Urban and Regional Planning
Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program & Admissions: Daniel Schneider
Coordinator of the MUP Program: Stacy Harwood
Coordinator of MUP Admissions: Arnab Chakraborty
111 Temple Buell Hall
611 Taft Drive
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-3890
Major: Urban Planning
Degrees Offered: M.U.P.
Major: Regional Planning
Degrees Offered: Ph.D.
Joint Degree Programs: the M.U.P. in Urban Planning can be earned jointly with the following
Degrees Offered:
M.Arch. in Architecture,
J.D. in Law,
any UIUC master's degree (for example, but not limited to, African Studies, Agriculture and Consumer Economics, Business Administration, Civil Engineering, Community Health, Economics, Landscape Architecture, Latin American Studies, Library & Information Sciences, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, and Recreation, Sports & Tourism).
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Urban Planning and Doctor of Philosophy in Regional Planning. Students can also apply to joint degree programs to obtain a Juris Doctor and a Master of Urban Planning or a Master of Architecture and a Master of Urban Planning, or other UIUC master's degrees and a Master of Urban Planning. In addition, a small number of the department's BAUP students participate in the 4+1 program to complete the BAUP and MUP in five years. The 4+1 program is highly selective.
Admission
We welcome applications from men and women from a wide variety of backgrounds who have demonstrated potential for extraordinary professional achievement. Students seeking a Masters in Urban Planning degree may come from a diverse range of academic backgrounds. While common undergraduate majors include architecture, engineering, sociology, economics, political science, environmental sciences, public administration, urban planning, and public policy, many other fields also serve as excellent foundations for graduate study in planning. Prospective students must have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 computed from the last 60 hours of undergraduate work and any subsequent graduate study. Note that the average GPA of students granted admission to the masters program is higher than 3.0. All applicants must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the tests of verbal, quantitative, and analytical ability. International applicants must meet additional minimum requirements based on their country of origin, including the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
DURP's admissions committee places particular emphasis on each applicant's statement of purpose. Applicants should use the statement to convey information about their backgrounds, personal experiences, and intellectual perspectives, in the context of articulating why a master's in urban planning from the University of Illinois will help them achieve their professional goals. We seek an applicant pool that represents a mix of racial and ethnic populations, a range of social and economic backgrounds, different philosophies and perspectives, and a variety of life experiences. The Department of Urban and Regional Planning is especially interested in applicants with professional experience, though that experience need not be in planning or related fields.
Consult the department's MUP admissions webpage for more information.
Doctoral program admissions in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning are highly selective. Among the factors considered are the previous academic performance of the applicant in a related field, performance on the Graduate Records Examination, letters of recommendation from references qualified to comment on the applicant's potential to contribute significant scholarship in the discipline of planning, the statement of purpose, the fit of the applicant with the current mix of faculty expertise and research strengths, and available research funding. Applicants are admitted when they meet the standards of the Department and when there is a faculty member prepared to serve as their mentor and primary source of financial support. Students interested in pursuing a PhD in Regional Planning should communicate with faculty most closely aligned with their interests, in addition to completing the formal application process.
Consult the department's PhD admissions webpage for more information.
Degree Requirements
*For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Guide to Graduate Programs and the Graduate College Handbook.
Master of Urban Planning
| Required Courses: | Non-thesis option - Required Hours | Thesis option - Required Hours |
|---|---|---|
| UP 408, 501, 503, 504, 505, 508, 509 and 510 | 30 | 30 |
| Optional Internship UP 590 ( reduces the hours needed to graduate by 4): | 0 | 0 |
| Recommended concentration/electives | 22-26 | 22-26 |
| Capstone Seminar UP 591 (enrollment required for two semesters): | 0 | 0 |
| Capstone Hours (min/max applied toward degree): | 8 | 0 |
| Thesis Hours Required (min/max applied toward degree): | 0 | 8 |
| Total Hours | 60 or 64 | 60 or 64 |
Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: |
36 or 40 | 36 or 40 |
Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: |
16 (12 in UP) | 16 (12 in UP) |
| Other Requirements:* | ||
| Minimum GPA: | 2.75 | 2.75 |
The professionally accredited master's degree program prepares students for careers in planning practice. Such careers involve public service at all levels of government, in private consulting practice, in the nonprofit sector, and in a wide variety of organizations in need of planning services. The program also prepares students for advanced work leading to the Ph.D. degree and a career in teaching and research.
The MUP curriculum consists of a focused set of core courses required of all students, concentration/elective courses, applied workshops, a recommended internship (reduces the hours needed to graduate by 4), and a capstone requirement. The program is purposely flexible so that students may design a program that builds their expertise in a concentration area of practice such as land use and environmental planning, transportation planning, community development and social justice, housing, sustainable urban design, local and regional economic development and and geographic information systems and analysis. The department also has an active international program designed to expose students to planning practices and challenges in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
If a student has an undergraduate professional degree in urban planning, up to 16 hours may be waived by petition, and the student must take at least 30 hours in urban and regional planning courses at UIUC.
Please consult the department's MUP program overview for additional information about the MUP requirements.
Doctor of Philosophy
| Required Courses: | Required Hours |
|---|---|
| Advanced planning theory / UP 580 | 4 |
| Elective courses (typically, one will be in research design, two in research methods and four in the student's substantive area): | 28 |
| Thesis Hours Required (min/max applied toward degree): | 32 |
| Total Hours | 64 |
| Other Requirements:* | |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
| Masters Degree Required for Admission to PhD? | Yes |
| Qualifying Exam Required | Yes |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
Students in the PhD program work closely with faculty to develop knowledge and research skills in economic, environmental, physical, and social aspects of planning. Faculty advisors and the PhD program coordinator provide guidance in selecting coherent sets of courses appropriate for individual students. The curriculum is designed for students who have completed a master's degree in urban planning or a closely related field.
A student with a master's degree in a closely related field, but not in planning, may be required to take more than 32 hours of course work to fill gaps in preparation (for example MUP core courses). Careful selection of additional courses may permit such students to also obtain a Master of Urban Planning degree.
All students must pass a qualifying examination covering planning theory, research methods, and a substantive area of intended research. The qualifying examination is tailored to the focus of each student and includes a written portion and an oral defense before a committee. The content of these exams and the courses to prepare for them vary depending on the type of research the student chooses to pursue.
A successful dissertation in planning reports original research on a subject appropriate to the field, the results of which produce significant advances in knowledge about that subject. Each student takes a Preliminary Examination, which is an oral examination based on the dissertation proposal and is administered by the student's dissertation committee. Upon approval of the dissertation proposal, the candidate can proceed with the research, written analysis, and findings. When the candidate and the supervisor agree that the research and writing are complete, the candidate is ready for the final examination, which is a defense of the dissertation before the committee.
Please consult the department's PhD program overview for additional information about PhD requirements.
Joint Degree Programs
The joint degree programs provide the opportunity to complete two degrees in a compressed time frame.
Candidates admitted to the joint Master of Urban Planning and Juris Doctor must complete a minimum of 32 hours in urban planning, including core courses and capstone, plus the requirements of the Law degree.
Candidates admitted to the Master of Urban Planning and Master of Architecture must complete a minimum of 32 hours in urban planning, including core courses, and the requirements of the Architecture degree. The thesis or master's project of a joint degree student may be taken in either program, with faculty in each program participating on the committee.
Candidates may propose joint programs combining the MUP with other UIUC master's degrees, according to the following guidelines: 1) They must either be enrolled or offered admission to the other degree program; 2) They must submit a proposal to the MUP program director describing the interdisciplinary value of the proposed joint program and show how the second degree serves as a specialization in the planning curriculum; 3) They must provide evidence of a commitment to their proposal from their academic advisor and director of graduate studies from each program; 4) The proposal must be approved by the Graduate College via petition; 5) At least 40 hours must be in Urban Planning, including all core, capstone, and concentration requirements; 6) The two programs must total a minimum of (a) 80 hours, or (b) the sum of 40 Urban Planning hours plus the required number of hours for the second degree, whichever is greater (in the latter case, the other program may at its discretion count up to 8 hours of Urban Planning courses as electives in meeting its degree requirements as long as students are required to take no fewer than 40 additional hours in that program); 7) Students may receive credit for a thesis or master's project in both programs provided faculty from both programs participate; and 8) Students must be in residence in Urban Planning for at least two semesters.
Consult the department's MUP joint degree webpage for more information about the admissions process and joint degree requirements.
Medical Scholars Program
The Medical Scholars Program permits highly qualified students to integrate the study of medicine with study for a graduate degree in a second discipline, including Regional Planning. Students may apply to the Medical Scholars Program prior to beginning graduate school or while in the graduate program. Applicants to the Medical Scholars Program must meet the admissions standards for and be accepted into both the doctoral graduate program and the College of Medicine. Students in the dual degree program must meet the specific requirements for both the medical and graduate degrees. On average, students take eight years to complete both degrees. Further information on this program is available by contacting the Medical Scholars Program, 125 Medical Sciences Building, (217) 333-8146.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the doctoral experience in this program.
Faculty Research Interests
Graduate students work with DURP faculty from the Departments Urban and Regional Planning, Agriculture & Consumer Economics, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, School of Architecture and the Women & Gender in Global Perspectives Program. Research strengths among our faculty include regional economic analysis and policy, transportation, urban development patterns and processes, planning analysis and information technology, housing and community development, and international development.
Facilities and Resources
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning shares Temple Hoyne Buell Hall (TBH) with the Department of Landscape Architecture and the School of Architecture. The majority of urban planning classes are held in TBH. The department has a 24-hour instructional computing laboratory with sophisticated graphic workstations.
The City Planning and Landscape Architecture Reference and Resource Center is located in Funk Library. The planning collection is one of the finest in the world, with books and reports gathered since the collection started over eighty years ago.
Financial Aid
Students compete for fellowships and assistantships. Selection is based on the academic achievement and qualifications of the student.