum. All transfer students are required to take a minimum of 30 credit hours in the Department in Environmental Design.

A maximum of 60 credit hours taken at a two-year college may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree. In general, credit hours in vocational-technical courses are not accepted for transfer. Transfer agreements between the University of Colorado and all Colorado community colleges outline approximately one year of prescribed general education courses that may be completed as preparation for transfer into the Department in Environmental Design. As noted above, students should plan to transfer to the University of Colorado as soon as possible to start the sequential curriculum. See Transfer of College-Level Credit for admission standards for transfer.

Transfer Students from Other University Design Programs

Transfer students from other universities offering preprofessional or accredited professional degree programs in one of ENVD's majors who enter CU Boulder may apply for equivalency and advanced standing. A portfolio review will be required for these students, including work from each design course completed. For transfer credit to meet core degree requirements, a grade of B or better is required in the transferring class. For more information, visit the ENVD Transfer webpage.

Intra-University Transfer (IUT)

University of Colorado students in good standing who are interested in pursuing a degree in environmental design may apply for intra-university transfer into the department. Students should visit the Intra-University Transfer webpage for application requirements, informational tours and application deadlines for specific semesters.

ENVD has become increasingly competitive, and acceptance is not guaranteed. Due to limited space and a high volume of applications, a limited number of applicants will be admitted.

Credit Policies

Incomplete Grades

ENVD accepts incomplete agreements between faculty and students who have satisfactorily completed a substantial amount of coursework but are unable to complete the course requirements due to extenuating circumstances. In all cases, students must present evidence of circumstances beyond their control that prevent them from completing the class. The student and faculty member must submit an Incomplete Agreement outlining the terms of the unfinished course requirements.

Independent Study

Students at 3000 or 4000 studio level and who hold at least a 3.00 GPA are permitted to register for Independent Study (ENVD 3909) or Independent Study (ENVD 4909) . Independent study credit is supervised by a faculty member and may not be used to substitute for any required core education or design studio courses.

Additional requirements may be established depending on the proposed topic. No more than 3 credit hours of independent study credit during one semester and no more than a total of 6 are given for the entire time the student is enrolled in ENVD, unless an exception is granted by the department.

A complete description of the scope of the independent work, a summary of how it will be carried out and a definition of the intended outcomes must be submitted to the supervising faculty member no later than five days after the official beginning of a semester. Approval of the description must be by the faculty member and by ENVD administration before permission is granted for enrollment in an independent study course. Students should make arrangements for the independent study course details during registration or well before the semester begins.

Other Credits

Credits for Teaching Assistant (ENVD 3919) , Research Assistant (ENVD 4929) , Professional Design Internship (ENVD 4939) , Exploratory Internship (ENVD 3939) and Independent Study (ENVD 3909) or Independent Study (ENVD 4909) are all guided by the same standards. Credits earned are subject to a 3 credit-hour limitation per course, Independent Study and Internships are graded while teaching assistantships and research assistantships are offered on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading basis.

Pass/Fail Credits

A student may elect to take up to 6 credit hours toward the BEnvD degree on a pass/fail (P+/P/F) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) grading basis but these credit hours must fall in the category of general electives and may not include coursework taught within the Department in Environmental Design. Courses within the Department in Environmental Design that are only offered as pass/fail are not subject to this policy.

ROTC Credit

Students matriculating into environmental design are eligible to participate in the ROTC programs on the Boulder campus.

Students interested in such programs should contact the professor in charge of the ROTC program of their choice (Air Force, Army, Navy) and also their ENVD academic advisor for information on residence and curriculum requirements for graduation. No more than 8 credit hours of ROTC courses may be applied to the BEnvD degree.

Transfer Credit

Credits transferred from other institutions are limited to the number of credit hours given for similar work in regular offerings at the University of Colorado and must meet the quality level expected at the University of Colorado Boulder. The faculty, in conjunction with the ENVD Undergraduate Education & Student Success unit, may make exceptions to this policy.

ENVD does not accept vocational/technical coursework in design, graphics or construction as meeting specific course requirements; nor does it consider such coursework as acceptable in fulfilling elective requirements. Only in exceptional circumstances may a student petition to request a transfer of such credits.

A grade of C- or better is required in any course for which credit is granted in transfer from another institution to the university. However, in order for transfer credit to meet specific core degree requirements, a grade of B or better is required in the transferring class. Grades earned in other institutions (excluding other campuses of the University of Colorado system) are not factored in the CU grade point average.

For more information on transfer credit policies, see the Transfer of College-Level Credit section.

Residency Requirement

To graduate from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Environmental Design, all students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours within the Department in Environmental Design as well as complete their last semester in residence as a full-time student.

Academic Advising and Academic Coaching

Academic advising is an essential part of your undergraduate experience. Students enrolled in ENVD receive academic advising and coaching from professional staff in the ENVD Undergraduate Education and Student Success unit through both appointments and open drop-in office hours.

New Student Welcome

Incoming first-year and transfer students are required to attend New Student Welcome programming during the summer prior to the start of the fall semester. Visit the New Student & Family Programs website to learn more.

All students are required to attend ENVD welcome sessions during New Student Welcome Week in August to receive an overview of educational opportunities and the philosophy of the Department, and to meet other new students and the ENVD faculty and staff. Students starting their educational career in the spring semester are required to attend ENVD welcome sessions during New Student Welcome Week in January to receive an overview of educational opportunities and the philosophy of the Department, and to meet other new students and the ENVD faculty and staff.

Retention of Student Work

The Department in Environmental Design may retain student work submitted in fulfillment of class requirements. This retained work may be used to provide outside agencies with tangible evidence of performance, to serve as additional visual aid material in presentations to other students, and to contribute to possible educational exhibits and publications requested by the university community and the general public. The Department does not claim any copyright and intellectual ownership of the material but does retain rights to display student work for marketing and promotion, or for academic purposes.

Students are responsible for recording their work for future use in their portfolios. When the Department retains students' materials for displays or presentations, the Department will ensure that students have the opportunity to reclaim and record their work for portfolio use.

Computing

Environmental design requires that all incoming undergraduate students have and use their own computers and software applications in their studies. Suggested computer specifications and standards are posted on the Office of Information Technology (OIT)'s Recommended Software and Hardware List webpage.

Neither the Boulder campus nor the Department in Environmental Design endorse nor require students to buy a computer from a particular manufacturer. The configurations suggested by OIT establish high performance requirements that can be found in many different computers. Specialized software requirements for different classes in the Department in Environmental Design appear on the syllabi for those classes, and that software is generally available at discounted student rates.