Program Overview
The Graduate Diploma in Urban Design from the University of Western Australia provides a comprehensive understanding of urban design concepts and practices. Delivered by the Australian Urban Design Research Centre, it equips students with the knowledge and skills to address complex urban issues and prepare them for careers in urban design and related fields. The program combines theoretical and practical elements, including urban design studios, fostering creativity and real-world problem-solving abilities. It offers flexibility, allowing students to balance work and study, and is an excellent stepping stone for further urban design studies or professional advancement.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Graduate Diploma in Urban Design is a postgraduate program offered by the University of Western Australia (UWA). It is delivered by the Australian Urban Design Research Centre (AUDRC), an independent, non-profit research centre and part of the School of Design. It prepares students for the next step in their career in urban design and is also beneficial for professionals in fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, city/town planning, transport planning, and historic buildings conservation.
Objectives:
The program aims to:
- Develop students' understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of urban design.
- Equip students with the skills and knowledge to address complex urban design issues.
- Prepare students for a career in urban design.
- Provide students with preliminary experience in conducting independent research.
Teaching:
- The program is taught by highly experienced practitioners from the Australian Urban Design Research Centre.
- Students participate in urban design studios that allow them to creatively engage with real sites and develop design and visualization skills.
- The program is delivered both on-campus and online.
Careers:
- Upon successful completion of the program, students can pursue careers in urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, city/town planning, transport planning, and historic buildings conservation.
- The program can also serve as a stepping stone to the Master of Urban Design.
Other:
- The program is subsidized for Australian residents through Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP).
- Students gain experience as individual designers and as participants in interdisciplinary groups assigned to working on the complex nature of urban issues.
- The program is comprised of six units:
- Forces that shape Cities (URBD 5807)
- Sustainability and Cities (URBD 5803)
- Urban Design Studio 1 (URBD 5804)
- Contemporary Urbanism (URBD 5805)
- Research Strategies (ARLA 4506)
- Urban Design Studio 2 (URBD 5802)
- The program is available for both Australian and International students.
- The program is delivered full-time or part-time.
- The program is offered in Semester 1 and Semester 2.
- The program has a weekly contact time of approximately 46 hours per week, which includes contact hours, personal study, and examinations.
- The program is part of an articulated sequence with the Graduate Certificate in Urban Design and the Master of Urban Design.
- The program is available online.
- The program has a course code of 25310 and a CRICOS code of 058210M.
- The program has a full-time duration of 1 year.
- The program is available as a Graduate Diploma in Urban Design.
- The program is designed to be flexible and allows students to balance their work and studies.
- The program offers a range of units that are taught after hours and the option to learn via intensive units.
- The program is taught at the School of Design, which has well-equipped facilities including studio spaces, a Design Hub, digital fabrication equipment, computer labs, a printmaking studio, multimedia production facilities, and the Cullity Gallery.
- The program is taught by highly qualified, multidisciplinary staff, who have been nominated for a stream of teaching awards.
- The program is part of the Australian Urban Design Research Centre (AUDRC), which is an independent, non-profit research centre and part of the School of Design.
- The AUDRC tests innovative design strategies within real-world urban conditions where the lived experience of residents is vital to the design process.
- The program is part of the School of Design, which is a collaboration of creative thinkers and makers that includes landscape architects, urban designers, experimental artists, historians, and architects.
