Urban & Regional Planning

Types of Degrees Urban & Regional Planning Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many urban and regional planning graduations there were in 2017-2018 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,683
Bachelor’s Degree	839
Doctor’s Degree	101
Graduate Certificate	41
Basic Certificate	18
Undergraduate Certificate	3

What Urban & Regional Planning Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, urban planning majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the 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

urban planning majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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 a urban planning major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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 & Regional 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 & Regional Planning?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 839 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning in 2018, making it rank #171 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 60% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	59
Black or African American	35
Hispanic or Latino	121
White	498
International Students	69
Other Races/Ethnicities	57

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Urban Planning. About 8.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• South Korea
• Canada
• Saudi Arabia

How Much Do Urban & Regional Planning Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning made a median starting salary of $33,250 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $31,550 (25th percentile) and $38,425 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in urban planning, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Urban Planning majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $76,240 to $99,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Urban & Regional Planning

Some careers associated with urban planning require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 & Regional Planning Programs

In 2017-2018, 134 schools offered a urban planning program of some type. 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)	5	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	24	2
Post-Baccalaureate	5	0
Master’s Degree	102	2
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	28	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Urban & Regional Planning Worth It?

The median salary for a urban planning grad is $87,950 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 120% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $961,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Urban & Regional Planning

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

Major	Number of Grads
General Architecture	7,514
Architectural Sciences & Technology	3,804
Landscape Architecture	1,288
Environmental Design	702
Interior Architecture	574
Real Estate Development	370
Architecture (Other)	302
Architectural History	120

References

• 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.