The Urban Design graduate certificate is offered through 2 tracks depending on the student’s graduate program. Students in the Architecture, Landscape Architecture, or Planning program will enroll in track 1 with an emphasis on urban analysis and design. Students in the Architecture History program can enroll in track 2 with an emphasis on urban design history, theory, and analysis.

[Note: Students might be able to opt in or out of their track. This however is understood as an exception and needs approval from the Urban Design Certificate Program Director.]

URBAN DESIGN CERTIFICATE: TRACK 1

Students in Track 1 are required to take two urban design core seminars (3 credits each), one urban design research studio (6 credits), and one urban design elective course (3 credits) for the total of 15 credits. There are several classes that fulfill the UDC core seminars and students can choose among these classes (Go to the section below "Urban Design Courses" to view a list of UDC core seminars). One core course should cover urban design history and theory to provide a foundation in the historic, geographic, and cultural diversity of cities worldwide based on a comparative study of exemplary projects. The second core course should concentrate on urban design methods and provide the analytical methods and design strategies required for analyzing urban processes and intervening in urban environments. The urban design research studio is offered in the ARCH/LAR 8010/8020 sequence. Studios are addressing urban problematics through a variety of scales ranging from the neighborhood to the city and larger surrounding regions.

Electives will complement core courses by presenting advanced theoretical positions and practical skills in contemporary urban design. Courses will teach students to: carry out digital and analog analyses of urban areas at multiple scales; create a strategic development plan; analyze how ecological, economic, and policy issues affect the making of urban design plans; and understand how to work with stakeholder groups to build consensus and resilience.

UDC electives can be chosen from the classes listed on this webpage (Go to the section below "Urban Design Courses" to view a list of UDC electives). Required classes in the major degree program cannot count as UDC electives.

URBAN DESIGN CERTIFICATE: TRACK 2

Students in Track 2 are required to take two urban design core seminars (3 credits each), one urban design analysis class (3 credits), and two urban design elective courses (3 credits each) for the total of 15 credits. There are several classes that fulfill the UDC core seminars and students can choose among these classes. (Go to the section below "Urban Design Courses" to view a list of UDC core seminars). One core course should cover urban design history and theory to provide a foundation in the historic, geographic, and cultural diversity of cities worldwide based on a comparative study of exemplary projects. The second core course should concentrate on urban design methods and provide the analytical methods and design strategies required for analyzing urban processes and intervening in urban environments. The urban analysis seminar will introduce students to GIS software technology, mapping techniques, and the ESRI analytical toolbox. Students can choose among multiple urban analysis classes and should contact the program director to discuss this prior to enrollment.

Electives will complement the core courses by presenting advanced theoretical positions and practical skills in contemporary urban design. Courses will teach students to: carry out digital and analog analyses of urban areas at multiple scales; create a strategic development plan; analyze how ecological, economic, and policy issues affect the making of urban design plans; and understand how to work with stakeholder groups to build consensus and resilience.

UDC electives can be chosen from the classes listed on this webpage. (Go to the section below "Urban Design Courses" to view a list of UDC electives). Required classes in the major degree program cannot count as UDC electives.

Specific course numbers and course requirements are posted through UVA's Graduate Record.

Students should review course requirements and seek advice for course planning by meeting with the Urban Design Certificate Program Director.

The following list of course descriptions present the range of course offerings at UVA School of Architecture related to urban design. Not every course will be offered every semester.

Consult with the Urban Design Certificate Program Director to learn more about current and future course offerings that apply to the Urban Design graduate certificate.

UDC CORE SEMINARS:                                                                                                                 

ARCH 5500 - Technology, Urbanization & Design (3 credits)

[Note: Students who can’t take ARCH 5612 can count PLAN 5500 as a replacement class. Approval by the UDC Director is required.]

This course is premised on two major shifts within the discussion of urbanization and technological development. On one hand, our understandings of urbanization processes and urban forms need to move beyond cities as concentrated sites of urban thought. This expansion of scope allows for the analytic inclusion of the extended productive, infrastructural and extractive landscapes. On the other hand, looking at technologies matter-of-factly is increasingly not sufficient. We also need to investigate the ideologies and biases embedded within technological development that tend to reflect and perpetuate some of the larger sociopolitical inequalities and systemic and structural preconceptions at work in urban environments. Something that becomes more critical as tech companies begin to exert their power and resources within cities and urban environments globally.

ARCH 5612 -  Modes of Inscription: Architecture, Landscape, Urbanism (3 credits)

Topical in structure, this lecture course presents a contemporary examination of the role of the designer within the built environment, beyond disciplinary silos inherited from the twentieth century that defined the practices of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning as autonomous disciplines with limited transversal dialogue.  Key to this argument is the claim that a renewed understanding of the notion of urban design as a bridge practice that can help facilitate a more unified disciplinary body.

ARCH/PLAN 5614 – Urban Strategies (3 credits)

Worldwide urbanization processes will increase in the next years reaching an urbanization rate of 75% by the middle of the century. Shrinkage, stagnation and rapid growth are simultaneous phenomena affecting contemporary cities. Urban sustainability is therefore highly dependent on our ability to generate and implement strategic frameworks for the city that accommodate these transformations. Discussions, lectures, and readings in combination with an urban design group project will introduce students to contemporary urban design methodologies, including temporary tactics and the elaboration of urban scenarios, that lead to the development of comprehensive urban design frameworks and strategies.

LAR 7500 - Water and the City (3 credits) 

This seminar examines urban relationships between water infrastructure, rivers, and coasts in the Americas over the last one thousand years. Issues related to climate change, landscape infrastructure, urban form, public space design, and human and ecosystem health are presented and analyzed. Themes such as wilderness, frontiers, and mobility are developed as we investigate cases drawing from academic texts, source documents, and popular culture.

PLAN 5611 - Barcelona Urban History (3 credits) 

[Note: Students who join the Barcelona Study abroad semester can count PLAN 5611 as a replacement for ARCH 5612. Approval by the UDC Director is required.]

The students will understand the history of Barcelona from its Roman foundation to the extension of its medieval walls. The development of its urban structural grid, example of Cerdà, as well as its current state of remodeling for the Olympic games, and the ongoing urban transformations will all be studied in this class. This course will consist of lectures, field trips & practical exercises; specifically, we will develop a graphic interpretation.

UD 8612 - Urban Design History and Theory (3 credits) 

This course introduces students to the underlying histories and theoretical dimensions of urban design as a creative spatial practice. By exploring a wide range of urban interventions at multiple scales, the course contextualizes contemporary design practice within the social, environmental, and political forces acting on the urban environment.

UDC RESEARCH STUDIOS:

UD Research Studios are offered regularly in the Architecture and Landscape Architecture curriculum.  Each year students in these studios work across disciplines. The studio topics are ranging, but urban-focused studios are guaranteed as a commitment by the department chairs and the dean.

The following list features a sample of urban design studios that have been taught in last few years.

ALAR 8010 - Yamuna River Project, India (6 credits)

The University of Virginia’s Yamuna River Project is an inter-disciplinary research program whose objective is to revitalize the ecology of the Yamuna River in New Delhi, thus reconnecting India’s capital city back to the water. Students employ techniques of urban design and landscape remediation for the recovery of the Yamuna and its tributaries.

ALAR 8010 - Urban Design Barcelona (6 credits, Barcelona Program only)

Students design a new relationship between the eastern port area and the city of Barcelona. Working in a complex urban area, students acquire urban, architectural and landscape strategies. Their work incorporates urban relations, public spaces and infrastructure.

ALAR 8010 - The Architecture and Landscape of Infrastructural Urbanism (6 credits)

This studio encourages the rethinking of the processes, structures, and forms of cities, urban landscapes, and architecture in the 21st century. The studio participates in the Schindler Global Award Competition, which is one of the most important ideas competitions that runs every two years. The context for the 2018-19 competition was Mumbai, India, one of the more rapidly developing cities in the world.

ALAR 8010 – Fallow Cities: The Ruhr and the Rust Belt (6 credits)

This studio investigates precedents of urban regeneration in industrial regions to gather fodder for design propositions at multiple scales of urban, landscape and architectural design. Students delve deep into pre-settlement, growth and decline cycles of select cities to imagine the next successional phase of urban form. As opposed to overzealous redevelopment schemes, the premise of this studio is zero or little growth, propositions focused on restructuring the city for existing or displaced residents. Lessons learned in the Ruhr District in Germany are translated for application to North American Rust Belt cities.

UDC ELECTIVES: 

Electives are grouped in areas of expertise; Urban Design spatial analysis and transportation systems, history and theory, systems and ecology, as well as economy, policy and community engagement. Students are not allowed to count a required class in their degree program towards a required elective in the Urban Design Certificate. The following course descriptions are examples of urban electives at the UVA School of Architecture. 
 

Urban Design Spatial Analysis and Transportation Systems 

ARCH/PLAN 5613 - Networked Cities: Techniques and Theories (3 credits)

This seminar investigates the Northeast Corridor, specifically the region around Washington, DC. Current and recent theories of large urban agglomerations are discussed and critically examined. Students gain analytical techniques developed through maps, infographics, and are introduced to ArcGIS applications.

ARCH 5717 - Mapping as Critical Practice (3 credits)

This course introduces contemporary cartographic and data visualization techniques as design tools for the strategic development of critical, theoretical, and experimental frameworks for architecture, urbanism, and intermedia design practices.

LAR 7415 - Scripting Civic Engagement: Web Technologies (3 credits)

This course introduces various technologies, primarily web-based, that enable designers to promote civic engagement through the analysis and activation of public space. Course format is interactive and interdisciplinary, combining hands-on tutorials (Mapbox, HTML, CSS, dataviz, social media APIs.) with contemporary case studies in placemaking, activism, and civic tech. No prior coding knowledge required.

LAR 7750 - Gaming Landscape Representation: Imaging the Green New Deal (3 credits)

How we image the world directly informs how we see and act in the world. As we face the social and environmental crises of climate change, imaging of the future must be bold and compelling. Within the framework of the Green New Deal and its urgent context, a newly accessible, uniquely versatile, and culturally significant tool will be employed: the Unity game engine. Real-time environments and mixed reality (AR/VR) projects will be produced.

PLAC 5721 - Transportation and Design (3 credits)

This urban-design-oriented class explores the impact of transportation choice on community character. Students learn the skills for place-making and multi-modal transportation planning by: Understanding “Neighborhood” as a physical entity; Rethinking “Corridor” as a critical element of public space; and Learning the rudiments of transport planning.

PLAN 6120 - Digital Technology for Planning and Design II - GIS (3 credits)

Required second semester technology class introducing students to the fundamental applications of geographic information systems central to planning analysis and practice.

SARC 5400 - Data Visualization (3 credits)

This is a course about information and data visualization. We live in a world rich with information. This course teaches visual and spatial thinking coupled with data analysis tools and custom web-enabled programming to construct and envision information. To find and even invent approaches toward seeing into complex problems, we will study, and make, useful, compelling and beautiful tools to see.

SARC 6720 - Design Computation GIS (3 credits)

Geographic Information System (GIS) is a data management, a mapping, and a visualization tool as well as a spatial analysis engine. This course focuses on how urban and environmental planners, and others in the social sciences, can use GIS to address current planning problems. Students work with GPS, Remote Sensing, 3-D analysis and web GIS.

Urban Design History/Theory

ARAH/ARH 9540 - Space & the Politics of Everyday Life (3 credits)

This seminar aims to re-situate the recent interest in avant-garde architectural practices of the 1960s in relation to the contemporaneous history and spatial politics of decolonialization, revolutionary movements, student uprisings, and urban theory. Henri Lefebvre’s formulations of everyday life and the right to the city will be a focus of investigation.

ARCH 5605 - Public Space – Design, History and Construction (3 credits)

Students explore how to use materials to resolve urban design and landscape issues. Using the different urban textures of Barcelona as a laboratory, students confront urban design and landscape techniques with the challenges of climate change, energy and water supply, and urban transportation.

LAR 5210 - Topics in Contemporary Landscape: Public Space (3 credits)

This seminar explores topics in landscape architecture theory through direct readings, discussions & research papers.  Topics vary from year to year -- eg public space, representing temporality & process, changing conceptions of nature & ecology (from sustainability to emergence), gender & design, the works of a specific designer or region.

PLAN 6011 - Race and the American City (3 credits)

A seminar exploring how racialized inequalities have shaped American cities North & South, past & present, and the influence of racialized urban structures on the idea & experience of race in America. Topics include the effects of segregation, redlining, urban planning, redevelopment, white flight, ghettoization & neoliberal development on the form & culture of American cities & structures of inequality in the US. Graduate level will have additional requirements.

PLAN/LAR 5452 - Healthy Cities (3 credits)

This course's objective is to understand the theoretical concepts and health models supporting the goal of healthy cities. Classwork will frame health and well being issues relative to sustainability. This course is interdisciplinary and designed for students from the schools of architecture, public health, nursing, sociology, and psychology.

PLAN 6040 - Quantitative Methods of Planning Analysis (3 credits)

This course applies quantitative skills to the planning process: analyzes decision situations and develops precise languages communicating the quantitative dimensions of planning problems. Includes lectures, case studies, and applied assignments addressing statistical methods, survey methods, census data analysis, program and plan evaluation, and emerging methods used by planners.

PLAN 6070 - Planning Theory and Practice (3 credits)

In this course students grapple with the dynamic tensions between planning and democracy, the various responses that have been proposed, and planning failures and successes. They explore the development of theories about how we ought to plan, why, and for whom. This course will have additional course requirements compared to PLAN 6070.

PLAN 7040 - Advanced Metropolis (3 credits)

This lecture course focuses on cities as centers of cultural, social, and artistic activity. It considers how we define cities, the forces that create and sustain them, and what makes them culturally distinctive. Istanbul, London, Paris, New York, and Shanghai are studied at their moments of cultural, political or architectural glory.
 

Urban Design Systems/Ecologies                                                                           

ARCH 5150 - Global Sustainability (3 credits)

Earth's ecosystems are unraveling at an unprecedented rate, threatening human wellbeing & posing substantial challenges to contemporary society. Designing sustainable practices, institutions, & technologies for a resource-constrained world is our greatest challenge. This integrated and interdisciplinary course prepares students to understand, innovate & lead the efforts necessary to engage in this task. Graduate course will have additional course requirements.

PLAC 5800 / LAR 5290 - Green Infrastructure: Cities (3 credits)

Green infrastructure includes water, habitats, parks, soils, and forests essential for healthy communities and building community resiliency. Working in teams, students conduct field work and determine community needs and opportunities for a city's urban forests, water, recreation and historic and cultural resources. Students then complete a strategic green infrastructure plan for a city. 

PLAC 5860 / LAR 5280 - Green Infrastructure: Sites (3 credits)

Cities have altered natural drainage patterns, vegetation, local climate and habitats. Cities can use natural elements such as plants, trees and wetlands combined with engineered structures as “constructed green infrastructure” to redesign degraded urban sites. Students will utilize “green infrastructure” to create conceptual designs for sites to absorb stormwater, clean the air, or provide food and recreation. 

PLAN 5500 - Climate Adaptation Planning (3 credits)

Adaptation refers to actions taken at the individual. Local, regional, and national levels to reduce the risks posed by a changing climate. This course contrasts the theory and academic research of climate adaptation planning with the state of practice in communities around Virginia. Anticipated impacts such as sea level rise, heat waves, and coastal storms will be explored as well as implications for natural ecosystems and urban infrastructures. Topic varies from semester to semester

PLAN 5500 - Informal Urbanism (3 credits)

The growth of the informal sector worldwide has led to a polarization between formal and informal practices. Although informal urban practices and its multifarious related activities contribute significantly to cities' development, it is often stigmatized as an urban mistake, and little is known about them. By exploring the informal city as a site for critical analysis, this course will investigate informal urban practices' economic, social, spatial, and environmental dimensions and their role in the creative production of cities, resilience, and spatial justice. Topic varies from semester to semester

PLAN 5840 - Ethics and Environment (3 credits)

Course materials cover a wide range of topics in environmental and urban ethics, including contrasting views of the market, the rights of animals and nature, and obligations to future generations. Besides extensive readings, students complete an ethics interview, an applied ethics analysis, and a personal ethical statement.

PLAN 6860 - Cities and Nature: Planning for Biophilic Cities (3 credits)

This class studies and discusses the positive effects and pathways by which nature can compliment and enhance urban lives. The concept of Biophilic Cities is reviewed by studying projects, which develop the tools, techniques, and policies of Biophilic Design.

Urban Design Policy/Economics/ Community Engagement               

PLAC 5250 - Applied Real Estate Studio (4 credits)

The course emulates the real estate development process in a specific geographic and socio-economic setting. In this studio, students will form small teams assigned to develop a project for a specific site. The students begin with site analysis, develop a proposed "product," conduct all the key financial analyses, and identify and develop the materials that would be necessary to move the project through public approval.

PLAC 5240 - Collaborative Planning for Sustainability (3 credits)

This course proposes that communities can only be sustained by informed participation of citizens actively engaged in self-governance. Public decisions are better when developed by processes that are inclusive, transparent, and inviting, and responsive to community needs.

PLAC 5720 - Transportation and Land Use (3 credits)

This course examines the relationships between transportation, land use, and urban form by developing a transportation-land use plan focused on a major transportation and development issue. The study of history, theory, and current case studies is contrasted by fieldwork, interviews, and remotely sensed data.

PLAN 5200 - Real Estate Develop Process (3 credits)

Foundational course for SARC real estate offerings. Covers fundamentals from basic real estate relationships, land acquisition decisions, "the cash cycle", legal aspects, public processes including entitlements, risk management, ethics, and preliminary feasibility analysis. The emphasis is on the creation of value in real estate (viewed holistically as financial profit informed by equity, sustainability, and design.

PLAN 5220 - Real Estate Finance Fundamentals (3 credits)

Finance is a critical element in determining whether a real estate development project goes forward and whether the project actually looks and performs in accordance with the original design and social/economic objectives. In this course, students will learn the fundamental analyses of real estate finance and develop an understanding of the ways finance impacts upon project completion and architectural and community outcomes.

PLAN 5600 - Land Use and Growth Management (3 credits)

Introduces the theory and practice of land use planning and growth management as they have evolved historically and as expressed in contemporary practice. Addresses the need and rationale for land use planning as well as its tools.

PLAN 5810 - Sustainable Community Design (3 credits)

What are the impacts that development practices have on our globe and its inhabitants? This course considers the history, theory, and practice of sustainability, one of the most powerful ethics-driven concepts ever to take hold in the marketplace, focusing on how the tensions of economy, ecology, and equity play out in sustainable design practice.

PLAN 6020 – Methods of Community Engagement and Research (3 credits)

This course explores the ethics and methods available for practitioners intending to work in/with communities. Traditional methods used in community partnerships are studied along with more recent strategies such as asset mapping, visual preference surveys, games, art-based visioning to build empathic skills.

PLAN 6050 - Law, Land and the Environment (3 credits)

This course examines major legal issues surrounding land use planning and environmental protection. Intended to introduce students to critical legal concepts (e.g., due process, precedent, standing) as well as the parameters set for planning by the US Constitution, key Constitutional amendments, and various statutes including main federal environmental laws. Where appropriate state level laws and cases are reviewed.

PLAN 6070 - Planning Theory and Practice (3 credits)

Planners are often caught between serving the “public interest” and powerful economic and political forces. In this course, students measure the dynamic tensions between planning and democracy by critically reviewing examples that succeeded or failed. Students debate how we ought to plan, why, and for whom.

Students enrolled in one of our graduate programs [M.ARCH, MLA, MUEP] who are interested in also receiving the Master of Urban Design [MUD] degree should first complete the Urban Design Certificate [UDC], a 15-credit curricular sequence. The UDC is taken while pursuing the M.ARCH, MLA or MUEP degree. By continuing for another year [30 credits], students can complete the MUD as a dual degree with our other graduate degrees.

The Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree at UVA is an approved field of study within the U.S. government’s official STEM fields list.  The program’s STEM-designation (and associated new CIP code: 30.3301) allows our international MUD graduates to apply for the optional practical training (OPT) extension program for F-1 students with STEM degrees. 

The STEM OPT Extension program affords eligible international students holding F-1 visas, upon completion of a STEM-designated degree, the opportunity to extend their stay in the United States by 24 months (allowing for a maximum of 36 months total) to obtain advanced training in their field – enhancing our students’ overall educational experience and helping to bridge their experience between academia and practice.

Learn more about the MUD STEM-designation.

Specific course requirements for all graduate certificates can be found in the UVA Graduate Record.

Specific course requirements for all minors can be found in the UVA Undergraduate Record.

All School of Architecture student employees and hiring managers should familiarize themselves with the Student Assistantships Policy and Procedures document: 

THE FULL SARC POLICY + PROCEDURES DOCUMENT FOR VIEW + DOWNLOAD

The School of Architecture aligns its hiring practices with the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program. FWS establishes job categories based on scope of work, skill sets, expertise, knowledge, experience, and specialization. The job categories are assigned a pay range. Hiring managers determine the job category and establish an hourly rate within the associated FWS range for that category, in alignment with their budgets. 

FWS updates pay ranges on an annual basis. The School’s Student Assistantship Policy uses the current pay ranges established by FWS. These can be found in the FWS Employee Handbook (See Appendix for Job Categories and Hourly Pay Ranges). 

To maintain fair wages for student employment, it is important that Hiring managers (for SRAs and SSAs) or Department Chairs (for SIAs) match the job responsibilities and role with the hourly pay range assigned in the FWS handbook.

FWS Employee Handbook — View Appendix for Hourly Pay Ranges

Standard eligibility requirements apply to all student assistantship positions and are described below. Eligibility requirements that are unique to each position are shared as part of the “Call for Applications” announcement and position description.  

ELIGIBILITY FOR STUDENT ASSISTANTSHIP (SA) POSITIONS 

To be eligible for an SA position (for federal work-study or wage pay) at the A-School, a student must be an effective University of Virginia student and meets the following qualifications: 

• The student is enrolled full-time in a University of Virginia degree program; students in their last semester of enrollment prior to graduation who need fewer than 12 credits to graduate are eligible to work in a student wage capacity.
   
• The student is in Academic Good Standing (Graduate and Undergraduate descriptions found below).
   
• The student has not completed all the required credits towards their degree.* 
   
• The student is making satisfactory progress toward completing all their degree requirements in a timely manner; this includes approved extensions. 
   
• In cases where an admitted graduate student has been guaranteed an SIA, SRA, or SSA position for their first semester of enrollment, the criteria listed above would go into effect for the start of the student’s second semester of enrollment. 
   
• Eligibility requirements that are unique to each position are shared as part of the “Call for Applications” announcement and position description. 

*Please consult the Wage Authorization for information regarding circumstances under which spring graduates may continue to work through the summer after their graduation.

ACADEMIC GOOD STANDING 

Undergraduate Students 
Undergraduate students in the School of Architecture must meet the following criteria to remain in academic good standing: 

• Complete at least 12 credits of coursework. 
• Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. 
• Source: Undergraduate Record 

Graduate Students 
Graduate students in the School of Architecture must meet the following criteria to remain in academic good standing:

• Complete at least 12 credits of coursework. 
• Maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. 
• Source: Graduate Record
   

APPEALS PROCESS 

An appeals process can be implemented to allow for the consideration of a student case where extenuating circumstances have introduced challenges for a student to maintain academic good standing. In such cases, a review panel, comprised of the Associate Dean of Academics, Director of Advising, and the Hiring Manager, will convene to deliberate on the merits of the appeal. They will carefully consider the extenuating circumstances which may have introduced difficulties and interfered with maintaining academic good standing of a student applying to a position. This process will be highly confidential and expedited to not interfere with the typical application cycle and adversely affect a student’s candidacy for said positions. 

A student seeking to appeal must contact the Associate Dean of Academics or the Director of Advising to initiate the process.

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENT ASSISTANTS

All students hired to fulfill responsibilities as part of a Student Assistantships (SAs) are expected to carry out these responsibilities in accordance with the position description and through direct communication with the faculty or staff hiring manager. SAs are expected to: 

• Maintain a regular working schedule and time commitment based on communicated expectations of the position established with the hiring manager. 

• Communicate instances of scheduled adjustments (as needed) with the hiring manager with advanced notice, except for emergencies. 

• Maintain consistency and quality in the execution of job duties. 

• Enter and submit hours worked in Workday in a timely and honest manner. 

• Become familiar with Workday in order to accurately enter time and view pay slips (Netbadge required, see: https://hr.virginia.edu/workday-central/workday-training) 

• Maintain regular and open communication with the hiring manager, sharing concerns about workload, scheduling, inability to carry out responsibilities, request for feedback, etc. in order to assist in resolving work-related issues.*

*For work-related issues that are not resolvable through open communication with the hiring manager, or in circumstances where direct communication is not viable or effective, student employees are asked to communicate their concerns directly with the Office of the Dean: 

• SIAs: Associate Dean of Academics 

• SRAs: Associate Dean of Finance 

• SSAs: Chief of Staff

EXPECTATIONS OF HIRING MANAGERS

All hiring managers (faculty or staff) are expected to carry out manager responsibilities in accordance with the position description and through direct communication with hired student assistants. Hiring managers are expected to: 

• Be familiar with, and abide by, University policies which govern student employment. Specifically, hiring managers should review the Wage Authorization at least annually at the beginning of each academic year. 

• Use the FWS Job Categories and Pay Ranges to establish hourly rates based on job responsibilities, scope of work, required skills and experience. (See Job Profiles — Categories + Pay Ranges Section above with link to FWS Employer Handbook) 

• Utilize best practices when reviewing and interviewing student candidates for a position.

• Ensure that student workers do not begin work before their assignments have been entered and approved in Workday. This is coordinated centrally at the School of Architecture by Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant. (See Hiring Process Section below for more details). Hiring managers will receive a Workday notification when the student worker’s assignment is complete and when they may begin entering their time in Workday. 

• Allocate and set weekly workload for student workers depending on course/project/ assignment requirements; total hours worked per week for students should be between 5-10 hours/week and should not exceed 20 hours/week (during the typical semester). The 20 hours/week limit includes ALL positions held by a student worker (many students hold more than one position at a time). Summer and J-Term maximum hours may exceed 20 hours/week with stipulations. Please review the Wage Authorization for full details. 

• Monitor and approve student worker timecards in Workday regularly. (Netbadge required: see Manager Workday Training webpage for training resources for managers). 

• Know where to access Workday training resources for employee time entries, corrections, etc. and share the same with student workers (Netbadge required: see Employee Workday Training webpage). 

• Address discrepancies with student worker’s time entries (when not aligned with allocated/scheduled weekly hours). 

• Communicate in a timely manner with Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant, when a student position is complete and should be closed in Workday. This process will be completed by Kathy Woodson who sends reminder emails to all hiring managers to review their Workday Team on a consistent end-of-the-semester basis. 

• Establish open methods of communication* that allow for effective and regular feedback from student workers. 

*For work-related issues that are not resolvable through open communication with the hired student, or in circumstances where direct communication is not viable or effective, hiring managers are asked to communicate their concerns directly with the Office of the Dean: 

• SIAs: Associate Dean of Academics 

• SRAs: Associate Dean of Finance 

• SSAs: Chief of Staff

Hiring managers (faculty or staff) are asked to carry out hiring processes that are focused on consistency and equity across the School. While advertising a position is not required, it is strongly recommended to identify the best candidate for the position from the widest applicant pool. 
 

TO HIRE A STUDENT INSTRUCTOR ASSISTANT (SIA) 

• Faculty who are seeking a SIA for their course, should contact their Department Chair and Department Administrator for coordination. SIAs are designated by Department Chairs in coordination with Program Directors and the Finance Office based on course enrollments, course needs, and Department budgets. SIA allotments are limited and not every course will be assigned an SIA. 
   
• For courses designated as School-wide (SARC), instructors should contact the Associate Dean of Academics to determine if the course may be eligible for an SIA.
   
• Department “Calls for SIAs” will be posted on the School of Architecture’s Student Assistantship webpage with detailed instructions for application, along with any course-specific eligibility requirements, preferred or required skills/experience, and required application materials. 
   
• Department Administrators will assist faculty hiring managers during this process by collating application materials and distributing these materials for review. The review of all applicants and final decisions will be made by the hiring manager in consultation with Department Chairs and/or Program Directors. All selections for SIA hires must be communicated to Department Administrators who will work with Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant, to complete the hire process in Workday. 
   
• Hiring managers will need to ensure that the student hire is academically eligible (See Eligibility Section above) in consultation with the Registrar, Sharon McDonald; Hiring managers will also need to determine if the student hire is accepting the position for Federal Work Study (FWS) or wage pay. 
   
• An email to all applicants (for a cycle) will be issued by Department Administrators when SIA positions have been filled to ensure that applicants who did not receive an SIA position are informed of the results of their application. 
   

TO HIRE A STUDENT RESEARCH or STAFF ASSISTANT (SRA or SSA) 

There are two approaches to hiring an SRA or SSA: 

1) with an online/email posting of the opportunity for students to apply to, or 

2) without posting and directly hiring a student who the hiring manager has already identified for the opportunity. 

While advertising a position is not required, it is strongly recommended to identify the best candidate for the position from the widest applicant pool. 

Hiring managers who would like to post their position, should begin at STEP 1 below. 

Hiring managers who do need to post their position, should begin at STEP 4 below. 

STEP 1. Developing the Call for SRAs or SSAs 

• The Hiring manager submits a completed online SRA/SSA Position Form for Posting (See Hiring Forms Section below) that includes details about the job and is used to post the position. 
   
• SRAs and SSAs are posted on a weekly basis (See Timelines Section below). 

STEP 2. Announcing and Advertising SRA or SSA Positions 

• The Communications Office will issue a weekly email to all A-School students, faculty and staff with new opportunities and instructions for application. 
   
• They will also be posted on the School of Architecture website. 

STEP 3. Applying to SRA or SSA Positions / Reviewing + Interviewing 

• If posted, a position must be open for a minimum of one week, prior to review and appointment to allow time for applicants to submit materials. 
   
• Following the application’s priority deadline, the hiring manager is to review all applicants, interview said applicants and determine the appointment of the hire based on the merits of the applicant’s qualifications. 
   
• After reviewing applications, the hiring manager is responsible for communicating their choice with the selected student applicant and engaging in discussion about accepting the position. 
   
• Once both the hiring manager and the selected student agree to the hire, the hiring manager should subsequently communicate to all applicants that the position has been appointed/closed to ensure that they are aware that the review process has concluded. 

STEP 4. Completing the Hiring Process 

• Hiring managers will need to ensure that the student hire is academically eligible (See Eligibility Section above), in consultation with the Registrar, Sharon McDonald; Hiring managers will also need to determine if the student hire is accepting the position for Federal Work Study (FWS) or wage pay. 
   
• Hiring managers are responsible for filling out the Student Work Hire Form (see Hiring Forms Section below) to complete the hiring in Workday. This form is submitted to Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant, by the hiring manager (not the student hire). This form must be submitted at least four business days prior to the position start date.
   

REACHING AN APPLICANT POOL BEYOND THE A-SCHOOL 

For hiring managers who are seeking an applicant pool of students beyond the ASchool, contact Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant, who will assist in posting the position through Handshake/Workday.
 

There are two categories of forms to complete for Student Assistantships:

1. SRA / SSA POSITION FORM FOR POSTING

This form is used by hiring managers who want to post their position for applicants from the School of Architecture. For hiring managers who are seeking a broader pool of applicants beyond the School of Architecture, please read through instructions provided in the Hiring Process Section above. 

The form requests information to describe the job position for advertisement. The hiring manager should complete the form below to be included in the weekly email distributed by the Communications Office to all A-School students, faculty and staff.

SRA / SSA POSITION FORM FOR POSTING - TO BE COMPLETED BY HIRING MANAGER

See Application Timelines Section below for details on when your position will be posted.

2. STUDENT WORK HIRE FORM

Once a hiring manager is ready to make a student hire, they should use the following online form necessary for completing the hiring process. The same form can be used for both Federal Work Study and Wage Hire students. 
 

STUDENT WORK HIRE FORM

Note—For SRA and SSA Positions:
The completed online "Student Work Hire Form" (see link above) should be filled out by the Hiring Manager to be received by Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant. Kathy will assist student hires and managers in completing the hiring process in UVA's Workday system. The completion of the hire form should occur at least four business days prior to the position start date.

Note—For SIA Positions:
Hiring managers should not fill out this form for SIAs. For SIA Positions (paid through department funds), hiring managers should communicate their hiring appointments to their Department Administrators, who will coordinate with Kathy Woodson, Special Assistant, to complete the hiring process in UVA's WorkDay system for SIA positions.

The following timelines are provided for coordination across the School:

SIA TIMELINE  

Departments will typically initiate a “Call for Applications” for SIAs in the spring semester or early summer for the next academic year. In some cases, the Call for spring semester SIAs will be posted in the previous fall semester. 

SRA / SSA TIMELINE  

To provide students with streamlined communication for SRA and SSA opportunities throughout the year, an email, and updates to this website will be shared advertising any new opportunities on a weekly basis  — the weekly email is distributed by the Communications Office. Posting of new SRA and SSA positions will follow this timeline:

• Hiring Managers fill out the SRA/SSA Position Form for Posting (See Hiring Forms Section above) by Thursdays, 9am
   
• Email issued on Fridays, 9am
   
• Emails will not be issued over holidays
   
• All SRA and SSA positions will be advertised for a minimum of one week to allow for the receipt of applications. Hiring managers can not appoint a student to a position prior to the application deadline and review of all applications. If necessary, applications will be accepted following the deadline, until the position is filled.

For students:

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is financial aid that is based on financial need and must be earned through student employment. FWS funds are not credited to the student account up front and so should not be factored into the budgeting process for semester payment plans or how much a student might need to pay out of pocket at the start of a term. Students can view their financial aid offer or accept their Federal Work Study (FWS) award by logging into their SIS account. In SIS, a student must “accept” their work-study award to be able to hold a FWS job. 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Student Financial Services (SFS) automatically considers work-study for eligible undergraduate students once their completed FAFSA, CSS Profile, and other requested documents are received. Annual offered amounts range from $1,000 - $4,000 for undergraduate students.

GRADUATE STUDENTS
Graduate students who demonstrate financial need may also be considered for Federal Work-Study eligibility (FWS) upon request. To be considered for FWS, choose this option on the FAFSA. Annual award amounts can be up to $5,000 for graduate students. Graduate students can have an FWS award added later in the semester even if they did not indicate interest in FWS on their FAFSA when initially applying. To do so, or if verify your request, contact Student Financial Services (SFS) at sfs@virginia.edu.  

For hiring managers: 

The link below provides useful information for hiring managers who are employing a Federal Work Study (FWS) student.

GUIDELINES FOR MANAGERS OF FEDERAL WORK-STUDY EMPLOYEES

Distinct from the Student Assistantship positions described in the policy linked on this page (See Student Assistantships: Policy + Procedures for Appointment and Employment Section above), PhD students at the School of Architecture serve as Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and/or Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). Full details regarding these appointments are outlined in the PhD Student Handbook (Contact the PhD Program Director for more information).

PhD students are advised not to exceed their GTA/GRA requirement by holding an SA position. In exceptional cases when the scope and type of work aligns with the PhD student’s research and teaching foci, PhD students may apply for additional SIA/SRA/SSA positions. Refer to the approval process described in full in the PhD Student Handbook (contact the PhD Program Director for more information).

Generally, after the first three years and contingent on a successful prospectus defense, PhD candidates will have greater flexibility to pursue Student Assistantship opportunities following the typical approval process. 

The UVA Center for Teaching Excellence regularly hosts a Teaching Methods Workshop that is recommended for students accepting an Student Instructor Assistantship (SIA).

The CTE “Teaching as a Graduate Student (TAGS)” workshop is open to undergraduate, graduate and PhD SIAs and is broken into 2 parts – an online, on-demand, self-placed set of modules (3-4 hours) and an in-person or synchronous meeting (1-2 hours). Participation in one or both is highly recommended for new SIAs.

The TAGS workshop provides an overview of inclusive and learning-centered teaching and helps participants apply these ideas in contexts most applicable to instructor assistants. The material is designed primarily to those new to teaching. Topics include: Creating inclusive learning environments; Principles of learning-centered teaching; Supporting students’ success; Teaching the first day of class; Facilitating effective classroom discussions; Approaching feedback and grading effectively and efficiently.

Learn more about the TAGS Workshop