1.Statement Of Purpose / Resume

Please write a concise statement outlining your reasons for applying to Taubman College’s Master of Urban Design degree. Your ideas should be clear, well stated, and specific. The following questions serve only as a guide. The essay should be 500-1000 words and clearly communicate to the admissions committee:

Why you want to study urban design

Your career objectives and long term goals

What you want to learn/gain from the degree

How the degree supports your career objectives

What led you to apply to Taubman College

Specific area of emphasis/specialization that you are interested in Previous professional experiences that have had a profound effect

Your current strengths and weaknesses in reaching your goals

Resume

Please upload an up to date resume with your online application. A good curriculum vitae or resume will give us another view of who you are and elaborate your strengths and skills outside of the classroom, showcasing your accomplishments. In addition to your educational experience, student resume should contain professional experiences, other jobs you have held, a list of groups or organizations that you are involved in, programming languages or other computer skills you have, community involvement or volunteer work that you do. Think of your resume as another opportunity to tell us about yourself.

2. Portfolio

Master of Urban Design applicants are required to submit a portfolio. Slides, CDs, URLs, and hard copy materials will not be accepted.

The first page of the portfolio (cover page-required) must include the following information

Your last name, first name

whether you are a 2-Year OR 3-Year applicant

email address

The portfolio must be formatted together in one Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

There are no specified page dimensions or formats, but please note that portfolios will be reviewed electronically on a variety of screens and devices. Please ensure that all text and images will be legible in a variety of contexts. Portfolios may be no longer than 30 pages total and no larger than 50 MB. Portfolios that exceed these sizes may not be reviewed. Your portfolio will not be reviewed if you upload individual pages. Application processing time may increase if your file is incorrectly titled or if a cover page is not included.

Please remember, the admissions committee will only review electronic submissions and will not accept:

hard copy original work or portfolios

actual physical models or other three-dimensional objects (photographs of 3-D work are acceptable)

slides

videotapes

folded materials/blueprints

Powerpoint or word files

electronic media (CDs, DVDs, disks) other than those submitted as a PDF

3. Transcripts

Applicants will scan and upload an unofficial transcript or certified credentials (scanned from original transcripts) from all universities, colleges, community colleges, study abroad, and summer programs attended. Taubman College only requires official transcripts from those students accepting our offer of admission.

4. Letters Of Recommendation

Three (3) letters of recommendation are required and should testify to your academic and professional capacity and promise. If possible, two of these should come from former professors.

5. Graduate Record Examination

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants. Information about the GRE including test dates and locations can be found at gre.org. Please have an official score report sent to the University of Michigan (Institution code 1839, department code 4401) at least 4-5 weeks prior to the application deadline. GRE scores must be no older than five-years old to be valid. There is no minimum requirement for the GRE test.

If you have taken the GMAT or LSAT, we can use those scores in place of the GRE. LSAT scores should be listed on the additional information page of the online application.

6. English Proficiency / TOEFL / IELTS

All non-native English speakers must take either the TOEFL, or the IELTS. Scores must be no older than two years old to be valid. Non-native English speakers who have earned their degree from a university, where English is the primary language of instruction, are not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS. The student must have achieved a 4 year degree to receive a TOEFL, IELTS waiver. U.S. citizenship does not exempt applicants from taking the test if his/her native language is not English. Students only need to take one of the above listed tests. Taubman College does not admit students that have not met minimum score requirements.

TOEFL Examination (International Students Only)

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Internet Based TOEFL (IBT) is one of the approved English proficiency tests required of all non-native English speakers. Information about the TOEFL/IBT including test dates and locations can be found at ets.org/toefl. Please contact ETS (ets.org) and have an official score report sent to the University of Michigan (Institution code 1839, department code 12) at least 6-8 weeks prior to the application deadline. TOEFL/IBT scores must be no older than two years old to be valid. The minimum requirements are: 100 IBT, 250 computer based, or 600 paper based. If you have taken the TOEFL exam and not achieved the minimum score you must continue to take the test until you achieve the minimum score to be considered for admission. Taubman College does not admit students that have not met minimum score requirements.

If you are close to the minimum scores outlined above we encourage to retake the exam to meet the minimum requirement. As students who have submitted all required materials by the deadline above (including English proficiency exams) are given first consideration for admission, it may make you a less competitive applicant to not have your scores sent in by the deadline.

IELTS Examination (International Students Only)

The International English Language Testing System exam is another English proficiency tool required of all non-native English speakers. Information about the IELTS including test dates and locations can be found at ielts.org. Please have IELTS send an official score report to the University of Michigan. IELTS scores must be no older than 2 years (not before 2014) to be valid. The minimum requirement for the IELTS test is 7.0. If you have taken the IELTS exam and have not achieved the minimum score, you must continue to take the test until you reach 7.0 to be considered for admission. Taubman College does not admit students that have not met minimum score requirements.

7. Financial Certification / Passports / I-20 / Visa (International Students Only)

The financial certification deadline is January 15.

All international students are required to submit financial certification as part of their application to show they have funding available to study in the USA. Scanned copies of financial certification documents should be uploaded in the online application. The estimated financial certification for 2018-2019 academic year IS $74,925 USD.

The final tuition rates will be set in July and an exact figure will be available then. The Taubman College Admission Committee does not consider the financial certification form when making decisions regarding scholarships.

Financial certification is solely used for administrative purposes, since it is a required component for I-20 forms. Only funds in a liquid account, such as a checking or savings account will be accepted: Property, life insurance, stock, bonds, jewelry, mutual funds, land, medical savings and retirement accounts, benefit certificates, trusts, securities, and long term savings for housing do not qualify. If a student is supporting him/herself, the applicant must submit a bank statement in the student's name showing sufficient funds (scanned copies of original documents are acceptable). If a person other than the applicant will be sponsoring the student, the applicant must submit two important documents for the financial certification. An applicant must submit either (#1 and #3) OR (#2 and #3) below. An applicant may have several different sponsors. We will need the following documentation from each source of funding:

Letter of support (who will support the student and what their relationship to the student is) signed by the sponsor offering financial support to the student. It must include a signature. OR

Completed financial certification form (found in the online application) with original signatures from the sponsor offering support and the proper boxes checked. AND

A bank statement (on bank letterhead) showing the type of account, the exact balance of the account, and signed by a bank representative. The statement must also show the account holder's name; that name must match the name of the person offering support exactly.

Financial certification must be completed before an offer of admission can be extended.

Master of Urban Design Financial Certification Form (PDF)

Passport Copies (International Students Only)

Each international applicant should submit a copy of their passport (and copies of any dependent family member's passport that would be accompanying the student to the USA) with their application materials. Passport copies are required in order to process and I-20 form. Please be prepared to submit passport copies with the online application.

I-20 / Visa (International Students Only)

Applicants that are currently in the U.S. should also send a copy of their current I-20 or I-94 form. A Transfer-In form is also required if an applicant is currently attending another U.S. school or college and is admitted to the program. If applicable, please be prepared to submit copies of current visas with the online application.

Using eShip Global for Immigration Documents

All immigration documents (I-20 or DS-2019) that are mailed outside the U.S. are sent express mail using an eShip Global account. You are required to set up an eShip Global for faster, more reliable delivery.

When setting up your eShip Global account:

Have your University of Michigan Identification (UMID) number ready.

Select “Taubman College” for “department.”

If you have questions or need to change your shipping details, please visit eShip Global's Help section or contact eShip Global at student.support@eshipglobal.com.

If you are local, you may contact Taubman College Student Services about picking up your immigration documents in-person.