Sustainable Design

Sustainable Design Hero
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
HOW TO APPLY

The Graduate Program in Sustainable Design is an interdisciplinary and research-based degree path. Here, scholars are both part of a specialized, close-knit cohort of MSSD students as well as members of the larger Architecture program and UT Austin campus community. Students are encouraged to draw from the sizeable and wide-ranging knowledge of faculty within the school and across the university. The Master of Science in Sustanable Design degree's STEM designation from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board also opens up new research and funding resources, and enables additional professional opportunities for international students.

The School of Architecture has several facilities and laboratories to allow for sustainable design research at various scales and scopes to complement students’ academic experiences. The Sustainable Design Program distinguishes itself from other programs in the school as its low faculty-student ratio allows for one-to-one interaction in addition to potential opportunities for Graduate Research Assistant work to support faculty research in conjunction with the Center for Sustainable Development.

Moreover, students are able to experience and contribute to the development of one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation—Austin, Texas. Together with faculty and professionals in practice students contribute to resolving Austin’s current density, equity, and environmental issues in the living laboratory of a dynamic and ever-changing city.

sustainable design 

DEGREES + PROGRAMS

The Sustainable Design Program at the University of Texas as Austin offers two graduate-level degree programs and a Ph.D. in Architecture with a concentration in sustainability. 

GRADUATE DOCTORAL

Master of Science in Sustainable Design [MSSD]

MSSD + Master of Science in Community & Regional Planning [MSCRP]

Ph.D in Architecture, Sustainability
  • Instagram Post
    🎉 We are thrilled to announce that Jessica Garza (BSID '26) has won the 2025 Senior Student Scholarship from the Angelo Donghia Foundation! Jessica Garza is one of 15 undergraduate interior design students in North America to receive this honor this year in the form of a $30,000 scholarship.
    @utsoa

    🎉 We are thrilled to announce that Jessica Garza (BSID '26) has won the 2025 Senior Student Scholarship from the Angelo Donghia Foundation! Jessica Garza is one of 15 undergraduate interior design students in North America to receive this honor this year in the form of a $30,000 scholarship.

  • Instagram Post
    Matt Fajkus already holds the titles of licensed architect, multiple award winner and Austin Design Icon. Now, he adds another achievement to his list: a promotion to Full Professor of Architecture. <br>
    @utsoa

    Matt Fajkus already holds the titles of licensed architect, multiple award winner and Austin Design Icon. Now, he adds another achievement to his list: a promotion to Full Professor of Architecture.

  • Instagram Post
    Master of Interior Design students Yuzheng Gan and Stephanie Belov win 2nd place for their project, “HYDROCOMMONS,” in the Student Commercial Design Category at the @ASID_hq's 2025 Celebrating Design Texas Awards! <br>
    @utsoa

    Master of Interior Design students Yuzheng Gan and Stephanie Belov win 2nd place for their project, “HYDROCOMMONS,” in the Student Commercial Design Category at the @ASID_hq's 2025 Celebrating Design Texas Awards!

  • Instagram Post
    ANOMALIES &amp; ORDER: GRAMMARS OF ANONYMOUS ARCHITECTURES ⋅ Come explore the uneasy alliance between system and rupture, form and formlessness, through the lens of “anonymous architectures.” <br>
    @utsoa

    ANOMALIES & ORDER: GRAMMARS OF ANONYMOUS ARCHITECTURES ⋅ Come explore the uneasy alliance between system and rupture, form and formlessness, through the lens of “anonymous architectures.”

  • Instagram Post
    🎉 Congratulations are in order for @cldavis_ii and @tdudleyphd! <br><br>The Mellon Foundation recognized their contributions to exploring untold narratives and expanding the architectural canon. <br>
    @utsoa

    🎉 Congratulations are in order for @cldavis_ii and @tdudleyphd!

    The Mellon Foundation recognized their contributions to exploring untold narratives and expanding the architectural canon.

  • Instagram Post
    Announcing our Fall 2025 lectures and events series: “Planetary Imaginaries” an expansive set of public engagements to reimagine our ethical and ecological responsibilities in the Anthropocene.
    @utsoa

    Announcing our Fall 2025 lectures and events series: “Planetary Imaginaries” an expansive set of public engagements to reimagine our ethical and ecological responsibilities in the Anthropocene.

  • Instagram Post
    It is with sadness that we share the news of the death of Professor Michael Benedikt, who passed away on August 13 at the age of 78. Benedikt was one of the school’s longest-serving faculty members, and a hallmark of this institution.<br>
    @utsoa

    It is with sadness that we share the news of the death of Professor Michael Benedikt, who passed away on August 13 at the age of 78. Benedikt was one of the school’s longest-serving faculty members, and a hallmark of this institution.

  • Instagram Post
    Masters of Science in Historic Preservation student Sonya Sehgal is the first recipient of the inaugural Theodore Prudon Education Fund Grant from Docomomo @dodomomous!
    @utsoa

    Masters of Science in Historic Preservation student Sonya Sehgal is the first recipient of the inaugural Theodore Prudon Education Fund Grant from Docomomo @dodomomous!

  • Instagram Post
    On view this fall in the Materials Lab 🌿Associate Professor Danelle Briscoe’s exhibition “Eco Illusions: The Plastic Behind the Green” asks the question: Can we truly call a system ‘green’ if it’s propped up by materials that may outlive the ecosystems they aim to sustain?<br>
    @utsoa

    On view this fall in the Materials Lab 🌿Associate Professor Danelle Briscoe’s exhibition “Eco Illusions: The Plastic Behind the Green” asks the question: Can we truly call a system ‘green’ if it’s propped up by materials that may outlive the ecosystems they aim to sustain?