The information and program qualifications related to the Urban Design Master of Science Program, under the Department of Urban Design of the Graduate School, are summarized below.
Information About The Program
Interdisciplinary Urban Design MSc Program is conducted under the auspices of ITU Graduate School of Science, Engineering and Technology in collaboration with three departments: Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture in the Faculty of Architecture. The program was founded in 1988 as part of ITU Institute of Science and Technology with the title “Urban Design Masters and PhD Program”. The program which was updated during the revision of ITU graduate programs in 2002, PhD program was ended and Masters' program gained an interdisciplinary dimension.
Urban design is an essential tool for conserving local and authentic values against the rapidly changing world. Therefore, creative and aesthetic urban environment respecting society and its past is fundamental to urban design. Urban design is concerned with improving the quality of urban space and its environment on a human-scale. The scope of the program is ensuring expertise in the field of urban design and providing the academic framework for studies regarding both the theoretical and practical aspects of the area.
Focusing on improving urban spatial quality and physical form, the urban design program aims to make students qualified specialists in the field of urban design and to have them capable of evaluating recent trends in urban design theories, practices, methods and processes.
The mission of the urban design program is providing a solid background on the expansion of urban design theory and methodology, and ensuring the skills of implementation about improving the spatial quality of the urban area.
The current Urban Design MSc Program requires a total of 36 credits (90 ECTS). The Program includes compulsory courses (24 credits – 12-credit project and 12-credit lecture), electives (12-credits lecture) and a non-credit Scientific Research, Ethics and Seminars. The program is completed with the submission and approval of a thesis.
The Urban Design Program provides architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture students with the knowledge and skills of urban design theory and practices. The courses include topics on research methodology, theory, design and other related fields of urban design study. The areas of study offered by this Interdisciplinary Urban Design MSc Program are “Environmental Quality of the Urban Spaces”, “Urban Design Standards”, “Urban Preservation and Renewal”, “Design of New Residential Areas”, “Universal Design”, “Urban Image and Identity” and “Evaluation and Design of Public Areas”. The curriculum of Urban Design Master Program at ITU intends to cover the following dimensions of urban design; technological, ecological, transportation, visual communication, urban sociology, urban law and economy.
Click here for the program's website.
Active Student Count
Program Profile
The ITU Urban Design Master’s Program operates as an interdisciplinary education and research platform designed to generate innovative, resilient, and inclusive solutions to the increasingly complex spatial, ecological, economic, and social challenges of 21st-century cities. The program’s primary aim is to train specialists who, by maximizing dialogue among the design professions involved in the built environment, can conceptualize human- and environment-centered, highly livable urban spaces that are robust in both aesthetics and function. The program treats urban design not only as a form of physical and morphological intervention but also as a process of social, cultural, and ecological repair and development.
Situated at the intersection of architecture, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning, the program creates an interdisciplinary ground for dialogue on spatial production. In this sense, it embraces local and global urban agendas, contemporary conceptual debates, and evolving social dynamics as the cornerstones of its curriculum.
At the core of the program’s educational philosophy is a strong reassertion of the dialectic between theory and practice. By problematizing and deeply examining the history, theory, and critique of urban space, the program provides students with a comprehensive analytical foundation. Students directly integrate the intellectual knowledge they acquire—by assimilating current theoretical debates—into spatial practices in design studios and research projects. This methodological approach enables academic knowledge to transform into transformative spatial strategies and innovative design interventions that reshape the built environment and social life.
Registration Requirements
Application Term : Previous Application / 2025-2026 Spring Semester
Application Requirements (For T.C Nationality) ALES Numerical must be minimum 75 (old system GRE Quantitative minimum 700, new system GRE minimum 155 ). Undergraduate GPA must be minimum 3.00/4 (76.66/100). Graduation must be Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning. Candidates must attend to interview with a minimum of 2 reference letters and a portfolio.
Quota (For T.C Nationality): 10
Application Requirements (For International Students) ALES Numerical must be minimum 75 (old system GRE Quantitative minimum 700, new system GRE minimum 155 ). Undergraduate GPA must be minimum 3.00/4 (76.66/100). Graduation must be Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning. Candidates must attend to interview with a minimum of 2 reference letters and a portfolio.
Quota (For International Students): 3
Transfer Quota : 1
Click here for quotas and conditions for all semesters. Application Page Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles
Application requirements, application dates, and quotas are updated in real-time from the Application System.
Program Learning Environments
The ITU Urban Design Master’s Program offers dynamic learning environments where theoretical knowledge meets practice, placing interdisciplinary interaction and plurality of voices at its center. The program’s pedagogical approach is shaped around four core pillars that develop students’ abilities in analytical thinking, critical inquiry, and the production of innovative spatial strategies.
Urban Design Studios (Praxis and Integration Areas): The design studios, which form the backbone of the education, are the primary production venues where theoretical accumulation is transformed into spatial interventions. These settings—where students from architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning work together—promote problem-based learning, scenario development, critical jury reviews, and a culture of interdisciplinary co-creation.
Theoretical Courses and Seminars (Intellectual Discussion Arenas): These are environments in which the historical evolution of urban space, its socio-spatial dynamics, and current conceptual debates are examined in depth. Through advanced literature readings, conceptual analyses, and interactive seminars, students build their foundations in critical and analytical thinking.
Field and Site Studies (Urban Space Laboratory): These are processes that treat the city itself as open-ended research and learning laboratory. They encompass empirical investigation of urban dynamics (ecological, morphological, sociological) and the collection of place-specific data through on-site observation, spatial analysis, advanced mapping techniques, and engagements with local stakeholders.
Workshops and Thematic Studios (Intensified Interaction Networks): Short-term, intensively focused workshop activities organized with participation from national and international scholars, visiting researchers, and professional practitioners. These environments offer opportunities to develop alternative approaches to contemporary urban problems and to accelerate design reflexes.
English Proficiency
Regulations and Guidelines
Academic Calendar
Course Plans
Course Schedules
Course Adjustment and Exemption Procedures
Program Educational Objectives
Method Development and Application: The ability to conceive innovative, analytical, and spatial research methods in solving complex urban problems, and to apply these methods in the integrity of theory and practice.
Historical Comprehension and Future Projection: The ability to deeply comprehend the historical evolution, theory, and urban memory of urban space; and to produce resilient and future-oriented transformative spatial scenarios that consider ecological, social, and economic contexts.
Creative Thinking and Contemporary Representation: The ability to focus on creative and critical thinking in the design process, and to effectively express the resulting spatial constructs with contemporary and multi-dimensional expression/representation techniques (visual, written, and verbal).
Multi-Dimensional Alternative Generation: The ability to develop site-specific and flexible design alternatives by reading socio-spatial dynamics at different scales in urban design and planning practices.
Advanced Technology and Digital Method Integration: The ability to effectively use advanced digital technologies, spatial data analysis methods, and current digital design tools in urban reading, analysis, and design processes.
Interdisciplinary Dialogue and Leadership: The ability to strengthen the dialogue between design professions involved in the production of the built environment, to take initiative in interdisciplinary working environments, to form teams, and to successfully manage joint production processes.
Measurement and Evaluation
Evaluating Student Success
The student success is evaluated considering Articles 56, 57, 58, and 59 of the Istanbul Technical University Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles.
ARTICLE 56 - Before the enrollment for the courses begins, the faculty member who offers the course informs the Program Executive Committee about the types, number and contribution percentage to the final grade of the studies within the semester, as well as requirements for a right to take the semester final exam. These requirements shall be finalized by approval of the Program Executive Committee and approval of the chair of the department, who declares them to the student and informs the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 57 - A student may appeal the final grade of a course within one week following the announcement of the grades. Appeals must be submitted to the Graduate School in writing. The relevant faculty member shall re-evaluate the student's success status and submit the result to the Graduate School within one week. Appeals not submitted within the prescribed time frame shall not be considered by the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 58 - Courses in graduate programs shall be evaluated according to the following grading system.
| Grade Description |
Grade |
Scale |
| Excellent |
AA |
4.00 |
| Very good plus |
BA+ |
3.75 |
| Very good |
BA |
3.50 |
| Good plus |
BB+ |
3.25 |
| Good |
BB |
3.00 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB+ |
2.75 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB |
2.50 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC+ |
2.25 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC |
2.00 |
| Fail |
FF |
0.00 |
| Fail(No Exam) |
VF |
0.00 |
ARTICLE 59 - Students who wish to improve their cumulative grade point average may retake courses during the course-taking period. The most recent grade will be counted for the repeated courses.
Internship
There is no internship in this program.
Graduation Requirements
The current Interdisciplinary Urban Design MSc Program requires a total of 36 credits (90 ECTS). The Program includes compulsory courses (24 credits – 12-credit project and 12-credit lecture), electives (12-credits lecture) and a seminar presentation. The program is completed with the submission and approval of a thesis.
The Awarded Degree and Title
Degree : Master of Science Title : -
Program Employment Opportunities
Graduates of the ITU Urban Design Master's Program join a diverse employment network as competent "Urban Design Specialists" who, through their cultivated interdisciplinary vision and strong analytical training, initiate and contribute to the production processes of urban and rural built environments. In the public sphere, they assume critical roles as spatial policy makers, strategy developers, and project managers across a broad spectrum—from relevant ministries to all levels of local government. In the private sector, they may establish their own architecture, landscape architecture, and urban-regional planning offices to implement leading urban design projects; they are also employed as visionary designers, coordinators, and consultants in national and international design and planning firms, large-scale construction and contracting companies, real estate development firms, relevant departments of banks and financial institutions, industrial subsidiaries, and multidisciplinary project studios. Additionally, the program’s infrastructure enables our graduates to pursue academic careers in higher education institutions and lays the groundwork for them to serve as innovative researchers in non-governmental organizations and research institutes working on urban policies and sustainability.
Number of Graduates
Graduate Statistics (Last Five Years)
| Year | Number of Graduates |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2022 | 17 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 14 |
Program Outcomes
P.O.1 Learning and knowledge devising: Understanding, using, manipulating and reforming for interdisciplinary use urban planning knowledge depending on the requirements of the undergraduate level.
P.O.2 Research-Questioning: Researching on the field of study, questioning the information acquired and producing new pieces of knowledge.
P.O.3 Responsibility-taking: Debating on complex issues on the field of study, devising solutions, taking responsibilities to conduct independent research and leadership.
P.O.4 Presenting knowledge: Presenting visually and orally knowledge acquired on the field, supporting it with adequate and contemporary materials, using technology for studies, mastering a foreign language for oral and written communication.
P.O.5 Application: Supporting the knowledge acquired on the field with legal and political points in order to transform it to a strategic and interdisciplinary application.
P.O.6 Commitment to ethical values, teaching and creating social impact: Questioning social norms and mobilizng to change it where necessary, conducting all debate within the boundaries of scientific, cultural and ethical norms.
P.O.7 Sharing and contributing to academic value: Accessing and contributing to international academic sharing in interdsicplinary work.
Turkish Qualifications Database
The qualification has not yet been incorporated into the TYÇ.
Program Coordinator
Head of the Department
Click for detailed student count.
Links