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Urban Design and Planning

Concurrent Degrees

Students at the University of Washington have the option to pursue two Master’s degrees concurrently, combining the MUP degree with masters degrees in fields such as landscape architecture, public administration, public health, and engineering. Students are generally able to complete two degrees in three years, rather than the four it would normally take to earn them separately. This is achieved through a sharing of credits as agreed upon by both programs. Although the degrees are pursued concurrently, they are not one blended program. Each degree program has its own admissions process, advising process, course sequencing, etc. Students work with both program offices to ensure the coordination and completion of the two degrees.

Policy for formal and informal concurrent degrees is taken from the UW Graduate School Policy 1.5 for concurrent degree programs.

How to Apply

An applicant who is not currently a student at the University of Washington must apply to each degree program separately. UW students who are currently enrolled in one of the programs must submit an application for the second program, indicating their intent to complete both degrees concurrently. The MUP program application deadlines for autumn quarter are January 15 and October 15 for both U.S. citizens and International Students. Applicants shall consult with the other degree program to determine their application deadlines, as they may differ.

Sequence & Credit Sharing

Generally, students pursue the coursework as follows:

  • Year 1: required coursework for one degree
  • Year 2: required coursework for the other degree
  • Year 3: remaining required coursework for both degrees, plus thesis

Because each degree program has its own sequence and schedule, it is typically not feasible to “blend” coursework for both programs in the first and second years. Taking one or two courses in the other degree program during the first two years may be possible if sequence and schedules allow. It is anticipated that both degrees will be awarded at the same time, typically soon after completion of the thesis.

For formal degrees (MLA, certain MPH degrees, & MPA), course planning charts are available and students work with both programs to ensure fulfillment of the respective degrees. For informal concurrent degrees (such as Civil and Environmental Engineering, Real Estate, Architecture, etc.), students develop a unique course plan and determine shared credits in consultation with advisors in both programs. For students first enrolling Autumn 2023 or later, if the other degree program requires more than 36 credits, up to 12 of the credits beyond 36 may be ‘shared’ and applied to both sets of degree requirements. The total number of credits must be at least 72 and both programs must approve the shared credits counting toward both degrees. Theses and thesis credits may not be shared.

Advising

Students consult with advisors in both programs regarding the fulfillment of the respective degrees and follow the advising practices for each individual program. For example, in the MUP program, students are assigned a faculty advisor and a Professionals Council mentor. The MUP program staff academic advisor is Diana Siembor, udp@uw.edu. Students should consult with the other degree program to learn of their advising practices.

Finances

Students enrolled in a concurrent degree in which both programs are tuition-based pay the higher of the two tuition rates.

Students enrolled in a fee-based concurrent degree, such as the MUP/MPH-Community Oriented Public Health Practice Program (COPHP), pay two different tuition rates. Generally speaking, they pay the fee-based tuition when enrolled in COPHP credits and the MUP tuition rate when enrolled in urban planning credits. This can cause complexity with finances and course planning.

Formal vs Informal Concurrent Degrees

Formal Concurrent Degrees are those which have a formal arrangement between the programs regarding required coursework and shared thesis. They have been reviewed and approved by the Graduate School, and students in formal concurrent degree programs are designated by unique program codes.

Informal Concurrent Degrees are two degrees from different departments that a student may pursue simultaneously. These programs have not been approved as formal concurrent programs and do not have unique program codes, but students have flexibility to ‘share’ up to 12 credits of coursework (for students first enrolling Autumn 2023 or later), given the approval of both programs. However, a thesis cannot be shared in an informal concurrent degree.

Concurrent Degree Options

The concurrent degree options listed below are the most commonly pursued by MUP students.

All formal concurrent degrees are listed. One informal concurrent degree program is listed, but other informal concurrent degree options may be possible.

The Departments of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design and Planning offer a concurrent degree at the master’s level to candidates accepted to both programs. Graduates with degrees in both landscape architecture and urban planning will increasingly be able to address urgent global and local issues related to the built environment and thus are likely to become leaders in either or both fields. Landscape Architecture students, for example, increasingly encounter issues in land use policy and planning process through their studios and in their thesis research; likewise, Urban Planning students increasingly need to develop greater expertise in ecological knowledge, and the designer’s approach to such rapidly evolving topics as green infrastructure and urban agriculture in order to explore frontiers in climate-responsive development regulation and food systems planning.

The typical length of study for students pursuing the concurrent degrees is three years for students with a prior BLA, BArch or equivalent design-related degree, and four years for students without prior design background. Sample sequence forms are provided as a guideline; actual plans may vary depending on the individual student.

Entering 2024

 

Entering 2023

This is a formal concurrent degree, which has a shared thesis that must include content from both programs. For additional information, please visit the UW Landscape Architecture website.

The MLA degree leads to licensure. For further information refer to the following table.

Students enrolled in a concurrent degree in which both programs are tuition-based pay the higher of the two tuition rates. The MLA and MUP program currently have the same tuition rate.

Modern urban problems include community development, environmental quality, transportation, and growth management. These issues are at the intersection of policy, planning, and management and require leaders with skills in both disciplines.

The Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and the Department of Urban Design and Planning of the College of Built Environments offer this concurrent degree that enables students to earn both the MPA and MUP in approximately three years, rather than the four it would take to earn them separately. By combining the strengths of each school, students receive skills-based training and knowledge in management, policy analysis, and urban planning.

MPA MUP Checklist 2024

MPA MUP Checklist 2023

This is a formal concurrent degree, which requires a thesis that must include content from both programs. For additional information, please visit the Concurrent Degrees web page on the UW Evans School of Public Policy and Governance website.

Students enrolled in a concurrent degree in which both programs are tuition-based pay the higher of the two tuition rates. The MPA program currently has the higher tuition rate, which can be referenced on the UW Tuition Dashboard.

The University of Washington offers an interdisciplinary concurrent Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Urban Planning (MUP) degree program, in which students complete all requirements of each degree and write a shared thesis. The program provides a formal mechanism for incoming and current students in the MPH and MUP degree programs to study both disciplines in an efficient and structured manner. Initiated in 2015, the program trains professionals to create and study healthy and equitable urban settings and facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration among students and faculty in the School of Public Health and the College of Built Environments.

The built environment and the policies and design that define our urban landscapes are crucial determinants of population health. Many issues such as walkability, public transportation, housing, safety, sanitation, air and water quality, mental health, social capital, and social equity are influenced by decisions of planners and affect the health of the public, especially persons living in metropolitan areas. By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the world’s population will live in cities or towns. This rapid pace of global urbanization calls for individuals with interdisciplinary training in the fields of urban planning and public health.  Both disciplines are committed to the betterment of human life and the environment through systematic change.  

Academic and professional collaborations between urban planning and public health help further the federal Healthy People 2030 Objectives (https://health.gov/healthypeople) and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals).  A report of National Academies Transportation Research Board and Institute of Medicine documented the need for more interdisciplinary degrees in urban planning and public health (Sclar et al. Promoting Interdisciplinary Curricula and Training in Transportation, Land Use, Physical Activity, and Health, 2005, (http://www.academia.edu/4349747/Promoting_Interdisciplinary_Curricula_and_Training_in_Transportation_Land_Use_Physical_Activity_and_Health).  The report recommended that universities offer MPH/MUP degrees that are interdisciplinary in form and content and suggested best practices for the creation of such degree programs. 

 

MPH/MUP Program Admissions

An applicant who is not currently a student at the University of Washington must submit a separate application to and be accepted by each degree program.  UW students who are currently enrolled in the first year of either the MPH or MUP program must submit an application for the second program, indicating their intent to complete both degrees concurrently. Application deadlines are listed on the MUP and MPH degree websites.

 

 

Master of Public Health Degree Options

Students in the concurrent MUP/MPH degree program all enroll in the same MUP degree program and choose to enroll in one of the following three departmentally-based MPH programs: 

 

MPH/MUP Program Sequence

For the MPH in Environmental Health Sciences or Health Systems and Population Health, students may begin in either the MPH or MUP program. For the COPHP MPH, the MUP year 1 should precede the COPHP MPH. Individual course sequence is determined in consultation with the Graduate Program Coordinators and faculty advisors from both programs and made explicit in a written plan of study agreed upon by both programs and the student at the beginning of the concurrent program.  While courses for which the student has the appropriate prerequisites may be taken at any time during the three years, in general it is expected that the student will spend the majority of the first year on requirements for one degree and the majority of the second year on requirements for the other degree.  The third year will be used to complete remaining requirements for both degrees and to write the shared thesis.  Both degrees are usually awarded at the same time, typically soon after completion of the shared thesis.  

 

MPH/MUP Program Requirements

To earn both MPH and MUP degrees, a student must fulfill all requirements for each degree program, including some credits that can be shared and applied to both programs.  Currently, the MPH degree requires a minimum of 63 credits (65 for Environmental Health) and the MUP degree requires a minimum of 72 credits. The total number of credits that a student receives in both programs must exceed 72 credits, and a minimum of 36 credits must be unique to each program, to fulfill UW Graduate School requirements (https://grad.uw.edu/policies/1-5-concurrent-degree-programs/ ).  Students typically take 12-15 credits per quarter.

Prerequisites for the MUP and MPH are listed on the websites of the departments offering those degrees:

Practicum for MPH degree:

The MPH curriculum requires students to complete a minimum of 160 hours of practical fieldwork in a public health practice setting (https://sph.washington.edu/mph-practicum).  The practicum experience allows students to work alongside public health professionals who solve real-world problems while enhancing their own skills and networking in the field. Faculty will assist the student in choosing a practical fieldwork experience that is relevant to both public health and built environment issues.  

 

Shared Thesis

Only one thesis is required for the concurrent MPH/MUP degrees. One graduate faculty member from each department shall co-chair the thesis committee for each student. The format is determined in consultation with the thesis committee members. A total of 9 credits is required, generally with 5 credits from one degree and 4 credits from the other. Intellectual components from both degree programs must be present in the shared thesis. Some departments may accept a capstone project in place of a thesis.  For example, see https://hspop.uw.edu/hspopmph/program-experience/thesis-capstone.

 

 

MPH/MUP Course Requirements

Departmental websites list the required courses for the MUP and MPH degrees:

In addition to the minimum requirements of each degree, concurrent MPH/MUP degree students will be required to take the following cross-disciplinary courses.  These courses can count toward either or both degrees, and count within the 135 minimum credits needed to meet overall degree requirements.  

  1. EnvH 538/URBAN 538 Public Health and Built Environment (Winter Quarter)
  2. EnvH 536/URBAN 536 Health Impact Assessment (Spring Quarter) or a course related to climate change and health such as (but not limited to):
    1. EnvH 518: Understanding and Managing Health Risks of Climate Change (Winter Quarter)
    2. EnvH 579: Climate Change and Public Health Practice (Spring Quarter)
    3. EnvH 585: Climate Impacts in the Pacific Northwest (Spring Quarter)
    4. URBAN 563: Climate Change and Infrastructure (Spring Quarter)
  3. Choose one of the following GIS courses:
    1. EnvH 565 Geographic Information Systems in Public Health (Autumn Quarter) or
    2. URBAN 504 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Autumn Quarter)

Students are expected to take elective courses relevant to the two degrees as part of meeting the minimum credit requirements for both degrees. Courses on the following list are encouraged as electives, or a student may propose a course not on this list for approval by their faculty advisor. Some courses are not taught every year. This list will be updated periodically based on changes in course offerings and requirements. Enrollment in any elective requires meeting course prerequisites and may require permission of the instructor.  

Electives in UW School of Public Health

  • ENVH 506 Disasters and Public Health
  • ENVH 518 Understanding and Managing the Health Risks of Climate Change
  • ENVH 544 Antimicrobial Resistance Impact on the Environment and Public Health 
  • ENVH 546 Hazardous Waste and Public Health 
  • ENVH 548 Community Air Pollution 
  • ENVH 575 Environmental Justice and Population Health
  • ENVH 578 Remote Sensing for Environmental Health
  • ENVH 584 Environmental Health Policy and Practice 
  • HSERV 507 Health Communication and Marketing for Health Promotion: Theory and Practice
  • HSERV 512 Health Systems and Policy
  • HSERV 513 Health Policy Research
  • HSERV 514/EPI 547 Social Determinants of Population Health and Health Disparities 
  • HSERV 522 Health Program Evaluation
  • HSERV 527 Survey Research Methods
  • HSERV 551 Public Health Law
  • HSERV 552 Health Policy Development
  • HSERV 579 Structural Racism and Public Health
  • EPI 502 Physical Activity in Health and Disease 
  • EPI 506 Surveillance Systems and Decision Making in Public Health 
  • EPI 510 Epidemiologic Data Analysis
  • EPI 546 Psychiatric Epidemiology
  • EPI 585 Injury and Violence: A Public Health Approach

Electives in UW College of Built Environments

  • URBAN 480 Planning as a Profession
  • URBAN 518 Qualitative Methods for Urban Design & Planning 
  • URBAN 549 Hazard Mitigation Planning
  • URBAN 561 Urban Economics and Public Policy
  • URBAN 527 History, Ethics, Form, Theory
  • URBAN 576 Pedestrian Travel 
  • URBAN 585 Introduction to Historic Preservation Planning 
  • LARCH 561 Human Experience of Place
  • ARCH 525 Life Cycle Assessment and Architecture 
  • ARCH 526 Topics in High Performance Buildings
  • ARCH 557 History and Theory of Historic Preservation
  • ARCH 564 Environmental Design and Well-being 

Electives in Other UW Colleges/Schools

  • GEOG 478 Social Justice and the City 
  • GEOG 480 Environmental Geography, Climate, and Health 
  • GEOG 580/HSERV 586 Medical Geography 
  • CET 562 Livable Communities and Design 
  • CET 565 Climate Change and Energy 

 

 

Student Advising and Expectations

Each student will have two faculty advisors, one for the MPH and one for the MUP, who are jointly responsible for overseeing the student’s program of study. The students will work with the Graduate Program Coordinators of both programs who will monitor progress in completing all degree requirements.  On entering the program, students will develop a written plan of study to be approved by both their faculty advisors and Graduate Program Coordinators.  The MPH/MUP program director will work with the faculty advisors and Graduate Program Coordinators to coordinate the overall program.  

 

Tuition and Fees; Student Support  

The MPH and MUP programs charge different tuition rates (https://www.washington.edu/opb/tuition-fees/). The MUP and two of the three types of MPH degree programs are funded by regular tuition, while the MPH COPHP program is fee-based (https://www.washington.edu/opb/tuition-fees/fee-based-programs/). While enrolled in the concurrent degree program, the student will pay at the tuition level of the more expensive degree, in accord with University policy. There are no funds set aside specifically to support concurrent degree students; they are supported by the mix of research and teaching assistantships, scholarships, loans, and self-pay sources that currently fund MPH and MUP students.  

 

 

Examples of Positions of Recent UW MPH/MUP Graduates 

  • Interim climate justice advisor for Seattle Office of Sustainability and the Environment
  • Director of Post Secondary Sustainability and Strategic Development for Puget Sound Educational Service District
  • Senior program coordinator for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Polio Team
  • Energy resilience specialist in Washington State Department of Commerce 
  • Community development specialist in Seattle Office of Economic Development
  • Associate planner for Kitsap County
  • Environmental scientist and planner for WSP Engineering
  • Associate transportation planner for Cambridge Systematics
  • Levy equity coordinator for Seattle Department of Transportation
  • Emergency management planner for City of Seattle
  • Research scientist in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Washington
  • Policy and planning manager for Friends of Little Saigon in Seattle 
  • Transportation demand management programs specialist for Alta Planning and Design

The experience of one recent UW MPH/MUP graduate is described at https://deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/dual-degree-alum-explores-crossover-between-public-health-and-planning 

 

 

UW Faculty with interests in health and built environment issues who may serve as advisors or thesis committee members include: 

Name Website Interests
Christine Bae https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/christine-bae/   

Transportation, environment, marinas, land use, environmental equity
Rachel Berney https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/rachel-berney/   

Public space, citizenship, community development and design, neighborhood planning, civic engagement, legible landscapes, urban narratives, research methods, transnational and comparative work, Latin America, violence and communal life and space, urban design
Branden Born   https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/branden-born/   

Community engagement, food sovereignty, food systems, creative governance, Mexico, regional governance
Joan Casey    https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/joan-casey   

Sustainable communities, climate change, disaster resilience, environmental health, environmental justice, health equity, heat, wildfires
Karen Chen https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/karen-t-h-chen/   

Remote sensing, geography, machine learning, urban environmental change, geospatial analysis
Andrew Dannenberg https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/andrew-l-dannenberg   

Sustainable communities, built environment, climate change, environmental health, health equity, health impact assessment
Nicole Errett  https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/nicole-errett   

Sustainable communities, COVID-19, climate change, community-engaged research, disaster resilience, environmental health, environmental justice, heat, policy, Population Health Initiative, wildfires
Stephanie Farquhar     https://hspop.uw.edu/about/faculty/member/?faculty_id=Farquhar_Stephanie   

Environmental justice, policy, affordable housing, mixed methods
Jeremy Hess  https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/jeremy-j-hess   

Sustainable communities, climate change, disaster resilience, environmental health, environmental justice, heat, wildfires
Joel Kaufman     https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/jo  

Clean air, sustainable communities, environmental health, occupational medicine, pollution, wildfires
Jason Mendoza https://www.peds.uw.edu/user/1321   

Community and school-based research on eliminating health inequities, physical activity, food insecurity on youth
Steve Mooney https://epi.washington.edu/faculty/mooney-stephen/   

How cities affect health, built environment influences on pedestrian injury and physical activity, epidemiologic methodology
Jennifer Otten https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/jennifer-j-otten   

Safe food, sustainable communities, COVID-19, nutrition, policy
Helen Pineo https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/helen-pineo/   

Ethnographic methods, development, regeneration, how urban policy can support health and sustainability, change stories
Brian Saelens https://sph.washington.edu/faculty/facbio/Saelens_Brian   

Adolescent health; obesity
Edmund Seto  https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/edmund-y-w-seto   

Clean air, clean water, sustainable communities, built environment, climate change, community-engaged research, environmental health, environmental justice, health equity, infectious diseases, policy, pollution, risk assessment, wildfires
Qing Shen  https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/qing-shen/   

Information and communication technologies, urban economics and metropolitan transportation planning and policy
Jan Whittington https://urbdp.be.uw.edu/people/jan-whittington/   

Infrastructure, economics, climate change, privacy and cybersecurity, finance

 

 

MPH/MUP Program Contacts

Program Director  

Andrew L. Dannenberg, MD, MPH, Affiliate Professor, Dept. of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, and Dept. of Urban Design and Planning, College of Built Environments; https://deohs.washington.edu/faculty/andrew-dannenberg; email: adannen@uw.edu 

Graduate Degree Program Coordinators 

MUP: Diana Siembor, udp@uw.edu

MPH, Environmental Health Sciences: Amy Ritter, ehug@uw.edu 

MPH, Health Systems and Population Health: Lauren Szychowski, hservask@uw.edu 

MPH, COPHP:  Mimi Krutein, uwcophp@uw.edu  

Students who seek expanded learning in the field of transportation planning may consider an informal concurrent degree with the MUP and the Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). The CEE master’s program offers two degree options, which can be viewed here. 108 credits minimum are required to earn an informal concurrent degree. From the MUP program perspective, a student must earn the 72 credits required for the MUP degree + 36 credits of the other degree. Up to 12 credits beyond 36 for the other degree can be ‘shared’. In the case of MUP + CEE non-thesis track, which is 42 credits, a maximum of 6 credits can be shared.

Additional Information

For more information about concurrent degrees, please visit the Concurrent Degree Programs on the UW Graduate School website.