Urban and Regional Planning

Overview

About Urban and Regional Planning at The University of Iowa

The M.S. in urban and regional planning is a two-year degree program fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. It is built on the premise that planners must be educated in methods of policy analysis and that there is a common body of knowledge, represented in the core curriculum, that provides a solid foundation for all specializations in the field.

A wide range of educational backgrounds provide good preparation for graduate study in urban and regional planning. Students with undergraduate majors such as environmental policy and planning, architecture, anthropology, public policy, geographic information science, business administration, economics, engineering, communication studies, finance, geography, education, marketing, political science, sociology, history, journalism, and English currently study in the school. With an increasingly diverse student body and a low student-faculty ratio, the School of Planning and Public Affairs is committed to creating an environment that is inclusive and welcoming of all students. Approximately 20 full-time students and some part-time students are enrolled, and about 20 percent are international students.

Careers

Today's planners find themselves in demand for such diverse jobs as sustainability coordinator and planner, environmental analyst/planner, land use planner, transportation planner, community development planner, zoning coordinator, water resources planner, community organizer, economic development planner, recycling coordinator, planning director, neighborhood planner, state legislative analyst, planning consultant, and nonprofit project manager or director. 

Recent graduates have taken positions with city, metropolitan, and regional planning agencies; state and federal government; nonprofit organizations; and private consulting firms. They work in all geographic regions of the United States and in countries around the world.