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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Urban Studies & Planning

Master of Urban Planning curriculum

Students in the Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) program must complete a minimum of 48 credits in the required and elective courses and must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.

View full degree requirements

Capstone requirements

7 to 12 credits: Each student must complete two capstone courses: a studio/workshop and a final paper, which may be either UP 7999: Master's Essay (three credits) or UP 8999: Masters Thesis (eight credits).

Students are strongly encouraged to choose the essay and to select a research question pertinent to their area of concentration.

Master's essay guidelines

The department has prepared guidelines to help students start and complete their master's essay. The master's essay provides evidence of the student's ability to independently produce, organize and complete a substantial piece of professional work for academic credit. As a professional product, the essay should demonstrate the capacity to address a real-world issue or problem relevant to planners.

Plan of work

Every student is required to complete a plan of work outlining his or her proposed course of study. Students work with their advisor, generally during their second semester of study, to select the appropriate classes for their area of concentration and capstone requirement. The plan of work may be amended. The advisor, the chair and the college must approve the original plan, as well as any amendments. Students who have completed twelve semester hours will not be allowed to register for additional credits unless their plan of work has been approved.

See the individual concentrations below for a plan of work template. The templates indicate required classes, both general and for each area of concentration, as well as the elective courses for each of the concentrations. If you're not sure which elective courses you want to take, complete as much of the form as you can and contact your advisor for an appointment.

Courses

Most M.U.P. classes are offered annually. Some are offered every other year. This is a list of classes we offer and when they are offered.  Classes generally meet once a week in the evenings or on Saturday mornings to permit working students to pursue their degrees. Elective classes outside of the department may meet during daytime hours or more than once a week. Two to three M.U.P. classes are offered each spring-summer semester, permitting students to complete the degree in a timely manner.

Concentrations

We currently offer the following areas of concentration within the Master of Urban Planning program:

Syllabi

Here you can review a sample course syllabi to get an idea of what to expect. For the latest syllabi, visit the Course Information Matrix (CIM).