Master of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism

With 70 percent of the global population projected to urbanize by 2050, the way we design, construct, and manage tall buildings has never been more critical. The Master of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism (M.TBVU)—the only degree of its kind—is a design-based, interdisciplinary program offered by Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture. It supports the research and discovery that is vital to the development of high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy, and sustainable high-rise buildings that will define the cities of tomorrow.

Illinois Tech is uniquely positioned to explore tall building design. Our program builds upon a decades-long legacy of experimentation in high-rise structures, which led directly to world-famous buildings such as the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower and 875 North Michigan (formerly the Hancock Center). The program is also part of our partnership with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the world’s leading authority on tall buildings.

The M.TBVU degree is a full-time, one-year program that can be taken as a 30-credit professional master’s program or a 32-credit master of science degree. 

The program welcomes applicants holding an accredited professional degree in architecture and urban design, but is also open to those with degrees in other fields (such as real estate development, law, business, communications, etc.). Applicants with a degree earned outside the United States must have the equivalent to a first professional degree and be eligible for licensure in their home country.

Click here to learn more about the M.TBVU program.

Contact info: Yohan Kim, Assistant Director, M.TBVU program