Required Courses

For students entering Fall 2020

First Year

4 units          GSD 3348       The Idea of Environment
4 units          GSD 5291        Theories for Practice in Conflict, Crisis, and Recovery
24 units        Electives or Distributional Electives *

Second Year

Coursework Track:
16 units        Electives or Distributional Electives *

Or

Thesis Track:
16 units        Electives or Distributional Electives*
8 units          GSD 9304        Independent Thesis for the Degree Master in Design Studies

*Students are required to fulfill the following distributional electives from approved lists of courses:
4 units of methodology
4 units of mapping or representation

Distributional Electives

Methodology Distributional Electives
SES-5215  Analytic Methods of Urban Planning: Quantitative
SES-5216  Analytic Methods: Qualitative
MIT 11.220  Quantitative Reasoning and Statistical Methods for Planning I
MIT 11.328  Urban Design Skills: Observing, Interpreting, and Representing the City
MIT 11.523  Fundamentals of Spatial Database Management

Mapping and Representation Distributional Electives
VIS-2128 (2129 in prior semesters)  Spatial Analysis and the Built Environment
SCI-6322  Mapping: Geographic Representation and Speculation
MIT 11.205  Introduction to Spatial Analysis
MIT 11.328  Urban Design Skills: Observing, Interpreting, and Representing the City
MIT 11.523  Fundamentals of Spatial Database Management

This is a preliminary template of courses that have been taken by students in the past. Students may work individually with the Risk and Resilience Area Heads to craft a set of methodology courses specific to their research plans.

(Required courses for students who entered in Fall 2017.)

(Required courses for students who entered in Fall 2018.)

(Required courses for students who entered in Fall 2019.)

Students contemplating cross-registering for courses at another Harvard school must abide by the dates and policies of the school in which the course is offered. Priority for enrollment may be given to the other school’s students first before cross-registrations are accepted — enrollment is not guaranteed. See https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/resources/cross-registration-policies-procedures/