Urban & Regional Planning Major

Urban and regional planning is a major that typically falls into the Architecture/Urban Planning category.

There are 0 programs available throughout the country that offer an associate’s degree in urban planning, 49 that offer a bachelor’s degree, and 102 that offer a master’s degree. There are also at least 29 schools in the nation where you can get your doctorate degree in the field.

Who Is Getting an Urban Planning Degree?

Urban and regional planning is one of the least chosen majors in the country, ranked #171 in popularity. About 900 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in the field in 2017. This major tends to be male dominated. About 59.7% of recent graduates are men.

Racial Distribution

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

• Asian: 7%
• Black or African American: 4.2%
• Hispanic or Latino: 14.4%
• White: 59.4%
• Non-Resident Alien: 8.2%
• Other Races: 6.8%

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in urban planning. About 8.2% of those graduating in 2017 were international students. The most popular countries sending urban planning majors to the U.S. are China, India and South Korea.

What Will You Learn as an Urban & Regional Planning Major?

An O*NET survey asked people with careers related to urban planning to rate how important certain subject areas were to their job. The following are some of the results of that survey. Importance was 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:

Skills for Urban Planning Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to urban planning:

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:

What Can You Do With an Urban Planning Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with urban planning:

Careers Related to Urban & Regional Planning

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

Urban & Regional Planning Major Salary

Average salaries range from $76,000 to $99,000 for careers related to urban planning. 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, the typical high school graduate makes between $29,000 and $57,000 a year. The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $44,000 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,000 and $120,000.

The area of the country you choose to work in will also affect your career and salary prospects. Getting a graduate degree may open up more options with higher salary potential.

Amount of Education Required for Urban & Regional Planning Major Jobs

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 Levels for Careers Associated With Urban & Regional Planning

Level of Education	Percentage of Workers
Less Than a High School Diploma	0%
High School Diploma or Equivalent	0%
Post-Secondary Certificate	0%
Some College Courses	0%
Associate's Degree or Equivalent	2.6%
Bachelor's Degree	30.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate	4.2%
Master's Degree	45.6%
Post-Master's Certificate	0%
First Professional Degree	6.2%
Doctoral Degree	11.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	0%

Online Urban & Regional Planning Programs

There are 49 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning, with 2 of them offering at least some courses online.

Online learners must listen or watch video lectures, participate in group chats or forums, submit papers and assignments electronically, take tests, and meet deadlines.

Online learners benefit from being able to watch lectures remotely and complete coursework on their schedule, but they also take longer to graduate than average and are more likely to dropout.

Is an Urban & Regional Planning Major Worth It?

The median salary for an urban planning grad is $88,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 126% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $981,000 after 20 years!

Related Majors

• General Architecture
• Urban & Regional Planning
• Environmental Design
• Interior Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• Architectural History
• Architectural Sciences
• Real Estate Development
• Other Architecture

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
O*NET Online
Image Credit: Arcaddmarketing via License