Earn your master’s degree and start your professional planning career in Seattle, one of the most innovative and sustainable cities in the country. Our fully accredited Master of Urban Planning (MUP) program will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience you need to become a professional urban planner.
Our master’s degree is designed to prepare you for a career in which you can shape the great places where we work, live, and thrive. It offers specializations in urban design; land use, infrastructure, and transportation planning; environmental planning; historic preservation; and real estate. Students may also construct their own individualized specialization or pursue concurrent degrees with landscape architecture, public administration, public health, and more.
Our fully accredited MUP curriculum covers planning history, theory, and form; technical skills and knowledge; and in our popular studio courses, the practical hands-on experience needed to be a successful practicing planner or designer. Students can also study abroad in multiple countries and participate in concurrent degree programs with Landscape Architecture, Public Policy, and Public Health and others; and draw on the resources of the entire University of Washington. The proof of our success is our alumni—on average, ~90% of our alumni secure a planning-related job within one year of graduation.
We are proud of our strong and inclusive student community. Students are actively engaged in the MUP Planning Student Association; the College Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee; the Young Planners Group affiliated with the American Planning Association (APA); and many other organizations. As a top planning school, we draw on students from all over the U.S. and the world who bring perspectives and experiences that enrich our classroom discussions and collaborative work. Not only will you learn from your peers here, you will also make lifelong friends and professional connections.
As a planner, you will need to build a professional network. Our Professionals Council will help with that. Recognized as a model for planning programs across the nation by the Planning Accreditation Board, the Professionals Council is a group of regional practitioners who volunteer their time to mentor our students. From office tours to resume-writing clinics, to social events and networking opportunities, the Professionals Council is a unique resource that will help you bridge the gap from graduate school to your first professional position.
One of our greatest educational assets is the city of Seattle itself. Seattle is a city defined by innovation and extraordinary natural beauty. It is also one of the fastest-growing urban hubs in the U.S. and a national planning leader. We have a rich neighborhood culture, a rapidly growing multi-modal transportation system, and some of the most advanced sustainability practices in the country. It is hard to imagine a better urban environment for studying planning – or a more promising one for your future career.
Interested to know what kind of jobs are available to graduates of our Master of Urban Planning program? Please review our MUP Alumni Positions list to see a representative sampling.
Apply
Your professional future starts here.