International students can study the Urban Planning and Policy at Northeastern University on the Boston campus in United States of America. This Master degree is available as a Full Time program delivered on campus in English. The program has a duration of 3 years and is offered at the Boston campus. Students can apply for the next intake starting on January 1, 2027.

About Master of Urban Planning and Policy

The Master of Science in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) trains leaders interested in building just and sustainable solutions to today’s critical urban problems. The program combines the expertise in urban planning, policy analysis, and data analytics from the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs with expertise in physical planning, design, and data visualization from the School of Architecture. Its curriculum provides students with a solid foundation in research design and statistics, economic analysis, legal foundations planning, and the history of urban development and urban planning. Students also specialize in one of four concentrations: Urban Design and Physical Planning; Urban Analytics; Urban Sustainability and Resilience; and Urban Development Policy and Planning.

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Unique Features

Graduate students may also participate in Northeastern’s signature cooperative education experience program. Cooperative education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities experiential liberal arts framework. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified graduate students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States. Graduate students take their work from campus learning spaces, apply their knowledge outside of the classroom, and then bring knowledge and skills gained in community learning spaces back to our campus learning spaces during the co-curricular experiential integration course.
Students in the MUPP program have opportunities to gain experience in the application of their knowledge and skills via internships, class projects, and a capstone research report. They graduate prepared for careers in state and local government, federal agencies, community development corporations and other nonprofit organizations, research institutes, and as private-sector planning consultants.
Students can add a graduate certificate to their degree to demonstrate specialized training in the nonprofit sector, urban studies, urban analytics, or public policy analysis. Courses taken to complete a certificate also count as MUPP elective credits. Students with an interest in a specific field may work with their academic advisor to identify elective courses relevant to their area of interest.

MUPP Focus Areas

Urban Design and Physical Planning: The Urban Design and Physical Planning specialization provides students with a foundation in principles and practices involved in designing vibrant, accessible, and sustainable urban spaces. Students learn theories of urban design and techniques and software of design representation. They can choose from three subtracks within the specialization: Urban Design and Real Estate, Physical Planning and Design for Sustainable Urbanism, and Urban Experience Design. The Urban Design and Real Estate subtrack provides students skills in real estate finance and practice to prepare them to work with designers, communities, real estate professionals, government agencies, and other stakeholders to create great urban places. The subtrack in Physical Planning and Design for Sustainable Urbanism develops skills to realize ecologically sustainable urban development through the application of principles of environmental and urban design in the planning and policy process. Students in the subtrack in Urban Experience Design learn methods for analyzing and visualizing the city as a data environment and designing for human interaction within urban systems.

Urban Analytics: The Urban Analytics focus area prepares students for careers analyzing data to solve urban problems. Students develop cutting-edge skills in big data analysis, data visualization, and geographic information aystems, and learn the theoretical and practical skills to analyze cities as a system of systems. Electives allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the application of data analytics techniques in the areas of environmental policy and planning, transportation and land use planning, and climate change adaptation and mitigation, among others.

Urban Sustainability and Resilience: The Urban Sustainability and Resilience specialization is intended for students interested in working on critical issues of climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental sustainability, and disaster planning facing cities. The curriculum provides a theoretical foundation in the interaction between the built environment of cities and ecological systems, and in methods like dynamic modeling and geographic information systems that are used to analyze these issues. Electives allow students to explore both the policy and physical planning and urban design dimensions of issues of sustainability and resilience.

Urban Development Policy and Planning: The Urban Development Policy and Planning specialization area prepares students for careers working on issues of housing, economic development, and community development facing cities. The coursework allows students to focus their studies on specific topics. For example, students interested in housing can choose coursework that provides a strong background in housing policy and real estate finance and practice, while students interested in community development might choose coursework on community development, immigration policy, or nonprofit management.

The Master of Science in Urban Planning and Policy trains students to work as urban planners in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The curriculum provides a solid foundation in planning and policy while allowing students to develop substantial expertise in one of four focus areas: Urban Design and Physical Planning; Urban Analytics; Urban Sustainability and Resilience; and Urban Development Policy and Planning.

Graduate students may also participate in Northeastern’s signature cooperative education experience program. Cooperative education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities experiential liberal arts framework. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified graduate students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States. Graduate students take their work from campus learning spaces, apply their knowledge outside of the classroom, and then bring knowledge and skills gained in community learning spaces back to our campus learning spaces during the co-curricular experiential integration course.
Students in the MUPP program have opportunities to gain experience in the application of their knowledge and skills via internships, class projects, and a capstone research report. They graduate prepared for careers in state and local government, federal agencies, community development corporations and other nonprofit organizations, research institutes, and as private-sector planning consultants.
Students can add a graduate certificate to their degree to demonstrate specialized training in the nonprofit sector, urban studies, urban analytics, or public policy analysis. Courses taken to complete a certificate also count as MUPP elective credits. Students with an interest in a specific field may work with their academic advisor to identify elective courses relevant to their area of interest.

Requirements and Admission Criteria for Master of Urban Planning and Policy at Northeastern University

Entry Requirements

Admissions Dates

Fall Term

Spring Term

Summer 1 Term


Final deadline for international applicants:	June 15
Final deadline for domestic applicants:	August 15
Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only):	August 25


Deadline for international applicants:	October 1
Deadline for domestic applicants:	December 15
Deadline for Special Student applicants (non-international only):	December 15


Domestic applicants only:	April 15

English Requirements

PTEMin 76
IELTSMin 8
TOEFLMin 108

English Program Requirements

Northeastern students will be exposed to not only a rigorous academic environment but also a fast-paced experiential one. In order to be successful in both, all first-year and transfer applicants, regardless of citizenship, must demonstrate proficiency in English to be considered for admission to Northeastern.

Once your application is submitted, received, and processed, you will be able to access your Application Status Check. If you are required to provide further information regarding your proficiency in English, you will be able to complete the requirement in several ways, depending on your familiarity with English, and the frequency with which you use English each and every day:

Non-native English-speaking applicants will be required to submit official and valid results from one of the following English Language Tests:
- C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency (Cambridge English)
- Duolingo English Test (DET)
- IELTS Academic
- PTE Academic
- TOEFL Internt-based Test (CEEB Code: 3667) Northeastern will accept either the in-person version completed in a test center, or the TOEFL iBT Home Edition
However, based on your academic environment and the primary instructional language in either your high school or university, you may be eligible for a waiver. All waivers must be submitted through your Application Status Check. For additional information and to determine whether or not you are eligible for a waiver, please read the section below on waiving the English proficiency requirement.

Please note: Northeastern’s Admissions Committee reserves the right to request proof of English language proficiency from any applicant, regardless of citizenship or first language, at any time during the evaluation process.

Tuition and Fee Information for Master of Urban Planning and Policy at Northeastern University

Application Fee 75

How to Apply for Master of Urban Planning and Policy at Northeastern University

1.Create your application
Submit your application through The Common Application or the Coalition Application (both are accepted). Once you have created your application, please select Northeastern University to directly submit your application to us. Application fee of $75 or need-based fee waiver* *Northeastern accepts need-based fee waivers from the Common Application, the Coalition Application, as well as organizations such as the College Board and ACT, or in a written request from a school official.
2.Submit all required materials
Double check to make sure that you have submitted all required materials. Even if your application has been submitted, we cannot begin reviewing your file until all of your required materials have been received. For applicants applying for the 2022-2023 academic year, Northeastern University is test-optional and does not require standardized testing to complete an application for admission.
3.Check your application status
Within seven days of applying, you should receive a confirmation email containing your Northeastern University ID number and instructions for setting up your Application Status Check account. To ensure all of the necessary documents have been submitted, and for updates or information about your application, visit your application status check.