OpenFieldUDC · Washington, District of Columbia, United States
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is the only public university in the nation's capital and the only urban land-grant historically Black university (HBCU) in the United States, established in 1851. Located in Washington, D.C., UDC is celebrated for urban sustainability and agriculture through CAUSES, the David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law) with its top-ranked clinical legal education, and biomedical engineering.
UDC encompasses six colleges and schools: the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Business and Public Administration. UDC operates the Muirkirk Research Farm and the Center for Urban Resilience.
Undergraduate admissions evaluate high school graduation credentials, transcripts, and GPA. Graduate admissions require an accredited bachelor's degree with a minimum 2.75–3.0 GPA, statement of purpose, two letters of recommendation, and English language proficiency (TOEFL 79+ or IELTS 6.0+).
Nationally recognized among the top five clinical law programs in the U.S., requiring every law student to complete over 700 hours of direct pro bono client representation across immigration, housing justice, and criminal defense clinics.
Doctoral research addressing smart city IoT sensor networks, intelligent traffic control algorithms, cybersecurity for municipal water utilities, and assistive medical robotics.
Housed at CAUSES, this program investigates rooftop aquaponics systems, urban food desert mitigation, urban forestry stormwater management, and sustainable micro-grid power distribution.
Specialized hydrological research program studying urban stormwater runoff in the Anacostia and Potomac rivers, green roof retention efficiency, lead pipe contamination remediation, and wastewater treatment.
Interdisciplinary engineering master's addressing assistive robotic exoskeletons, human motion biomechanics, biomedical imaging processing, and wearable medical sensors.
NAAB-accredited pre-professional architectural curriculum focusing on climate-resilient urban architecture, net-zero building envelopes, passive solar design, and community housing development in Washington, D.C.
Distinguished Professor & Director of PhD Program
College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES)
Dr. O'Hara conducts foundational research in ecological economics, urban food system resilience, localized water treatment technologies, and sustainable communi...
View researcher profile ↗Dean & Professor of Mechanical Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)
Dr. Shetty specializes in mechatronics, autonomous unmanned systems, automated manufacturing inspection, and intellectual property development in biomedical dev...
View researcher profile ↗Director & Professor of Water Resources
DC Water Resources Research Institute & CAUSES
Dr. Deksissa investigates urban water quality dynamics, hydrodynamic contaminant transport modeling in the Anacostia River, stormwater green infrastructure perf...
View researcher profile ↗OpenField is an independent research platform not officially affiliated with University of the District of Columbia. Information reflects public documentation reviewed on 2026-10-16. Students must verify application deadlines, fee structures, and prerequisite details directly with official university admissions departments before applying.
Updated 2026-10-16 · Editorial policy · Submit corrections