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
Bachelor’s Degree	742
Graduate Certificate	156
Doctor’s Degree	92
Basic Certificate	22
Undergraduate Certificate	4

What Urban Planning Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to urban planning and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Urban Planning Majors

Urban Planning majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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

When studying urban planning, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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

As you progress with your urban planning degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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?

People with a urban planning degree often go into the following careers:

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 Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 788 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in urban & regional planning in 2021, making it rank #178 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 61% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	46
Black or African American	56
Hispanic or Latino	147
White	403
International Students	27
Other Races/Ethnicities	63

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Urban Planning. About 3.6% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Urban Planning

Some degrees associated with urban planning may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

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.