Urban planning education

Urban planning education is a practice of teaching and learning urban theory, studies, and professional practices. The interaction between public officials, professional planners and the public involves a continuous education on planning process. Community members often serve on a city planning commission, council or board. As a result, education outreach is effectively an ongoing cycle. Formal education is offered as an academic degree in urban, city, rural, and/or regional planning, and more often awarded as a master's degree specifically accredited by an urban planning association in addition to the university's university-wide primary accreditation, although some universities offer bachelor's degrees and doctoral degrees also accredited in the same fashion; although most (but not all) bachelor's degrees in urban planning do not have the secondary-layer of urban planning association accreditation required for most positions, relying solely on the university's primary accreditation as a legitimate institution of higher education. At some universities, urban studies, also known as pre-urban planning, is the paraprofessional version of urban and regional planning education, mostly taken as a bachelor's degree prior to taking up post-graduate education in urban planning or as a master's or graduate certificate program for public administration professionals to get an understanding of public policy implications created by urban planning decisions or techniques.

Since planning programs are usually small, they tend not to be housed in distinct "planning schools" but rather, as part of an architecture school, a design school, a geography department, or a public policy school since these are cognate fields. Generally speaking, planning programs in architecture schools focus primarily on physical planning and design, while those in policy schools tend to focus on policy and administration. For instance, in Finland there is no separate degree program for "urban planning", but rather is considered as a specialty within the Finnish schools of architecture, and which students opt for towards the end of their studies and when choosing a diploma thesis, but officially graduating with a degree in architecture; and even post-graduate studies and doctoral theses in urban and regional planning are within the purview of architecture education. ^[1]

Coursework

As urban planning is such a broad and interdisciplinary field, a typical planning degree program emphasizes breadth over depth, with core coursework that provides background for all areas of planning. Core courses typically include coursework in history, theory of urban planning, urban design, statistics, land use, planning law, zoning law, public policy and administration, urban economics, and planning practice. Many planning degree programs also allow a student to "concentrate" in a specific area of interest within planning, such as land use, environmental planning, housing, community development, economic development, historic preservation, international development, urban design, transportation planning, or geographic information systems (GIS). Some programs permit a student to concentrate in real estate, however, graduate real estate education has changed giving rise to specialized real estate programs.

Professional degrees

The most common planning degree is at a graduate level (per Planetizen's global program directory); ^[2] there is not one standard naming convention for the degree and each generally reflects the geographic focus of the specific program (e.g. regional, urban, city, and/or town planning). There are fewer bachelor's degree programs in urban planning. Research degrees are commonly only offered as part of a doctorate program. The United States has the highest concentration of programs in planning, followed by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. However, there are also a growing number of offerings in countries including South Africa, Brazil, and India. ^[2]

Bachelor's degree

An undergraduate academic degree is designed to train applicants in various aspects of designing, engineering, managing and resolving challenges related to urban human settlements. It is awarded for a course of study that lasts up to four years and contextual to modern challenges of urbanisation. It goes into the techniques and theories related to settlement design starting at the site planning level of a neighbourhood and moving up to the regional city planning context. Understanding relations between built forms and the citizens in cities and rural areas, and their implications on local environment, supporting utilities, transport networks, and physical infrastructure forms the core of the planning course. With an engineering orientation, the graduates emerging as urban planners are equipped with not only tools for rational comprehensive planning but also participatory and social development.

The degree may be awarded as a Bachelor of Arts in Geography with an emphasis in urban planning, Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning, or Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning, among others. The distinction reflects university policies, or some universities may have greater course offerings in urban planning, design, sociology, or a related degree.

Master's degree

The Master of Urban Planning (MUP) is a two-year academic/professional master's degree that qualifies graduates to work as urban planners. Some schools offer the degree as a Master of City Planning (MCP), Master of Community Planning, Master of Regional Planning (MRP), Master of Town Planning (MTP), Master of Planning (MPlan), Master of Environmental Planning (MEP) or in some combination of the aforementioned (e.g., Master of Urban and Regional Planning), depending on the program's specific focus. Some schools offer a Master of Arts or Master of Science in Planning. Regardless of the name, the degree remains generally the same.

A thesis, final project or capstone project is usually required to graduate. Additionally, an internship component is almost always mandatory due to the high value placed on work experience by prospective employers in the field.

Like most professional master's degree programs, the MUP is a terminal degree. However, some graduates choose to continue on to doctoral studies in urban planning or cognate fields. The Ph.D. is a research degree, as opposed to the professional MUP, and thus focuses on training planners to engage in scholarly activity directed towards providing greater insight into the discipline and underlying issues related to urban development.

Programs and accreditation

Canada

The primary body for accrediting educational institutions that offer urban planning programs in Canada is the Professional Standards Board for the Planning Profession in Canada (PSB). Established in 2012, the PSB is responsible for certification of urban planners across Canada and "administering accreditation reviews of university planning degree programs based on the accreditation program principles, policies and administrative arrangements". ^[3] The PSB accredits programs that offer undergraduate and masters level degrees.

Canadian institutions may apply to the PSB for accreditation for a period of five years, following a successful initial accreditation. ^[4] Programs are evaluated annually to ensure compliance with accreditation standards. For new programs, or after the five-year period has elapsed, an intensive review takes place that ensure programs meet criteria for accreditation. To be eligible for accreditation institutions must meet the following criteria:

1. The university offering the program must be recognized by a province in Canada
2. The degree must be in the field of planning as defined by the Canadian Institute of Planners: “the scientific, aesthetic and orderly disposition of land resources, facilities and services with a view to securing the physical, economic and social efficiency, health and well-being of urban and rural communities.”
3. Undergraduate degrees must be four years of full-time studies. Graduate degrees should require two years of full-time study.
4. The word “Planning” or the French equivalent must appear in the title of the degree or parenthetically to define the discipline.
5. The program offering the degree shall be a recognized administrative unit within the university, in the direct charge of an individual whose primary area of activity is planning and a department chair or similar.
6. The administrative unit must have appropriate administrative capacity and academic independence.
7. The faculty shall include at least four (4) academic members whose major appointments are in the planning program.
8. A program must have a minimum number of certified full-time members on faculty.
   1. For a program with 7 or fewer faculty, at least three must be certified members of a PTIA;
   2. For a program with 8 or more full-time, at least four must be certified members of a PTIA.
9. Faculty members shall have educational and professional backgrounds appropriate for the program level, with a relevant mix of credentials (i.e. degrees in planning, significant experience in planning, PhDs in planning, degrees and experience in related fields).
10. The course must provide sufficient coverage of the functional and enabling competencies to allow students to enter the planning profession with a broad base of understanding of the profession and with the ability to continue to develop, gain knowledge, and specialize. ^[4]

Graduation from a PSB accredited program allows a graduate to apply for certification as a planner, and for candidate membership in their Provincial or Territorial Association. Following a two-year period of supervised work experience, candidates then write their professional exams. Upon successful completion of the exams, work experience, and a mentorship program, candidates are granted full certification as Register Professional Planner by their Provincial or Territorial Association and the Canadian Institute of Planners. ^[5]

The PSB also recognizes degrees conferred by institutions accredited by the American Planning Accreditation Board in the United States, and the Planning Institute of Australia as eligible for the certification process. ^[6]

Accredited programs

School	City	Province/Territory	Undergraduate [7]	Since [8]	Graduate [7]	Since [8]	Accreditation Through [7]
Université de Montréal	Montréal	Quebec	Baccalauréat Spécialisé en Urbanisme	1984	Maîtrise en Urbanisme	1968	2016
University of British Columbia	Vancouver	British Columbia	Not Offered		Master of Arts in Planning, Master of Science in Planning, and Master of Community and Regional Planning	1952	MA and Msc: 2016 MCRP: 2021
University of Guelph	Guelph	Ontario	Not Offered		Master of Science in Rural Planning and Development	1983	2022
McGill University	Montreal	Quebec	Not Offered		Master of Urban Planning	1974	2021
Université du Québec à Montréal	Montreal	Quebec	Baccalauréat ès sciences spécialisé en urbanisme	1984	Not Offered		2016
Queen's University	Kingston	Ontario	Not Offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1973	2021
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)	Toronto	Ontario	Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning, Post Degree Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning, and Post Diploma Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning	1973	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	2009	2019
University of Saskatchewan	Saskatoon	Saskatchewan	Bachelor of Arts in Regional and Urban Planning	2009	Not Offered		2021
Simon Fraser University	Burnaby	British Columbia	Not Offered		Master of Resource Management (Planning)	2004	2021
University of Toronto	Toronto	Ontario	Not Offered		Master of Science in Planning	1963	2022
University of Waterloo	Waterloo	Ontario	Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Planning, Co-Op	1968	Master of Arts in Planning, Master of Environmental Studies in Planning, and Master of Planning (MPlan)	1968	2019
York University	Toronto	Ontario	Not Offered		Masters in Environmental Studies (Planning)	1970	2022
University of Northern British Columbia	Prince George	British Columbia	Bachelor of Planning	2005	Not Offered		2021
University of Manitoba	Winnipeg	Manitoba	Not Offered		Master of City Planning	1952	2020
Université Laval	Quebec City	Quebec	Not Offered		Maîtrise en aménagement du territoire et développement régional	1984	2016
Dalhousie University	Halifax	Nova Scotia	Bachelor of Community Design with majors in; Environmental Planning, Urban Design and Planning, and Sustainability	2003	Master of Planning	2003	2021
University of Calgary	Calgary	Alberta	Not Offered		Master of Planning	2011	2022
Vancouver Island University	Nanaimo	British Columbia	Not Offered		Master of Community Planning	2015	2020
University of Alberta	Edmonton	Alberta	Bachelor of Arts in Planning, and Bachelor of Science in Planning	2012	Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning	2018	BA: 2021 Msc: 2023

^{(** candidate for accreditation)}

India

Though planning is not a recognized profession under Indian law, the profession was started long back with School of Planning and Architecture in 1941 as a Department of Architecture of Delhi College of Engineering now the Delhi Technological University. It was later integrated with the School of Town and Country Planning which was established in 1955 by the Government of India to provide facilities for rural, urban and regional planning. On integration, the School was renamed as school of planning and architecture in 1959. Today it is one of the premier schools of pursuing planning studies at bachelor, masters and post doctorate levels. The Institute of Town Planners, India set up on the lines of the [Royal Town Planning Institute, London] is the body representing planning professionals in India. A small group formed itself into an Indian Board of Town Planners which after three years of continuous work formed the Institute of Town Planners, India. The Institute which was established in July 1951, Today, has a membership of over 2,800, apart from a sizable number of student members, many of whom have qualified Associateship Examination (AITP) conducted by ITPI. Institutes under ITPI offers a 4-year undergraduate degree in Planning.

Accredited programs

School	Location	Undergraduate	Graduate
The Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda	vadodara, Gujarat	not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning
School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi (SPA-D) (Autonomous institution established by Ministry of Human Resource Development (India))	New Delhi	Bachelor of Planning	Master of Planning
School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPA-V) (Autonomous institution established by Ministry of Human Resource Development (India))	Vijayawada, AP	Bachelor of Planning	Master of Planning
School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal (SPA-B) (Autonomous institution established by Ministry of Human Resource Development (India))	Bhopal, MP	Bachelor of Planning	Master of Planning
School of Planning, Bhaikaka Centre for Human Settlements, APIED	Vallabh Vidhyanagar, Anand, Gujarat	not offered	Master of Urban Planning
Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal	Bhopal, MP	Bachelor of Planning	Master of Urban Development & Planning
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat	Surat, Gujarat	not offered	Master of Technology in Urban Planning
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Kharagpur, WB	not offered	Master of City Planning (MCP)
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee	Roorkee, UK	not offered	Master of Urban & Rural Planning (MURP)
College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) (Autonomous Institution established by Maharashtra State Government ((India))	Shivaji Nagar, Pune, MH	B.Tech. (Planning)	Master of Technology in Town and Country Planning
Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology	Ahmadabad, GJ	Bachelor of Planning	Master of Planning
Guru Nanak Dev University	Amritsar, PB	Bachelor of Technology (Planning)	Master of Urban Planning
Anna University	Chennai, TN	not offered	Master of Planning
University of Mysore	Mysore, KN	not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning
Bengal Engineering and Science University	Howrah, WB	not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning
Malaviya National Institute of Technology,	Jaipur (Rajasthan)	not offered	Master of Planning
College of Engineering,	Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)	not offered	M. Plan (Housing)
Birla Institute of Technology	Ranchi (MESRA), Jharkhand	not offered	Master of Urban Planning (Town Planning)
Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University	Hyderabad, AP	Bachelor of Planning	Master of Planning
University Of Allahabad	Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh		PG Diploma in town country Planning
Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology	Nagpur, Maharashtra	Not Offered	Master of Technology in Urban Planning

United Kingdom

Planning is a complex issue in UK law, therefore there are several regulatory bodies that exist. The bulk of degrees are accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute, often abbreviated to RTPI. Degrees accredited by this professional body are generally four years and are therefore master's degrees — the majority of these degrees are prefixed MPlan.

Some degrees, such as the University of Sheffield Planning School's "MPlan Urban Studies and Planning" are accredited by both the RTPI and RICS — the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors. ^[9]

United States

The Planning Accreditation Board is the sole accreditor of planning programs in the United States.^{[ citation needed ]} The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accredits graduate and undergraduate planning programs in the United States and Canada.

As of 1 January 2023 ^[update] , PAB accredits 16 undergraduate programs and 78 graduate programs at 82 North America Universities. ^[7] Graduation from a PAB accredited program allows a graduate to sit for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification Exam earlier in their career than a student with a degree from a non-accredited program or school.

Programs that desire accreditation through the PAB must apply for candidacy status. The program seeking candidacy must demonstrate that they meet the five preconditions to accreditation. ^[10] The five preconditions are: ^[11]

• Program graduation of at least 25 students in the degree.
• Program's parent institution must be accredited by an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
• Formal title of program and degree offered must include the term "Planning".
• Undergraduate programs must offer 4 full-time years of study or equivalent, while graduate programs must be 2 full-time years of study or equivalent.
• Program's primary goal is to educate students to become practicing planning professionals.

Once the preconditions have successfully been met by the program, the program must complete and submit a Self-Study Report. ^[12] Through the Self-Study Report, the program assesses their performance and compliance with PAB's accreditation standards. This report serves as the basis of review for the Planning Accreditation Board, along with a formal meeting with the Program Administrator at the Board meeting. ^[10]

If candidacy is awarded, the Planning Accreditation Board will send a three-member team to visit and formally review the program during a semester. The three member team will meet with faculty, staff, students, and members of the local planning community. The team will then submit a Site Visit Report to the Planning Accreditation Board. During the meeting of the Planning Accreditation Board, the board will review the Self-Study Report, Site Visit Report and other documentation and meet with the Program Administrator. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Board decides if the program is awarded accreditation and the length of accreditation. ^[10]

Accreditation length is dependent on the extent the program complies with requirements of the Planning Accreditation Board, with the maximum length awarded is 7 years. ^[13] Programs must re-apply for accreditation in the year their accreditation term expires.

PAB Accredited Programs

School	City	State	Undergraduate [7]	Graduate [7]	Accreditation Through [7]
Alabama A&M University	Normal	AL	Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2023
Arizona State University	Tempe	AZ	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Environmental Planning	December 31, 2023
University of Arizona	Tucson	AZ	accredited programnot offered	Master of Science in Urban Planning	December 31, 2029
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo	CA	Bachelor of Science in City & Regional Planning	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona	CA	Bachelor of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
San Diego State University	San Diego	CA	accredited program not offered	Master of City Planning	December 31, 2026
San Jose State University	San Jose	CA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2025
University of California, Berkeley	Berkeley	CA	accredited program not offered	Master of City Planning	December 31, 2023
University of California, Irvine	Irvine	CA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles	CA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Southern California	Los Angeles	CA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2028
University of Colorado, Denver	Denver	CO	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2023
Florida Atlantic University	Boca Raton	FL	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
Florida State University	Tallahassee	FL	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Planning	December 31, 2024
University of Central Florida	Orlando	FL	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
University of Florida	Gainesville	FL	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of South Florida	Tampa	FL	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
Georgia Institute of Technology	Atlanta	GA	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Georgia	Athens	GA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning & Design	December 31, 2026
University of Hawaii	Honolulu	HI	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign	Champaign	IL	Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies & Planning	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Illinois Chicago	Chicago	IL	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning & Policy	December 31, 2026
Ball State University	Muncie	IN	Bachelor of Urban Planning & Development	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
Iowa State University	Ames	IA	Bachelor of Science in Community & Regional Planning	Master of Community & Regional Planning	December 31, 2024
University of Iowa	Iowa City	IA	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
Kansas State University	Manhattan	KS	accredited program not offered	Master of Regional & Community Planning	December 31, 2027
University of Kansas	Lawrence	KS	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2024
University of Louisville	Louisville	KY	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2023
University of New Orleans	New Orleans	LA	Bachelor of Science in Planning & Urban Studies	Master of Urban & Regional Planning Additional Certificates in GIS, Historic Preservation, and Hazard Mitigation & Resilience are available to add to the base degree	December 31, 2025
Morgan State University	Baltimore	MD	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
University of Maryland at College Park	College Park	MD	accredited program not offered	Master of Community Planning	December 31, 2027
Harvard University	Cambridge	MA	accredited program not offered	Master in Urban Planning	December 31, 2026
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge	MA	accredited program not offered	Master in City Planning	December 31, 2025
Tufts University	Medford	MA	accredited program not offered	Master of Arts/Science in Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning	December 31, 2025
University of Massachusetts Amherst	Amherst	MA	accredited program not offered	Master of Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Massachusetts Boston	Boston	MA	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban & Community Development	December 31, 2028
Michigan State University	East Lansing	MI	Bachelor of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	Master in Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor	MI	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
Wayne State University	Detroit	MI	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Minnesota	Minneapolis	MN	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
Jackson State University	Jackson	MS	accredited program not offered	Master of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
University of Missouri-Kansas City	Kansas City	MO	Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning & Design	accredited program not offered	December 31, 2024
University of Nebraska-Lincoln	Lincoln	NE	accredited program not offered	Master of Community & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	New Brunswick	NJ	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
University of New Mexico	Albuquerque	NM	accredited program not offered	Master of Community & Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
Columbia University	New York	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban Planning	December 31, 2028
Cornell University	Ithaca	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
Hunter College, City University of New York	New York	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2024
New York University	New York	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2026
Pratt Institute	Brooklyn	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban & Community Planning	December 31, 2025
University at Albany, State University of New York	Albany	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Regional Planning in Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
University at Buffalo, State University of New York	Buffalo	NY	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2028
East Carolina University	Greenville	NC	Bachelor of Science in Community & Regional Planning	accredited program not offered	December 31, 2026
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill	NC	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
Cleveland State University	Cleveland	OH	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning & Development	December 31, 2028
The Ohio State University	Columbus	OH	Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
University of Cincinnati	Cincinnati	OH	Bachelor of Urban Planning	Master of Community Planning	December 31, 2028
University of Oklahoma	Norman	OK	accredited program not offered	Master of Regional & City Planning	December 31, 2029
Portland State University	Portland	OR	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
University of Oregon	Eugene	OR	accredited program not offered	Master of Community & Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Indiana	PA	Bachelor of Science in Regional Planning	accredited program not offered	December 31, 2023
Temple University	Philadelphia	PA	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	PA	accredited program not offered	Master of City Planning	December 31, 2026
West Chester University	West Chester	PA	Bachelor of Science in Urban and Environmental Planning	accredited program not offered	December 31, 2027
Clemson University	Clemson	SC	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2023
University of Memphis	Memphis	TN	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
Texas A&M University	College Station	TX	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2028
Texas Southern University	Houston	TX	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning & Environmental Policy	December 31, 2026
The University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington	TX	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Regional Planning	December 31, 2025
The University of Texas at Austin	Austin	TX	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Community & Regional Planning	December 31, 2024
The University of Texas at San Antonio	San Antonio	TX	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	Candidacy Status through December 31, 2024
University of Utah	Salt Lake City	UT	accredited program not offered	Master of City & Metropolitan Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Virginia	Charlottesville	VA	Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning	Master of Urban & Environmental Planning	December 31, 2025
Virginia Commonwealth University	Richmond	VA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2028
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University	Blacksburg/Arlington	VA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
Eastern Washington University	Cheney/Spokane	WA	Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2026
University of Washington	Seattle	WA	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2029
Western Washington University	Bellingham	WA	Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning & Sustainable Development	accredited program not offered	December 31, 2025
University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison	WI	accredited program not offered	Master of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	December 31, 2027
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee	Milwaukee	WI	accredited program not offered	Master of Urban Planning	December 31, 2025
Universidad de Puerto Rico	San Juan	Puerto Rico	accredited program not offered	Master in Planning	December 31, 2024

Rankings

United States

While there is no official ranking of the graduate programs for planning, planning-community site Planetizen publishes a periodical guide titled "Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs." ^[14] The guide is compiled of data collection from participating planning schools, educators, and past buyers across the nation. Moreover, the guide includes the overall top 25 graduate programs, top 25 programs according to educators, rankings by geography, other additional rankings, and in-depth directory on each of the participating planning programs.

Planetizen Top 10 Graduate Urban Planning Programs Ranked, 7th edition (2023).

University (in alphabetical order)	2023 Rank [14]	2019 Rank [15]
University of California, Los Angeles	1	4
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	2	1
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey	3	3
University of California, Berkeley	4	2
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	5	5
Georgia Institute of Technology	6	10
Harvard University	7	6
University of Southern California	8	8
University of Texas at Austin	9	11
Tufts University	10	16

Youth education

Involving youth in urban planning requires an educational model and curriculum. ^[16] Historically, youth have not been given much political power in the usual top-down urban planning. In the past centuries there have been very minimal efforts to include youth in urban planning decision processes. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing effort to expose youth to urban planning as a profession. In doing so, youth are able to be involved and lead planning processes. Most efforts have emphasized the importance of including youth from marginalized neighborhoods. ^[16]

1960s and 1970s

One of the first attempts to involve children in urban planning in the United States was through an initiative, “Growing Up in Cities” created by urban designer Kevin Lynch via the United Nations. This program's mission was to expose urban planning to children and teenagers and give them the tools to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their own neighborhoods. ^[17] This program was not successful because it lacked city government support. However, it paved the way for another initiative, “Child Friendly Cities Initiative” in 1989. This program shared a similar agenda in letting children conceptualize an ideal city that meets their needs. ^[18]

Jane Jacobs, a prominent urban activist and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities was one of the first to analyze the needs of children in the built environment. ^[19] When thinking about participatory planning, there is debate on whether children and teenagers should participate in city planning decisions. Jacobs argues that sidewalks should not ignore the needs of children to play and be safe at the same time.

Since 2010

Since 2010, there have been many non-profit efforts to expose students to urban planning as a profession and field of study. For example, The Center for Understanding the Built Environment, otherwise known as, CUBE, brings together teachers and urban planners to create an accessible urban planning curriculum for children. The non-profit's innovative educational model promotes many learning results for students, including responsible action. ^[20]

Urban planning professors at the University of California, Berkeley also created an influential academic model named Y-PLAN, or, Youth–Plan, Learn, Act Now. This model engages UC Berkeley urban studies students with high school students from Richmond, California in efforts to transform their neighborhood and expose students to the urban planning process. ^[16]

See also

• Graduate real estate education
• Indigenous planning
• MBA

References

1. Pekka Korvenmaa (ed.), The Work of Architects: The Finnish Association of Architects 1892-1992, Finnish Building Centre, Helsinki, 1992. Minna Chudoba and Gareth Griffiths (ed.), Curious Pedagogy: Reflections on Urban Planning Education. Datutop, Tampere, 2023.
2. 1 2 "Urban Planning Schools Directory". www.planetizen.com. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
3. "About PSB - Professional Standards Board Planning Profession". Professional Standards Board. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
4. "University Accreditation". Professional Standards Board. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
5. "Candidate Process". Professional Standards Board. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
6. "Accredited Degree". Professional Standards Board. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
7. "Accredited Planning Programs". Planning Accreditation Board. 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
8. "History of Accredited Programs". Planning Accreditation Board. 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
9. "University of Sheffield MPlan Urban Studies and Planning". University of Sheffield. October 2021.
10. "Candidacy Information". Planning Accreditation Board. 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
11. Application for Candidacy Status
12. Self-Study Report Manual
13. The Accreditation Document, Pg. 38
14. "The Top Schools For Urban Planners". www.planetizen.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
15. "The Top Schools For Urban Planners - 2019". www.planetizen.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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External links

• Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
• Canadian Institute of Planners
• Royal Town Planning Institute
• Association of European Schools of Planning
• Planning Institute of Australia
• Planning Accreditation Board
• INTBAU guide to tertiary institutions
• Institute of Town Planners, India