Urban Design and Climate Resilience - Masters

The MSc UDCR is taught by highly-experienced Urbanists, Engineers, Ecologists, Architects, landscape practitioners and researchers. The learning environment of the MUDCR is the Design Studio, where each student has their own individual workspace, along with space for exhibition and lectures.

As a student on the programme, you will be an active learner, working side-by-side and in collaboration with your classmates on projects driven by real-world challenges. The curriculum is informed by research and practice that is at the forefront of addressing the societal and environmental issues of today and of our future. The modules are research-led, involving research-through-design as well as more traditional research methodologies.

Throughout the four semesters, you will work full-time on campus in the studio, with the option to have a placement in semester 4, with teaching and lectures all in person in the studio. In addition, site and field visits take place at relevant points during the program.  

 

The programme is two years full-time, with four semesters of study, each comprising 30 credits. The Design Studio I, II and III modules will progressively advance your skills and experience in the core knowledge and processes of designing within complex urban, rural and landscape environments. In each Studio, you will develop design proposals to respond to complex and challenging real-world environments that deal with Climate Resilience.

The Ecology module will equip you with the knowledge to thoughtfully integrate ecological perspectives into your design work and to demonstrate how designing with natural processes can help address climatic, environmental and social challenges.

The module in sponge city principles will equip students how to think about sustainable urban drainage in cities particularly in terms of rising sea levels and more frequent climate events including flooding.

The module in the History and Theory of Urban Design ensures that you recognize how theories of urban design, understood across various historical stages, affect the design, management and futures of cities.

In the second semester students will start a module in Designing Policies or Town Planning which will help understand the contemporary issues at play when designing planning policies.

The module in Sustainable infrastructure – Transport and Travel will teach students how to deal with complex contemporary sustainable methods of travel.  This will range from large scale city transport systems, to demand management to smaller interventions that promote sustainable active travel.

Students will have the chance to choose between elective modules in semester 2 and 3 where a range of contemporary modules will be selected from.  These modules allow the school and students to bring in relevant cutting-edge practitioners to work with students on short and high influential research led projects.

The module in Urban Science will equip students with a base knowledge of the tools and thinking available to them in the fields or urban science, embodied carbon modelling and AI.

In the third semester, students will conclude their module work with a focus on climate justice, engaging in critical discussions on spatial justice, the migration crisis, and climate-induced displacement.

In the fourth and final semester, students can choose between two pathways: a professional placement or a thesis project.

The placement option allows students to work with a Local Authority or a qualified Urban Design practice, tackling real-world challenges in urban design or climate resilience through applied research.

Alternatively, students can pursue a research-based design project in the studio, following the structure of a traditional master’s thesis.

The placement program is integrated into the curriculum to provide students with hands-on experience while simultaneously engaging in academic research, ensuring a balance between practical application and scholarly inquiry.
 

Detailed information on each module in the tables below can be found in the University of Limerick book of modules.

Year 1

Year 2 

* Elective Modules: Each student selects one elective module of their choice. Please note, the electives on offer change from year to year: ie. not all modules listed below will be available each year. Shortly before your semester commences, you will be notified which elective modules are available during that semester and you can then make your selection from the modules on offer that year. 

* Electives (choose one)
Note: not all listed below are on offer each year

AR6113 - Culture Place Environment (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6093 - Design Philosophy (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6043 - Digital Media and Representation (Graduate Elective)  (6 credits)

AR6073 - Digital Technology (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6063 - Engineering Research (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6053 - Experimental Construction (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6103 - Urban Design (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6033 - Utopian Studies (Graduate Elective) (6 credits)

AR6153 - Writing Place (6 credits)

General Entry Requirements Taught Master’s Programmes:
Applicants for a Masters programme must normally have a first or second class Level 8 honours degree (NFQ or other internationally recognised equivalent) in a relevant or appropriate subject, or equivalent prior learning that is recognised by the University as meeting this requirement. Applicants must also satisfy the English Language Requirements* of the University. The University reserves the right to shortlist and interview applicants as deemed necessary.
Specific Programme Entry Requirements for Masters of Science in Urban Design and Climate Resilience:
A first or second class Level 8 honours degree (NFQ or other internationally recognised equivalent) in a related subject such as architecture, design, art, geography, environmental science, planning, ecology, horticulture, landscape, civil engineering or other degree which evidences content relevant to the MUDCR programme. We also welcome applicants who do not meet these academic entry requirements.

To apply to this programme, you should have a strong interest in Urban Design and Climate Resilience, and must show creative aptitude, skills and potential.

You must submit a portfolio of recent work as part of your application, to include the following three components:

•    A CV (maximum of three A4 pages).

•    A personal statement of 300 words addressing the following points:
1.    Describe your interest in Urban Design and Climate Resilience?
2.    What of your previous experiences (academic, professional and self-directed) has led you to Urban Design?

•    A sample of your creative work. This should be sourced from your own work produced during a relevant first degree, relevant professional experience, or through extra-curricular activities or self-led projects. The work displayed in your portfolio should:
1.    Demonstrate creative skills and your ability to visually represent your ideas. 
2.    Display design and/or socio-environmental work that clearly links to urban design and architectural concerns.
3.    Communicate your work through clear visuals and writing.

The following guidelines will help the curation of your creative work.

-    WE WANT TO SEE CREATIVE WORK OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. Applicants are required to include a range of items using a variety of media in order to demonstrate the scope of their creativity. Applicants can choose from diverse media such as, but not exclusive to: drawing and painting, graphics, printmaking and photography, woodworking and ceramics, extracts from sketchbooks and design journals (illustrating the design process followed in a project), textiles and dress or clothes making, sculpture and joinery, computer game design, or any other visual media. You must demonstrate your ability to draw in pencil.

THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU. In all cases, the work submitted must demonstrate your interest, experience as well as aptitude in creative and graphic areas.

-    SHOW YOUR WORK CLEARLY. A clear and straightforward presentation of your work will serve you best. The presentation quality of the portfolio is part of the evaluation. Be graphically clear – do not embellish the design of the portfolio!

-    BE SELECTIVE. Show only your best work. Demonstrate a diversity of work. Portfolios should contain not less than 15 and not more than 20 pages.

-    ALL WORK MUST BE PRESENTED TWO-DIMENSIONALLY. Please ensure that any photographs of three-dimensional objects are of high quality.

-    Please ensure that the digital representations and reproductions of your work are at an appropriately high resolution to be clearly viewed on screen.

-    INCLUDE SKETCHES. You are encouraged to submit scanned extracts from sketchbooks along with your portfolio. You may choose to annotate your sketches relating them to some of your other works or to add written comments to put them in context.

-    Only include technical drawings if they relate to a design that you have developed in some way.  

You will be required to submit this portfolio digitally, as three separate PDF files.

If your portfolio of three components is acceptable to the MUDCR Admissions Committee, you will then be called for a short interview, which will be held online with two members of faculty from the School of Architecture and Product Design. If the interview is satisfactory, you will then be offered a place on the programme.
 

• English language competency certificate
• Please click here for Further Information on English Language Requirements

Guidelines on Completing your Application

• To ensure a speedy assessment of your application, please upload the above documents with your application form – your application cannot be assessed until relevant documentation is uploaded

• Please title appropriately any documents you are uploading with the application form, for example "Supporting Statement", "Undergraduate Transcript", "Postgraduate Transcript", "English Language Certificate" etc.

International students can find more information on eligibility requirements here. 

EU - €7,500 per annum*

Non-EU - €19,000 per annum*

*Please note year two fees are subject to change

Once registered, students can apply to pay their fees in instalments. A request for a payment plan should be emailed to student.fees.office@ul.ie.

Further information on fees and payment of fees is available from the Student Fees Office website. All fee related queries should be directed to the Student Fees Office (Phone: +353 61 213 007 or email student.fees.office@ul.ie.)

Please click here for information on funding and scholarships.

Irish Students:

Currently, many Local Authorities in Ireland struggle to fill Town Planner positions due to a significant gap between the number of graduates and the rising demand for planning professionals.  Town Planning Officers have recently been added to the critical skills list by the government due to the lack of Town planners in the country as of March 2025.  The ongoing reform of the planning system has further exacerbated this resource gap, particularly in the emerging field of Urban Design.

Local authorities typically focus on two main areas: development management, where planners assess development applications, and forward planning, where they draft strategic plans. Traditionally, planners have developed documents like Development Plans and Local Area Plans based primarily on written policies. However, the recent increase in detailed Urban Design initiatives, such as Masterplans, Local Area Plans (LAPs), and Urban  Development Zones (UDZs), necessitates trained designers capable of addressing complex design challenges.

The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) has urged the government to align planning reforms with the National Climate Objective. They highlight the need to address the historical under-resourcing of the planning system to meet Ireland's 2030 climate targets. During the IPI’s Annual Autumn Conference, President Mary Mac Mahon emphasized that the integration of climate action into planning policy is crucial. The Planning and Development Bill must be adequately resourced and aligned to ensure effective implementation by planning professionals. .Many local authorities are currently unable to fill existing roles, particularly in forward planning, where there is now a greater emphasis on design and compliance with stricter development regulations.

This shift calls for a significant increase in Urban Designers skilled in climate resilience, who can collaborate effectively with engineers to balance planning initiatives with climate change mitigation efforts.  The Irish government is investing heavily in forward planning and Urban Design through the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF) and the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF), with commitments of €2 billion and €1 billion, respectively, by 2027.  Many projects funded by these initiatives require Urban Designers, further underscoring the demand for trained professionals. The evidence presented supports the need for a taught Master's in Urban Design and Climate Resilience to address the increasing demand for planners, Urban Designers, and Architects in Ireland.

The University of Limerick (UL) is well-positioned to lead this initiative, leveraging its School of Architecture and Product Design and the Intelligence Unit (IU) programme, which fosters connections with government departments and local authorities.

International Students:

In addition to the growing need for Urban Design in Ireland, other European and non-European countries and NGO’s also require skilled Urban Designers. Established programs in countries like the US and Canada, China, India, and the UK indicate a global demand for education in this field. The programme has been designed to give students a grounding in contemporary urban design issues that are relevant globally but the school will also specifically work in contexts with complex geopolitical, environmental or climate issues.  We see this as a key point of difference to this course and other Urban Design courses globally and have assembled our Steering group and our course structure to reflect that ethos.  This has led to our collaboration with the School of Architecture in Kharkiv in Ukraine and our work with NGOs including the Norwegian Refugee Council and UN Habitat.

We expect a strong interest among international students to study Urban Design and Climate Resilience in Ireland, which is recognized for its coherent planning system. The proposed program includes a cooperative education component, allowing students to work with local authorities or private institutions during their final semester. This practical experience will enhance their skill sets and improve their employability, making the program more attractive to international applicants.

In summary, the establishment of a Master's in Urban Design and Climate Resilience at UL is both timely and necessary to address local and global demands, positioning the university as a leader in this vital area of study.  The programme has been designed in conjunction with industry partners and international expert