Program Overview

Academics

The Harvard Graduate School of Design offers a range of academic programs, including:

• Master of Architecture I
• Master of Architecture I AP
• Master of Architecture II
• Master in Landscape Architecture I
• Master in Landscape Architecture I AP
• Master in Landscape Architecture II
• Master of Architecture in Urban Design / Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design
• Master in Urban Planning
• Master in Real Estate
• Concurrent and Joint Degrees
• Master in Design Engineering
• Master in Design Studies
• Doctor of Design
• Doctor of Philosophy
• Early Design Education
• Executive Education

Admissions

The admissions process at the Harvard Graduate School of Design involves:

• How to Apply
• Application Requirements
• International Applicants
• Navigating the Application (FAQ)
• Connect with Admissions
• Virtual Sessions
• Virtual Fall Open Houses
• Admissions Tours
• Funding Opportunities
• Scholarships and Grants
• Outside Scholarships
• Student Loans
• Financial Aid FAQ
• Financial Aid

Application Deadlines

The application deadlines for the Harvard Graduate School of Design are:

• January 5, 2026 5:00 p.m ET for MArch, MLA, MUP, MAUD, MLAUD, MRE, DDes
• January 8, 2026 5:00 p.m ET for MDes, MDE

Research

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has various research areas, including:

• Centers
  • Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities
  • Joint Center for Housing Studies
• Initiatives
  • Aga Khan Program
  • Harvard Mellon Urban Initiative
  • Laboratory for Design Technologies
• Projects
• Groups and Labs
  • Critical Landscapes Design Lab
  • Geometry Lab
  • Grinham Research Group
  • Healthy Places Lab
  • Just City Lab
  • Material Processes and Systems Group
  • Office for Urbanization
  • Responsive Environments & Artifacts Lab
  • Laboratory for Values in the Built Environment
• Funding Opportunities
  • Loeb Fellowship
  • Wheelwright Prize
  • Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design

People

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has a diverse community, including:

• Faculty Directory
• Student Directory
• Staff Directory
• Alumni Directory
• Affiliates Directory

Offices & Facilities

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has various offices and facilities, including:

• Academic Affairs
• Academic Administration
• Academic Planning and Innovation
• Academic Administration Business Office
• Advanced Studies Programs
• Department of Architecture
• Department of Landscape Architecture
• Department of Urban Planning and Design
• Faculty Affairs
• Student Affairs
• Admissions
• Career Services
• Financial Aid
• Registrar
• Student Life
• Administrative Offices
• Communications
• Dean’s Office
• Development & Alumni Relations
• Community, Impact and Opportunity
• Facilities and Campus Operations
• Finance & Research Administration
• Human Resources
• Research and Production
• Frances Loeb Library
• Fabrication Lab
• Information Technologies

Public Discourse

The Harvard Graduate School of Design engages in public discourse through:

• Harvard Design Magazine
• Publications
• Exhibitions
• Public Programs
• Podcasts

Calendar

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has a calendar of events, including:

• Upcoming Events and Exhibitions
• Academic Calendars & Schedules
• Application Deadlines
• GSD Now

Alumni & Support

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has an alumni community and offers support through:

• Alumni & Friends
• Events
• Alumni Updates
• Alumni Council
• Dean’s Council
• Alumni Resources
• FAQ
• Support the GSD
• Annual Giving
• Gift Planning
• Impact
• Ways to Give
• Fellowships & Financial Aid Funds
• Development & Alumni Relations Office

About

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has a mission to educate leaders in design, research, and scholarship to make a resilient, just, and beautiful world. The school has a:

• Visit the GSD
• GSD Campus
• Admissions Tours
• Map & Directions
• Harvard Tours
• Fact Book
• Mission & Values
• Commitment to Community
• Community Values, Rights, and Responsibilities
• Academic Integrity
• Respectful Engagement
• Equitable Accountability
• Leadership & Administration
• Message from the Dean
• Administrative Leadership Council
• Executive Committee
• News
• History of Gund Hall

Courses

The Harvard Graduate School of Design offers various courses, including:

• Foundations of Distressed Debt and Turnarounds: Tactics of Law, Finance and Negotiation [Module 1]
  • Taught by: Donald Sheets
  • Location & Hours: View Course Schedule
  • Semester: Spring 2026
  • Type: Lecture
  • Units: 2
  • Course Website
• Urban Planning and Design
  • Virtually every career will encounter unanticipated outcomes.
  • This half-semester course presents a curriculum of commercial real estate restructurings and distressed debt that involve risk analysis, legal considerations, and negotiation from the considered perspectives of owners, investors, lenders, tenants, employees, employees, policymakers, and society.
  • The module utilizes real-world case studies that require a synthesis of structuring, valuation, and financial analysis.
  • The course is designed for graduate-level students with a variety of backgrounds who demonstrate a curiosity in learning how to create value from otherwise fractured situations.
  • MRE students who enter this course in Limited Enrollment Course Lottery will be automatically enrolled.