Urban and Regional Planning, M.U.R.P.

The goal of the Major is to train students to become planning practitioners capable of working in a variety of public, nonprofit, and private sector environments in a number of different fields. We prepare leaders in the field of urban and regional planning to meet community, national and global needs.

The Major recognizes the need for effective planners to possess diverse skills in the planning and management of human settlements. Accordingly, the MURP core coursework includes thematically-related courses in land use planning, research methods, quantitative analysis, planning theory and history, planning policy and politics, community and economic development, and geographic information systems (GIS). Students have the option of enrolling in electives that focus on housing & community development, land use planning, local economic development, GIS, coastal zone management, housing & community development, environmental and natural resources planning, natural hazards and resilience planning, and transportation planning. These areas of specialization build on the strengths of existing faculty in our sister-major in Public Administration, as well as with colleagues and facilities across the University. The Major is thus distinct in its flexibility. Graduates of the Major will be able to:

1. Engage in policy-related research relevant to urban and regional issues.
2. Assume positions of leadership in public, private and nonprofit organizations engaged in planning, land use, and public policy.
3.  Further public discourse on the problems confronting cities and regions.
4. Utilize communications and technical skills to become successful at all levels of the planning profession.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

• Two letters of recommendation (one from a faculty member if BS/BA, in last 5 years);
• A “letter of intent” explaining your background and interest in Urban and Regional Planning;
• Conditional admission status will be converted to regular status upon completion of three courses from the MURP core requirements with a GPA of 3.50 or above.

All applicants are required to write a statement describing their purpose and goals in the MURP statements.