Concurrent and Joint Degrees

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Concurrent Degrees

Students may pursue concurrently two degrees offered by the Graduate School of Design, thereby reducing the total amount of time necessary to obtain both degrees if they were pursued separately. To pursue concurrent degrees, a student must be admitted into each degree program independently. Admission to or enrollment in one program does not guarantee acceptance by another.

The minimum full-time residency for obtaining concurrent degrees is two academic terms more than the residency requirement of the longer of the two programs. Current students admitted to a second program must, upon admission to the second program, contact the relevant Program Manager to receive an approved plan of study. Prospective students interested in a concurrent degree should contact Admissions

  • Master of Architecture (MArch)
  • Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD)
  • Master in Landscape Architecture (MLA)
  • Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design (MLAUD)
  • Master in Design Studies (MDes)
  • Master in Urban Planning (MUP)

There are no MDE, MRE, or DDes concurrent degrees.

Joint Degrees

Students enrolled in the Master in Urban Planning (MUP) program can apply to pursue two degrees simultaneously between the GSD and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government (HKS) or Law School (HLS). Students must be admitted into each school independently pursuant to that school’s own admissions criteria. The minimum full-time residency and curricular requirements at the GSD for students seeking joint degree status depend upon the degree program to which the student seeks admission. 

Joint degrees are only offered in the MUP program.

The GSD offers degree programs across a variety of design disciplines. Find out which program is right for you. COMPARE DEGREE PROGRAMS