这个独特的联合学位课程在华盛顿大学具有悠久的传统，将物理设计的关注与社会福利和实践联系在一起。山姆福克斯学院的建筑与城市设计研究生院和布朗学院为已经获得建筑学本科学位的学生提供联合学位（尽管那些愿意攻读更长的学习课程的其他学位/专业的学生可以这样做）以及想要提高对身体环境在客户福利中的作用的认识的社会工作专业的学生。该计划的目的是教育和培养建筑师和城市设计师，以通过社会工作价值观的角度了解建筑环境和城市环境，并响应个人，家庭和社区的情感，社会和身体需求。联合学位为处于发展中的残疾人，老年人或经济上处于不利
This unique joint degree program, which has a long tradition at Washington University, links the concerns of physical design with social welfare and practice. The Sam Fox School's Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design and the Brown School offer joint degrees for students who already have an undergraduate degree in architecture (although those with other degrees/majors who are willing to pursue a longer program of study may do so), as well as social work students who want to increase their awareness of the role of physical environs in the welfare of their clientele. The intent of the program is to educate and prepare architects and urban designers to understand the built and urban environment through the lens of social work values, and to be responsive to the emotional, social, and physical needs of individuals, families, and communities. The joint degree opens career opportunities in community development and planning, housing rehabilitation, and residential design for populations at risk, such as people who are developmentally disabled, elderly, or economically disadvantaged. Students entering the MArch 2 program who also have been admitted to the MSW program will need 3.5 to 4 academic years of study split between the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design and the Brown School. Students admitted into the MUD/MSW program spend a minimum of two semesters in the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design completing the MUD requirements and four semesters in the Brown School completing the MSW requirements. For both the MArch/MSW and MUD/MSW joint degree programs, students may start their initial year in either school.