Master of Urban Planning
Study urban challenges in the city and world around you
Today the world is reexamining the interaction of human settlements and place in the context of complex challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization and a global crisis in public health. In creating the policies and tools that shape our environment, urban planners are central to the development of sustainable and enriching places for all.
UB’s nationally accredited Master of Urban Planning program is built around practice-based learning and research that tackles every urban planning challenge you can imagine. Our shared drive to build a better world engages real projects and communities, from the most challenged neighborhoods of Buffalo, NY, to Africa, India, and the Caribbean Islands.
Diverse paths converge here
UB welcomes students from any undergraduate major to apply for our Master of Urban Planning degree. Our students come from backgrounds in the social sciences, economics, environmental studies, architecture, public policy, and beyond.
The new normal
Urban planning and development have the potential to offer solutions as the world confronts an historic pandemic and systemic racial injustice. Indeed, urban planning emerged in the early 1900s to address unhealthy conditions in industrial cites. And while the discipline has a complex legacy tied to racial segregation - from racist zoning policy to highways that split cities along racial lines - today urban planning is driving policy and action toward healthier and more just communities. Learn more about our recent work on public health and social justice.
Build foundational skills as you push new ideas
The two-year professional degree combines practical experience and boundary-pushing research through a core curriculum of studios, general electives, colloquia, and a culminating professional thesis or project. Seminars and studios investigate sustainable development, environmental policies, ecology, environmental design, economics, natural resources, sociology, and anthropology. The program also explores sustainability through the lens of environmental design, ethical considerations, and economics.
You can learn more about the accreditation process at the Planning Accreditation Board’s web site.
Explore the work of our studios and student research
Join our vibrant, diverse student community
Students in our MUP program are community-minded and collaborative, contributing in invaluable ways to the intellectual life of our school. Learn more about how you can get involved in our student leadership organizations.
Collaborate with global thought leaders
Nationally ranked for research
Our faculty rank at the top of their peers in the prestigious Association of American Universities for research, including publications and funding awards.
Combining a depth of experience in the profession and academy, our faculty are international thought leaders and influencers in fields such as food systems planning, climate resilience, global health equity, urban design, transportation planning and policy, and historic preservation. UB's urban planning faculty rank at the top of their peers in the Association of American Universities in publications and funding awards.
The UB MUP offers high levels of faculty-student interaction and opportunities to incubate your ideas through independent research. Many of our faculty direct research centers and labs that support grant-funded research and opportunities for field research in local and global settings. Research generated by our faculty has been featured in top planning journals including Built Environment, Journal of the American Planning Association, and the Journal of Planning Education. We work creatively across the disciplines at UB, a flagship of The State University of New York (SUNY) and the most comprehensive public research university in the Northeast.
We accept and review applications year round. We're ready to answer your questions and eager to help you explore your interest in real estate development.
Explore dual degree options
Get an education with an outstanding ROI
With a total cost of study (in-state tuition and fees) of approximately $25,000, UB offers an unmatched, affordable graduate education with an outstanding ROI. In addition to affordable tuition, over 55 percent of our students are awarded financial awards. Make a smart investment in your future – pursue an MUP at UB.
In the field, from Buffalo to Kashimir
Frederick Law Olmsted designed Buffalo's nationally recognized park and parkway system. The system is featured in the School of Architecture and Planning's documentary short on our relationship to Buffalo, "See It Through Buffalo." Photo by First + Main Films.
Our practice-based approach to urban planning is built around our deep-rooted engagement with the City of Buffalo, its neighborhoods, and its people. In the midst of an historic rebirth centered on its legacy of world-class urban design and architecture, Buffalo also faces persistent gaps in economic opportunity, quality of life and public health - a dynamic that grounds our teaching and research. From our UB Regional Institute's work on a $65 million community-driven economic development plan for Buffalo's East Side, to a recent studio on redesigning the maligned Scajaquada Expressway, we are active in every corner of our community, from the site to regional scale.
Our work is equally global. Faculty research sponsored by the United Nations, National Science Foundation, Urban Land Institute and American Planning Association support in-the-field learning around the world while study abroad programs take students from Estonia to Costa Rica.
Build a Diverse Career Path
Graduates of our program find diverse job opportunities in government agencies (local, state, and federal), international agencies, development authorities, ecological planning, nonprofit organizations, natural resource management, historic preservation, community groups, land development firms, environmental conservation, and consulting companies. Professional preparation is built right into our program through real-world studio projects and hands-on research. Our deep industry and community connections provide ready opportunities for networking, mentorship and internships.
Meet our Alumni: Making an Impact
Best in the field
Graduates of the School of Architecture and Planning carry the qualities of next-generation leaders: grit, courage, enterprise, and collaboration. Our graduates are adept problem-solvers and nimble at working across disciplines, communities and the complex built and social landscape. It's why UB graduates are leading the profession's most emergent areas of practice.
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