Master of Science in Urban Planning
Create a more resilient future for cities and regions.
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Learn more about the Master's in Urban Planning and talk with a recruiting specialist by calling 520-621-9819 or completing this form:
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Well-planned cities and regions are the key to confronting many of the most critical environmental, economic and social challenges facing the world today.
The two-year Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona prepares you for a meaningful career where you'll shape a more resilient future for cities and communities, locally and across the globe.
At CAPLA, we're pushing urban planning education, research and practice in new and exciting directions—and students from diverse backgrounds are at the heart of our award-winning and engaging work.
Our MS Urban Planning program is fully accredited through the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB).
What You'll Learn
In the Master's in Urban Planning, you’ll learn:
- Urban and regional planning theory and practice
- Site planning and creative plan-making
- Land use planning analysis and law
- Public participation and dispute resolution
- Professional written and graphic communication
- Data-driven analytical methods, including geographic information systems (GIS)
- Planning for real estate and urban development, urban transportation systems and the environment
- Health and the built environment
- Planning for equity, diversity and social justice
You’ll graduate ready to thrive in a profession of increasing importance in the face of climate change, growing urban populations and challenges to social equity.
#8
87%
4
Top urban planning program without PhD
Planetizen Guide to Urban Planning Programs, 2020
of MS Urban Planning graduates were employed in field within a year; the rest went into higher education
distinctive concentrations: Environmental Planning, Heritage Conservation, Real Estate and Urban Development, Urban Transportation Planning
The Master of Science in Urban Planning’s expert faculty and flexible curriculum—including concentrations in Environmental Planning, Urban Transportation Planning, Real Estate and Urban Development, and Heritage Conservation—prepare you for an impactful career in planning or beyond.
Application Deadlines
Program Cost
Demand for urban and regional planners is projected to grow in Arizona and the nation, with an expected 3,500 annual job openings nationally.
Graduates can expect to work for public agencies, private planning firms and nonprofit organizations.
With the City of Tucson as your laboratory, you can learn to plan, design and build innovative, resilient places that promote sustainable environmental and social practice.
Students and faculty collaborate on real-world projects that take advantage of Tucson’s unique location in the Sonoran Desert, the university’s status as a Research I and land-grant university and CAPLA’s state-of-the art facilities.
Meet the MS Urban Planning Community
Student Profile
Ariel Fry '20 Master of Science in Urban Planning
With an undergraduate degree in anthropology, Ariel Fry wanted to learn more about how we can create places where people will come together for the sheer joy of those spaces.
Faculty Profile
Kristina Currans, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning
Trained as a civil engineer, Kristina Currans has a wide variety of research and other interests, with a particular focus on land-use development and transportation planning.
Faculty Profile
Philip Stoker, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning
Philip Stoker's experience conducting research on water sustainability, wildlife management, pedestrian safety, rural planning, community patterns and urban design guides his lectures and course design.
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
The University of Arizona is pleased to offer Coverdell Fellowships to returned Peace Corps volunteers who are enrolled in a graduate urban planning program. Coverdell Fellows find a robust Peace Corps community at the university and in Tucson, and many are CAPLA alumni. View more information about the program, including scholarships:
Member: The University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is now part of the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), one of five U.S. Department of Transportation-funded national university transportation centers. Having NITC at the university means exciting opportunities, including research funding, the NITC Scholar program, conference travel scholarships, student organization support and more.
The CAPLA Master of Science in Urban Planning curriculum provides a really good mix of the academic and the applied, allowing me to hone in on the areas I’ve most enjoyed: community development, planning methods, site analysis and heritage conservation.
Ariel Fry '20 MS Urban Planning
Ready to shape a more resilient future?
Learn more about the Master of Science in Urban Planning by contacting us at capla-grad@arizona.edu or begin your application now:
Header image of analysis of roadway widening by MS Urban Planning student Wyatt Berger.