Only current KU undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts &Sciences (CLAS) are eligible to apply to the Accelerated Master of Urban Planning. If you are not a current undergraduate student at KU, please consider the Master of Urban Planning.
The Accelerated Master of Urban Planning combines a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences undergraduate major and the Master of Urban Planning and is designed for students who have a passion for problem solving and helping communities engage with their futures. It allows well-qualified students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years, rather than the six years it would take to earn each degree separately. This program combines in-depth training in the major of the student’s choice with an accredited professional master’s degree in urban planning. Graduates are prepared for careers in the public, private and not-for profit sectors helping make communities better places.
Any CLAS undergraduate major is good preparation for an urban planning career because the profession is so wide-ranging in the skills required. Planners can be specialists (transportation, sustainable land use, or housing and development) or generalists working on how all these systems work together to create great places. Planners can be technical experts working with numbers or communicators building relationships or both. Get the undergraduate degree you have always wanted, then the career you probably did not know existed, but is right and meaningful for you.
Careful course selection and steady progression through the undergraduate major is necessary to ensure all requirements for both degrees are completed within the 5-year time frame. All prospective students should discuss their interest with the undergraduate advisor for the major of their choice and the Urban Planning Program director as soon as possible. A meeting with the Urban Planning Program director should take place no later than the student’s junior year to discuss possible admission to the accelerated master's program.
The program maintains rolling admissions. Prospective students are eligible to apply to the graduate program as early as the second semester of their sophomore year or at any time during their junior year, but rolling admissions allows for applications at any time. The following requirements must be met by this time:
- On track to complete all requirements for a B.A., B.S., or B.G.S. degree in the CLAS degree of their choice from KU by the second semester of the senior year.
Students pursuing the accelerated master's degree are also strongly encouraged to take the following as preparatory courses* for the master’s curriculum:
UBPL 200: Sustainability and Society – sophomore year
UBPL 300: Planning the Sustainable City – junior year
*In some cases, it may be possible for these courses to substitute for major electives. Consult with your undergraduate advisor to determine if this is an option for your major.
Applicants must complete an application for graduate study online. The following information should be gathered in advance and uploaded with the application:
- Statement of interest that succinctly summarizes the students’ interests, education, their long-term career goals, and how the accelerated degree program will help them achieve those goals;
- A copy of the student’s advising report
- The names of three persons qualified to comment on the applicant’s academic abilities and probable success in graduate study. These individuals will be asked to provide a letter of recommendation. At least two should be faculty members who have had the student in class.
Upon review of the application for admission, the Urban Planning Program will notify the student of their eligibility to begin coursework in the program. Final acceptance to the Master of Urban Planning graduate program will be contingent upon the following:
- Successful completion of all requirements for the bachelor’s degree;
- Grades of B or above in all urban planning graduate-level coursework
Any student who does not meet this minimum grade requirement may continue in the program but must repeat any graduate course for which they did not earn a B or above. Students may also elect to earn only the bachelor’s degree and re-apply to the graduate program at a later time.
Curriculum
The M.U.P degree consists of core courses, specialization courses, elective courses, and a Master's degree final exam. While completing the following degree requirements, students are expected to understand and follow Office Graduate Studies policies relevant to their student status and academic standing.
The curriculum requires each student to specialize in one of the following substantive areas:
- Housing and development planning
- Sustainable land use planning
- Transportation planning
Prior to Conferral of the Bachelor's Degree
Students must be approved to begin coursework toward the master’s before completing any 500 level or above coursework in Urban Planning that is to count toward the master’s degree. Once approved, the student must complete the following 18 credit hours of Urban Planning courses while still an undergraduate student:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| |
| UBPL 705 | Urban Economic Theory and Analysis | 3 |
| UBPL 736 | Planning Law and Institutions | 3 |
| UBPL 741 | Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking | 3 |
| UBPL 785 | History and Theory of Planning | 3 |
| See below for the specializations and which courses go with each specialization | 6 |
| |
| |
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| Total Hours | 18 |
After Conferral of the Bachelor's Degree
After the bachelor's degree has been conferred, the student will complete a total of 24 post-baccalaureate graduate credit hours, consisting of the following:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| |
| UBPL 742 | Applied Data and Spatial Analysis | 3 |
| UBPL 763 | Politics and Public Management | 3 |
| UBPL 777 | Equity, Justice, and American Cities | 3 |
| UBPL 780 | Climate Change and Hazards Planning | 3 |
| See below for the specializations and which courses go with which specialization | 6-9 |
| |
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| 3-6 |
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Master of Urban Planning Electives:
Elective coursework can be selected from the department’s graduate course offerings focusing in the areas of housing, transportation, or sustainable land use. Additional detail of elective courses and completion requirements can be found on the MUP Degree Requirements page. Students are encouraged to consult the UBPL Program Director when choosing elective courses.
Master's Final Exam
Students in the Accelerated Master’s must successfully pass a final exam. The examination provides a learning experience that encourages the student to synthesize the knowledge gained through course work and tests the student’s competence as a generalist/specialist planner. The examination consists of the student preparing a written response to a scenario or case study in which they are asked to synthesize knowledge gained in their course work and apply it within a particular context. Two Urban Planning faculty members assess and grade the exam with Honors, Pass, or Retake. Up to two retake attempts are permitted. The department will determine an appropriate minimum interval between exam attempts.
Progression Requirements
Each student’s progress will be monitored at various points during the program:
- Upon approval to begin coursework toward the accelerated masters, the student will meet with the UBPL Program Director to plan the graduate UBPL courses to be taken for elective undergraduate credit. Students should continue to work closely with their undergraduate advisor to ensure all requirements for the undergraduate degree(s) are met.
- In the final spring semester of undergraduate study (Year 4), the student will meet with the UBPL Program Director to review the student’s performance in UBPL courses. The student must earn a grade of “B” or better in these courses to be eligible for regular admission to the Master of Urban Planning degree.
- Following completion and award of the undergraduate degree (end of Year 4), the admitted student will again meet with the UBPL Program Director to review the course plan for the fifth year of study and update as needed. The student’s performance in the graduate-level courses taken as an undergraduate will be evaluated. To continue in the track, students must earn a combined minimum GPA of 3.25 for these courses. At this time, the student will meet with a faculty advisor who is overseeing that specialization to ensure the course plan is on track.
- For those students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.25 in the first semester of Year 5 an alternative plan of study to address the student’s deficiencies may be developed, at the program’s sole discretion. Students may also be dismissed from the program.
- If the baccalaureate degree is not completed at the end of Year 4, the student will not be permitted to enroll in courses for graduate credit toward the MUP degree until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.
Students are encouraged to complete all requirements for the master’s degree within one year of receiving the bachelor’s degree to take full advantage of the accelerated format. If unforeseen circumstances prevent the timely completion of the master’s degree, the student should consult with their graduate advisor to develop an alternative plan for completion.
