A Flexible Curriculum Built Around Your Needs
Our program provides a solid foundation in theory and practical skills. And it offers the flexibility to design a concentration around your needs. Students finish their degree in 2 years. They complete all required courses and a capstone project or thesis for a total of 64 credit hours.

Opportunity for a Joint Degree
Opportunity for a Joint Degree
MUP students can pursue a joint degree with other graduate programs on campus. A joint degree program allows students to complete 2 graduate degrees with reduced total requirements. We have established joint degree guidelines for the following programs:
- Master of Architecture (MArch)
- Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
- Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE)
- Juris Doctor (JD)
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
- Master of Science in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism (MSRST)
Students may propose joint degrees with other related graduate programs on campus.

Comprehensive Requirements
Comprehensive Requirements
We have organized the MUP curriculum into 5 major components.
- Core Courses: 6 required classes that review fundamental knowledge, skills, and values for urban planning
- Flexible Concentrations: specialized courses in one or more selected concentrations
- Electives: from the department and across the university
- Recommended Internship: real-world planning and research experience
- Capstone Project or Thesis: (required) in which students demonstrate professional aptitude through practical problem solving or research
Core Courses
Core Courses
MUP core courses teach a solid base of knowledge and skills required for effective professional planning. Students take core courses as a cohort over their first 3 semesters.
- UP 501: Planning History and Theory
- UP 503: Physical Planning
- UP 504: Urban History and Theory
- UP 505: Urban and Regional Analysis (OR UP 517 Data Science for Planners AND UP 570 Neighborhood Analysis)
- UP 511: Law and Planning
- UP 510: Plan Making Workshop
Flexible Concentrations and Stream
Flexible Concentrations and Stream
MUP students develop specialized expertise in one or more subfields. They work with their faculty advisor to design a concentration tailored to their specific interests. The MUP has 4 recommended concentrations and 1 stream that align with faculty expertise.
- Land Use & Environmental Planning (LUEP): Land use planning impacts our environment, infrastructure, and demography. It influences the ways our communities function. Students develop an understanding of the theories and ideas important to planning. They hone analytical skills for managing land use, physical development, and environmental quality. LUEP Faculty: Dustin Allred, Fang Fang, Bumsoo Lee, and Rolf Pendall
- Transportation Planning: Transportation planners evaluate and prioritize transportation projects. And they assess the economic, social, and environmental impacts of those plans and projects. Beyond technical skills, this concentration emphasizes integrated transportation and land use planning, multi-modal transportation systems, and equitable access to opportunities in disadvantaged communities. Transportation Faculty: Lindsay Braun and Bumsoo Lee
- Community Development for Social Justice (CDSJ): Community development professionals design and implement strategies to improve quality of life. They empower people, build capacity, and generate community-based wealth and asset control. This concentration prepares practitioners for a range of local, regional, and global contexts, as well as for public and non-profit sectors. CDSJ Faculty: Andrew Greenlee, Lindsay Braun, Marc Doussard, Faranak Miraftab, Rolf Pendall, Magdalena Novoa, Ken Salo, and Lou Turner
- Local & Regional Economic Development (LRED): Economic development planners strengthen the growth and equity of local and regional economies. They redress problems of economic distress, unemployment, and poverty. They secure the resources vital to essential public services, including affordable housing, parks, schools, and transportation infrastructure. LRED Faculty: Marc Doussard and Mary Edwards
- Transnational Planning Stream: The Transnational Planning Stream is a group of courses and learning opportunities that supplement the MUP concentrations. It works with, rather than in lieu of, other planning subfields. The stream promotes critical thinking and analytical skills related to the history of international development planning, globalization, and the ethics and politics of contemporary development. Transnational Planning Faculty: Faranak Miraftab, Marc Doussard, Andrew Greenlee, and Ken Salo
Recommended Concentration Courses
Recommended Concentration Courses
Land Use & Environmental Planning |
Transportation Planning |
FoundationsUP 406 Urban Ecology |
FoundationsUP 430 Urban Transportation Planning |
MethodsUP 418 GIS for Planners |
MethodsUP 431 Travel Behavior Analysis |
ApplicationsUP 405 Watershed Ecology & Planning
|
ApplicationsUP 432 Transportation Equity
|
Community Development for Social Justice |
Local & Regional Economic Development |
FoundationsUP 473 Housing and Urban Policy
|
FoundationsUP 407 State & Local Public Finance |
MethodsUP 474 Neighborhood Planning |
MethodsUP 418 GIS for Planners |
ApplicationsUP 432 Transportation Equity
|
ApplicationsUP 473 Housing & Urban Policy
|
Transnational Planning |
|
FoundationsUP 423 Community Development in the Global South |
|
RecommendedUP 428 International Planning Workshop |
Professional Internship
Professional Internship
We encourage MUP students to complete a professional internship. This opportunity provides practical experience in real-world planning, especially if students do not have prior professional experience.

Capstone Project or Thesis
Capstone Project or Thesis
MUP students complete a capstone project or thesis in their second year, which demonstrates professional competency to both faculty and potential employers. The capstone asks students to apply what they have learned to real-world problems. A capstone project is a professional project or analysis, typically for an external client. It focuses on a topic relevant to the student’s selected concentration. A capstone thesis may be applied or basic scholarly research conducted under the formal thesis guidelines of the department and Graduate College. MUP Capstones are archived in IDEALS, the Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship. Contact the City Planning and Landscape Architecture Reference and Resource Center if you need assistance locating any capstone materials.

Sample Coursework
Sample Coursework
Below is a sample of MUP courses including core, concentration, and elective classes.
Fall |
Spring |
|
Year 1 |
UP 501: Planning History and Theory UP 503: Physical Planning UP 505: Urban and Regional Analysis OR UP 517: Data Science for Planners Concentration Foundation |
UP504: Urban History and Theory UP 511: Law and Planning UP 570: Neighborhood Analysis (in place of UP 505) Concentration Method Elective |
Summer Internship |
||
Year 2 |
UP 510: Plan Making Workshop Concentration Application Elective UP598/599 Capstone Project/Thesis |
Concentration Elective Elective UP598/599 Capstone Project/Thesis |
For more information
For more information on the MUP program and policies, please refer to the MUP Program Handbook:
- MUP Program Handbook 2023-2024
- MUP Program Handbook 2022-2023
- MUP Program Handbook 2021-2022
- MUP Program Handbook 2020-2021
- MUP Program Handbook 2019-2020
For a link to all forms: Master of Urban Planning Forms and Petitions
Questions?
We encourage you to reach out to:
Professor Andrew Greenlee
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Voice: 217-333-9069
E-mail: agreen4@illinois.edu