Philadelphia University’s M.S. in GeoDesign is the first of its kind in the country and was created in response to an overwhelming need for professionals in the field. Emphasizing sustainable practices, collaboration and innovation within an integrated process, the program is intended for design and planning students to find resilient solutions to 21st century urban conditions such as population growth, decreasing resources, disaster mitigation and climate change. GeoDesign is sustainability in practice, and our graduates will be leaders in this innovative process.
GeoDesign students are directly involved in collaborative applied research projects with industry partners, state and federal grants, and community partnerships. They work with advanced technologies including GIS, Model Builder, Gaming, Robotics and BIM while they help develop and test new tools that inform future industry software. Our faculty is made of leading industry professionals, and our facilities include our LEED Gold Center for Sustainability, Energy, Efficiency and Design (SEED). Graduates possess sought-after skills and are well prepared for dynamic careers in interdisciplinary firms, state and federal agencies, NGOs, academia and more.
Classes are held in the evenings and Saturdays in order to meet the needs of our professional students.
Our 4 or 5 +1 program allows PhilaU students of associated undergraduate programs to earn their M.S. in GeoDesign in just one additional year.
“The future of design excellence and sustainability across the design disciplines will require ever-increasing complex problem-solving skills to empower creativity. The PhilaU cross-disciplinary masters students will be equipped to apply exciting and rapidly emerging geospatial technologies to lead in defining and solving contemporary design and planning challenges with highly informed sustainable design solutions. GeoDesign is ‘smart’ design." -James Querry, Director of Enterprise GIS, City of Philadelphia and PhilaU adjunct faculty
*The image featured on these pages comes from PhilaU 2012 graduate Matthew Michelson's Capstone Thesis project entitled, "GeoDesign for Stormwater Management- Case Study: Philadelphia."
