Urban and Regional Planning - Master of Urban and Regional Planning

The graduate program leading to a degree of Master in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) is committed to preparing students for professional planning careers in both the private and public sectors and seeks to develop both general planning knowledge and specific skills for practice. The program provides students with an advanced understanding of environment-, economy- and society-related planning issues using scientific, social scientific or humanistic approaches. Current faculty research and teaching expertise covers a wide range of planning subjects including urban design; land use planning; land use law; housing; community, economic and real estate development; natural resources; research methods; international development; transportation; technology; environmental planning; and public policy. The MURP degree is a nationally accredited degree and admits students with a variety of academic backgrounds.  Ideal students are those with strong intellectual ability; good written and verbal communication skills; basic statistical methods and have demonstrated a proven potential for leadership in the field of urban and regional planning.

A student entering the graduate program in urban and regional planning is expected to concentrate, under faculty guidance, on studies that provide an optimum learning experience in applying the various scientific principles, theories, techniques, and design skills of planning to specific field problems. The graduate student is immersed in significant planning studies and research. The graduate program is designed to provide professional competence. After graduation, the student should be capable of assuming responsibilities on an intermediate level of a professional planning operation. The master's program in Urban and Regional Planning has been accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

To be admitted to the master’s degree program, the applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution; a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0; a grade-point average below 3.0 may be supplemented with a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score of 1000 in verbal and quantitative, and an analytical writing score of 3.5. Students who are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) must submit scores.

Requirements for the Master in Urban and Regional Planning Degree in Urban and Regional Planning

The program is available under both Plan A (with thesis) and Plan B (without thesis).  The student must complete at least 43 credits and meet the requirements specified below:

Due to cancellations of many international English language proficiency tests, MSU will be temporarily accepting the following tests for international students applying for fall semester 2022. In addition, MSU will be expanding the ability for students to receive provisional admission. If a provisionally admitted student is able to take a test that meets our regular admission standards prior to enrollment, we will update their admission status to regular.