Urban and Regional Planning: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Urban and Regional Planning is a dynamic, multidisciplinary field dedicated to shaping sustainable, equitable, and functional communities across cities and their surrounding landscapes. This program equips students with the analytical, design, and strategic skills necessary to address complex challenges in land use, infrastructure, and community development.
- Master Plan Development: The process of creating comprehensive, long-term visions for urban and regional growth, integrating land use, transportation, housing, and environmental considerations into cohesive strategies.
- Land Use Planning: The systematic allocation of space within a geographic area to support residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational functions in alignment with community goals.
- Zoning and Regulatory Frameworks: The application of legal tools and policies that govern how land can be used and developed, ensuring compatibility with public health, safety, and environmental standards.
- Transportation and Infrastructure Systems: The design and integration of road networks, public transit, utilities, and digital connectivity to support efficient movement and resilience in urban environments.
- Community and Commercial Development: Strategies for fostering vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods and economically viable business districts through mixed-use planning and public-private collaboration.
- Applied Economics and Policy Analysis: Evaluating the financial and socioeconomic impacts of planning decisions using data-driven models and cost-benefit frameworks.
- Urban Design and Architectural Principles: The integration of aesthetic, functional, and human-centered design elements into the physical form of cities and towns.
- Environmental and Sustainability Planning: Incorporating ecological resilience, climate adaptation, and resource conservation into planning practices to ensure long-term environmental stewardship.
- Legal and Ethical Responsibilities: Understanding the regulatory landscape, professional standards, and ethical obligations that guide decision-making in public and private planning contexts.
Urban and Regional Planning Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Urban and Regional Planning Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Urban and Regional Planning degrees, including Architectural and Engineering Managers, Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary and Urban and Regional Planners. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 280,040 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers 11-9041 | $167,740 | $111,450 - $239,200 | 210,340 | $80.64 |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1031 | $101,480 | $59,590 - $166,720 | 9,120 | N/A |
| Urban and Regional Planners 19-3051 | $83,720 | $55,590 - $128,550 | 43,040 | $40.25 |
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other 25-1069 | $75,040 | $45,280 - $176,350 | 17,540 | N/A |
Urban and Regional Planning Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $81,920 in Arkansas to $136,295 in California—a 66% difference. The highest-paying states include California, Connecticut, and New York. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 280,040 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Urban and Regional Planning by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Urban and Regional Planning programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Urban and Regional Planning is found at University of Washington (UW), Seattle Campus (105 graduates), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (92 graduates), Arizona State University, Digital Immersion (91 graduates), University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles (84 graduates), and University of Arizona (81 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 2,340 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington (UW) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
105 | Seattle, Washington | Public | washington.edu |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
92 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Private | web.mit.edu |
| Arizona State University |
Bachelor's
|
91 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| University of California (UCLA) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
84 | Los Angeles, California | Public | ucla.edu |
| University of Arizona |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
81 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
70 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| University of Virginia (UVA) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
67 | Charlottesville, Virginia | Public | virginia.edu |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
64 | New York, New York | Private | columbia.edu |
| University of Southern California (USC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Other)
|
62 | Los Angeles, California | Private | usc.edu |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
59 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| California State Polytechnic University (CPP) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
57 | Pomona, California | Public | cpp.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
55 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| New York University (NYU) |
Master's
|
55 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| Ohio State University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
48 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
47 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Public | unc.edu |
| Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
41 | Atlanta, Georgia | Public | gatech.edu |
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
40 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | calpoly.edu |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus |
Master's
|
40 | Denver, Colorado | Public | ucdenver.edu |
| San Jose State University (SJSU) |
Master's
|
37 | San Jose, California | Public | sjsu.edu |
| University of Cincinnati (UC) |
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Certificate (≥2 yrs)
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
37 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Public | uc.edu |
| Portland State University (PSU) |
Master's
|
34 | Portland, Oregon | Public | pdx.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
34 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) |
Master's
|
33 | Blacksburg, Virginia | Public | vt.edu |
| Florida Atlantic University (FAU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
31 | Boca Raton, Florida | Public | fau.edu |
| University at Buffalo (UB) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
31 | Buffalo, New York | Public | buffalo.edu |
| University of California (UCI) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
30 | Irvine, California | Public | uci.edu |
| Florida State University (FSU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
30 | Tallahassee, Florida | Public | fsu.edu |
| Cornell University |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
29 | Ithaca, New York | Private | cornell.edu |
| Georgetown University (GU) |
Master's
|
28 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | georgetown.edu |
| Henry Ford College (HFC) |
Other Award
|
28 | Dearborn, Michigan | Public | hfcc.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Master's
|
28 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| University of Central Florida (UCF) |
Master's
|
27 | Orlando, Florida | Public | ucf.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) |
Master's
Other Award
|
27 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Public | uwm.edu |
| Temple University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
24 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Public | temple.edu |
| Pratt Institute |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
23 | Brooklyn, New York | Private | pratt.edu |
| University of Puerto Rico (UPR) |
Master's
|
23 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Public | uprrp.edu |
| Wayne State University (WSU) |
Master's
|
22 | Detroit, Michigan | Public | wayne.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
22 | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Public | newbrunswick.rutgers.edu |
| Ball State University (BSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
21 | Muncie, Indiana | Public | bsu.edu |
| The University of Texas |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | Arlington, Texas | Public | uta.edu |
| Boston University (BU) |
Master's
|
19 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | bu.edu |
| Alabama A & M University (AAMU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
18 | Normal, Alabama | Public | aamu.edu |
| Villanova University |
Postbac Cert.
|
18 | Villanova, Pennsylvania | Private | villanova.edu |
| University of North Texas (UNT) |
Bachelor's
|
18 | Denton, Texas | Public | unt.edu |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Postbac Cert.
|
17 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
| University of Hawaii (UHM) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
16 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | manoa.hawaii.edu |
| University of South Florida (USF) |
Master's
|
15 | Tampa, Florida | Public | usf.edu |
| Iowa State University (ISU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
15 | Ames, Iowa | Public | iastate.edu |
| University of New Mexico (UNM) |
Master's
|
14 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Public | unm.edu |
| University of Missouri (UMKC) |
Bachelor's
|
13 | Kansas City, Missouri | Public | umkc.edu |
| University of Nebraska (UNL) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
13 | Lincoln, Nebraska | Public | unl.edu |
| University of Oregon (UO) |
Master's
|
13 | Eugene, Oregon | Public | uoregon.edu |
| San Diego State University (SDSU) |
Master's
|
12 | San Diego, California | Public | sdsu.edu |
| George Washington University (GW) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
12 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | gwu.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Master's
|
12 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| University of Kansas (KU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
12 | Lawrence, Kansas | Public | ku.edu |
| Missouri State University |
Bachelor's
Other Award
|
12 | Springfield, Missouri | Public | missouristate.edu |
| Prairie View A & M University (PVAMU) |
Master's
|
12 | Prairie View, Texas | Public | pvamu.edu |
| Texas State University (TXST) |
Bachelor's
|
12 | San Marcos, Texas | Public | txst.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
|
11 | Boston, Massachusetts | Public | umb.edu |
| Eastern Michigan University (EMU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
11 | Ypsilanti, Michigan | Public | emich.edu |
| East Carolina University (ECU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
11 | Greenville, North Carolina | Public | ecu.edu |
| University of Memphis (UofM) |
Master's
|
11 | Memphis, Tennessee | Public | memphis.edu |
| University of New Orleans (UNO) |
Master's
|
10 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Public | new.uno.edu |
| University at Albany (UAlbany) |
Master's
|
10 | Albany, New York | Public | albany.edu |
| Miami University |
Bachelor's
|
10 | Oxford, Ohio | Public | miamioh.edu |
| The University of Texas (UTSA) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
10 | San Antonio, Texas | Public | utsa.edu |
| Eastern Washington University (EWU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
10 | Cheney, Washington | Public | ewu.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
10 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| Yale University |
Bachelor's
|
9 | New Haven, Connecticut | Private | yale.edu |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU) |
Bachelor's
|
9 | West Chester, Pennsylvania | Public | wcupa.edu |
| Texas Tech University (TTU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
9 | Lubbock, Texas | Public | ttu.edu |
| Rowan University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Other Award
|
8 | Glassboro, New Jersey | Public | rowan.edu |
| Clemson University |
Master's
|
8 | Clemson, South Carolina | Public | clemson.edu |
| Texas Southern University (TSU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
8 | Houston, Texas | Public | tsu.edu |
| University of Washington (UW Tacoma) |
Master's
|
8 | Tacoma, Washington | Public | tacoma.uw.edu |
| California State University (CSUN) |
Master's
|
7 | Northridge, California | Public | csun.edu |
| Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) |
Master's
|
7 | Los Angeles, California | Private | sciarc.edu |
| Unity Environmental University |
Master's
|
7 | New Gloucester, Maine | Private | unity.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
|
7 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| Minnesota State University |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
7 | Mankato, Minnesota | Public | mnsu.edu |
| The New School |
Master's
|
7 | New York, New York | Private | newschool.edu |
| University of California (UCB) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
6 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeley.edu |
| Kansas State University (K‑State) |
Postbac Cert.
|
6 | Manhattan, Kansas | Public | k-state.edu |
| University of Louisville (UofL) |
Master's
|
6 | Louisville, Kentucky | Public | louisville.edu |
| Morgan State University (MSU) |
Master's
|
6 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | morgan.edu |
| University of New Hampshire (UNH) |
Bachelor's
|
6 | Durham, New Hampshire | Public | unh.edu |
| Appalachian State University (App State) |
Bachelor's
|
6 | Boone, North Carolina | Public | appstate.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
Master's
|
6 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Public | charlotte.edu |
| Westfield State University (WSU) |
Bachelor's
|
5 | Westfield, Massachusetts | Public | westfield.ma.edu |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) |
Master's
|
5 | Newark, New Jersey | Public | njit.edu |
| University of Pittsburgh |
Bachelor's
|
5 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Public | pitt.edu |
| University of Southern Maine (USM) |
Master's
|
4 | Portland, Maine | Public | usm.maine.edu |
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
4 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| University of Toledo (UToledo) |
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
4 | Toledo, Ohio | Public | utoledo.edu |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) |
Bachelor's
|
4 | Indiana, Pennsylvania | Public | iup.edu |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Bachelor's
|
4 | Provo, Utah | Private | byu.edu |
| University of Wisconsin (UWEC) |
Other Award
|
3 | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | Public | uwec.edu |
| California State University |
Bachelor's
|
2 | Fresno, California | Public | fresnostate.edu |
| University of Miami (UM) |
Postbac Cert.
|
2 | Coral Gables, Florida | Private | miami.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Urban and Regional Planning programs
How much can I earn with a Urban and Regional Planning degree?
Salaries for Urban and Regional Planning graduates vary by role and location. Architectural and Engineering Managers earn a median of $167,740 annually, while Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $101,480. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in California average $136,295 compared to $81,920 in Arkansas. Approximately 280,040 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Urban and Regional Planning programs?
Currently 115 accredited institutions offer Urban and Regional Planning degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include University of Washington (UW), Seattle Campus (105 graduates), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (92 graduates), and Arizona State University, Digital Immersion (91 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Urban and Regional Planning growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have decreased over the past decade, rising from 3,248 in 2010 to a peak of 2,548 in 2020, before declining slightly to 2,362 in 2023-24. This represents a 27% decrease overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with consistent demand, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Urban and Regional Planning degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Architectural and Engineering Managers, Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary, and Urban and Regional Planners. Related occupations employ approximately 280,040 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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