Urban Planning

Types of Degrees Urban Planning Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many urban & regional planning graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,465
Graduate Certificate	156
Doctor’s Degree	92

What Urban Planning Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to urban planning were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Urban Planning Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in urban planning should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Urban Planning Majors

A major in urban planning prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Urban Planning Majors

A major in urban planning will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Urban Planning Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with urban planning:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Architecture Professors	10.5%	$86,980
Social Sciences Professors	9.8%	$71,600
Urban and Regional Planners	12.8%	$73,050

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning?

The major attracts more women than men. About 56% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of urban planning majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	106
Black or African American	125
Hispanic or Latino	217
White	753
International Students	172
Other Races/Ethnicities	92

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Urban Planning. About 11.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Urban Planning

Some careers associated with urban planning require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for urban planning careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	30.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.2%
Master’s Degree	45.6%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	6.2%
Doctoral Degree	11.2%

Online Urban Planning Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	37	5
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	96	4
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	27	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to Urban Planning

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to urban planning.

Major	Number of Grads
Architectural Sciences & Technology	9,033
General Architecture	4,794
Landscape Architecture	926
Interior Architecture	850
Environmental Design	719
Real Estate Development	549
Architecture (Other)	206
Architectural History	158

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Arcaddmarketing under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.