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University-level urban planning education is offered as an academic degree in urban, city or regional planning, awarded as either an Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, or Doctorate.

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 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.

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, 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.

Accreditation in America

City planning programs are typically accredited by one or more planning organizations for the purpose of establishing standards in planning education, as well as providing a route to certification. Some college planning degree programs are accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a professional accreditation board. Schools with planning programs in North America are accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. There are two types of programs the PAB award accreditation to, graduate programs and undergraduate programs.^[1] Currently there are 14 accredited undergraduate programs in the United States and 1 program in Canada. There are also 71 accredited graduate programs in the United States, 2 programs in Canada and 1 in Puerto Rico.

The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accredits university programs in North America leading to bachelors and masters degrees in planning. The accreditation process is based on standards approved by the PAB and its sponsoring organizations: the American Planning Association (APA); the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) (the professional planners’ institute within the American Planning Association); and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).^[2]

Also, graduation from a PAB accredited program allows a graduate to sit for the AICP Exam earlier in the career than a student with a degree from a non-accredited program or school.

Programs that desire accreditation through the PAB (Planning Accreditation Board) must meet strict guidelines, first to be considered for a candidate, then to actually be accredited. First the program in question must apply to be a candidate, which is a multiphase process.^[3] The first step is to make sure the program has successfully completed the five preconditions for accreditation. The five preconditions are:^[4]

Program graduation of at least 25 students in the degree to be accredited.
Program's parent school must be accredited by 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 a practicing planning professional

Once these conditions have successfully been met by the program, the next step to be completed by the program is completion and submitting of the Self-Study Report.^[5] This report serves as the basis of review for the Planning Accreditation Board, which ends in a meeting with a representative of a program before the PAB for questions about their program and review. There is also an application fee of $1,925.^[6]

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 report to the Planning Accreditation Board, in which the program will have a chance to question and comment on the report in the final interview in front of the PAB. The board then decides if the program is awarded accreditation.^[7]

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.^[8] Programs can be awarded re-accreditation upon another review, similar to that of initial accreditation.

Accredited planning programs

School	Location	Undergraduate^[9]^[10]	Since^[11]	Graduate^[12]	Since^[13]	Accreditation Through
Alabama A&M University	Normal, AL	Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning	1986	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1976	December 31, 2012
Auburn University	Auburn, AL	not offered		Master of Community Planning	2000	December 31, 2012
Arizona State University	Tempe, AZ	Bachelor of Science in Planning	2002	Master of Urban & Environmental Planning	1992	December 31, 2011
University of Arizona	Tucson, AZ	not offered		Master of Planning	1998	December 31, 2012
California Polytechnic State University	San Luis Obispo, CA	Bachelor of Science in City & Regional Planning	1973	Master of City & Regional Planning	1993	December 31, 2012
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona, CA	Bachelor of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	1970	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1972	December 31, 2010
San Jose State University	San Jose, CA	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1972	December 31, 2012
University of California, Berkeley	Berkeley, CA	not offered		Master of City Planning	1960	December 31, 2012
University of California, Irvine	Irvine, CA	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1998	December 31, 2011
University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles, CA	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1971	December 31, 2012
University of Southern California	Los Angeles, CA	Bachelor of Science in Public Policy, Management, and Planning	1929	Master of Planning	1967	December 31, 2014
University of Colorado, Denver	Denver, CO	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1975	December 31, 2011
Florida Atlantic University	Fort Lauderdale, FL	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1995	December 31, 2010
Florida State University	Tallahassee, FL	not offered		Master of Planning	1965	December 31, 2012
University of Florida	Gainesville, FL	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1978	December 31, 2012
University of Miami	Coral Gables, FL	not offered		Master of Urban Design	-	-
Georgia Institute of Technology	Atlanta, GA	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1969	December 31, 2012
University of Hawaii	Honolulu, HI	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1981	December 31, 2013
University of Illinois at Chicago	Chicago, IL	Bachelor in Urban and Public Affairs		Master of Urban Planning & Policy	1979	December 31, 2012
University of Illinois	Champaign, IL	Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning	1953	Master of Urban Planning	1945	December 31, 2016
Ball State University	Muncie, IN	Bachelor of Urban Planning & Development	1995	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1993	December 31, 2013
Iowa State University	Ames, IA	Bachelor of Science in Community & Regional Planning	1979	Master of Community & Regional Planning	1979	December 31, 2012
University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1970	December 31, 2013
Kansas State University	Manhattan, KS	not offered		Master of Regional & Community Planning	1961	December 31, 2015
University of Kansas	Lawrence, KS	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1983	December 31, 2010
University of Louisville	Louisville, KY	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	2010	December 31, 2013*
University of New Orleans	New Orleans, LA	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1976	December 31, 2013
Morgan State University	Baltimore, MD	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1973	December 31, 2011
University of Maryland	College Park, MD	not offered		Master of Community Planning	1978	December 31, 2013
Harvard University	Cambridge, MA	not offered		Master in Urban Planning	1923	December 31, 2012
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge, MA	not offered		Master in City Planning	1932	December 31, 2013
Tufts University	Medford, MA	not offered		Master of Urban, Environmental Policy & Planning	2004	December 31, 2011
University of Massachusetts	Amherst, MA	not offered		Master of Regional Planning	1987	December 31, 2012
Eastern Michigan University	Ypsilanti, MI	Bachelor of Science or Arts in Urban & Regional Planning	1998	not offered		December 31, 2009*
Michigan State University	East Lansing, MI	Bachelor of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	1952	Master in Urban & Regional Planning	1987	December 31, 2012
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1968	December 31, 2015
Wayne State University	Detroit, MI	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1975	December 31, 2013
University of Minnesota	Minneapolis, MN	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1982	December 31, 2015
Jackson State University	Jackson, MS	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	2010	December 31, 2014*
Missouri State University	Springfield, MO	Bachelor of Science in Planning	2004	not offered		December 31, 2013
University of Missouri-Kansas City	Kansas City, MO	Bachelor of Urban Planning & Design		not offered		December 31, 2011**
University of Nebraska	Lincoln, NE	not offered		Master of Community & Regional Planning	1978	December 31, 2013
Rutgers University	New Brunswick, NJ	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1968	December 31, 2014
Ryerson University	Toronto, Ontario	Bachelor of Urban & Regional Planning		Masters of Urban & Regional Planning
University of New Mexico	Albuquerque, NM	not offered		Master of Community & Regional Planning	1978	December 31, 2014
Columbia University	New York, NY	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1970	December 31, 2013
Cornell University	Ithaca, NY	not offered		Master of Regional Planning	1959	December 31, 2014
Hunter College	New York, NY	Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies		Master in Urban & Regional Planning	1969	December 31, 2010
New York University	New York, NY	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1961	December 31, 2013
Pratt Institute	Brooklyn, NY	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1962	December 31, 2014
University at Albany	Albany, NY	not offered		Master of Regional Planning	2000	December 31, 2010
University at Buffalo	Buffalo, NY	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1988	December 31, 2014
East Carolina University	Greenville, NC	Bachelor of Science in Urban & Regional Planning	2003	not offered		December 31, 2009
University of North Carolina	Chapel Hill, NC	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1963	December 31, 2011
Cleveland State University	Cleveland, OH	not offered		Master of Urban Planning, Design & Development	1998	December 31, 2013
Ohio State University	Columbus, OH	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1961	December 31, 2011
University of Cincinnati	Cincinnati, OH	Bachelor of Urban Planning	1966	Master of Community Planning	1964	December 31, 2012
University of Oklahoma	Norman, OK	not offered		Master of Regional & City Planning	1957	December 31, 2012
Portland State University	Portland, OR	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1980	December 31, 2013
University of Oregon	Eugene, OR	not offered		Master of Community & Regional Planning	1970	December 31, 2016
Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Indiana, PA	Bachelor of Science in Regional Planning		not offered		December 31, 2011**
Temple University	Ambler, PA	not offered		Master of Community & Regional Planning		December 31, 2011**
University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, PA	not offered		Master of City Planning	1969	December 31, 2013
Clemson University	Clemson, SC	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1972	December 31, 2014
University of Memphis	Memphis, TN	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1981	December 31, 2013
Texas A&M University	College Station, TX	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1968	December 31, 2011
Texas Southern University	Houston, TX	not offered		Master of Urban Planning & Environmental Policy	2009	December 31, 2011
The University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington, TX	not offered		Master of City & Regional Planning	1978	December 31, 2013
The University of Texas	Austin, TX	not offered		Master of Community & Regional Planning	1969	December 31, 2010
University of Utah	Salt Lake City, UT	B.S./B.A. in Urban Planning		Master of City & Metropolitan Planning		December 31, 2010*
University of Virginia	Charlottesville, VA	Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning	1963	Master of Urban & Environmental Planning	1968	December 31, 2013
Virginia Commonwealth University	Richmond, VA	Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1977	December 31, 2014
Virginia Tech	Blacksburg, VA	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1961	December 31, 2014
Eastern Washington University	Spokane, WA	Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Regional Planning	1983	Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1983	December 31, 2014
University of Washington	Seattle, WA	Bachelor of Arts in Community, Environment, and Planning		Master of Urban Planning	1941	December 31, 2010
University of Wisconsin	Madison, WI	not offered		Master of Urban & Regional Planning	1962	December 31, 2014
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee	Milwaukee, WI	not offered		Master of Urban Planning	1974	December 31, 2013
Université de Montréal	Montréal, Quebec	Baccalauréat Specialisé en Urbanisme	1982	Maîtrise en Urbanisme	1965	December 31, 2010
University of British Columbia	Vancouver, British Columbia	not offered		Master of Planning	1970	December 31, 2010
University of Puerto Rico	San Juan, Puerto Rico	not offered		Master in Planning	1977	December 31, 2010

^{(* probationary accreditation granted by the PAB)}

^{(** candidate for accreditation)}

Master of City Planning

The Master of City Planning (MCP) or is a one- to two-year academic/professional Master's degree that qualifies graduates to work as urban planners. Some schools offer the degree as a Master of Community Planning (MUP), 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 PhD 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 in to the discipline and underlying issues related to urban development.

Rankings

While there is not official rankings of the graduate programs for planning, Planetizen publishes an annual list of the Top 10 planning graduate programs.^[14] First published in 2006, the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs has been widely praised by prospective planning students as being the single most important tool used in deciding which schools they would apply to and attend. This new edition of the Guide includes even more information previously unavailable to prospective planning students. In addition, Planetizen consulted with a special committee of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) during the production of the Guide to ensure that the 2009 edition met the needs and expectations of students, planning programs and faculty alike. The top schools in 2009 are as follows:

Rank^[15]	School
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2	University of California, Berkeley
3	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
4	Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
5	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
6	Cornell University
7	Harvard University
8	University of California, Los Angeles
9	University of Southern California
10	University of Pennsylvania

References

^ Accredited Planning Programs
^ Planning Accreditation Brief
^ Candidacy Information
^ Application for Candidacy Status
^ Self-Study Report Manual
^ Candidacy Information
^ Applying for Initial Accreditation
^ The Accreditation Document, Pg. 38
^ Accredited Planning Programs
^ [1]
^ History of Accredited Programs
^ Accredited Planning Programs
^ History of Accredited Programs
^ Plantizen's Top Graduate Schools
^ Planetizen. 2009 Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs. Published by Planetizen Press (May 2008).

External links

[1] Accredited Planning Programs

[2] Planning Accreditation Brief

[3] Candidacy Information

[4] Application for Candidacy Status

[5] Self-Study Report Manual

[6] Candidacy Information

[7] Applying for Initial Accreditation

[8] The Accreditation Document, Pg. 38

[9] Accredited Planning Programs

[10] [1]

[11] History of Accredited Programs

[12] Accredited Planning Programs

[13] History of Accredited Programs

[14] Plantizen's Top Graduate Schools

[15] Planetizen. 2009 Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs. Published by Planetizen Press (May 2008).

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@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 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, 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]], [[houses|housing]], [[community development]], [[economic development]], [[historic preservation]], [[international development]], [[urban design]], [[transportation planning]], or [[geographic information system]]s (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.
-==Accreditation in North America==
+==Accreditation in America==
 City planning programs are typically accredited by one or more planning organizations for the purpose of establishing standards in planning education, as well as providing a route to certification.  Some college planning degree programs are accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a professional accreditation board. Schools with planning programs in North America are accredited by the [http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/ Planning Accreditation Board]. There are two types of programs the PAB award accreditation to, graduate programs and undergraduate programs.<ref>[http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/index.php?id=30 Accredited Planning Programs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Currently there are 14 accredited undergraduate programs in the United States and 1 program in Canada. There are also 71 accredited graduate programs in the United States, 2 programs in Canada and 1 in Puerto Rico.<blockquote>
 The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accredits university programs in North America leading to bachelors and masters degrees in planning. The accreditation process is based on standards approved by the PAB and its sponsoring organizations: the American Planning Association (APA); the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) (the professional planners’ institute within the American Planning Association); and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).<ref>[http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/index.php?id=30 Planning Accreditation Brief<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></blockquote>  Also, graduation from a PAB accredited program allows a graduate to sit for the [[AICP]] Exam earlier in the career than a student with a degree from a non-accredited program or school.