by our College Data Analytics TeamInstead of building castles in the sky, do you spend time day-dreaming up your own city? A major in Urban and Regional Planning would prepare you to develop and maintain city and community centers around the world. City planners are responsible for planning the buildings, roads, parks and utilities of cities and urban centers. They also address issues of city sprawl, endless traffic, few natural spaces, and a lack of reliable public transportation.
Your course load will depend on the college you choose. Common courses in this major can range from topics such as economics, architectural principles, management, drafting, law and geographic information system.
A degree in Urban & Regional Planning involves the study of City/urban, Community, And Regional Planning. Continue reading for the important information every urban & regional planning student should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering urban & regional planning programs.
In the U.S., urban & regional planning is a popular field of study, with 2,362 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Urban & Regional Planning Schools ranking analyzes these 115 schools to determine the best overall colleges for urban & regional planning students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of urban & regional planning programs later in this article.
Coursework for Urban & Regional Planning build a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations urban & regional planning graduates commonly enter.
If you think you would enjoy learning and applying principles of planning, analyzing, and architecture to developing and improving urban areas, this may be the major for you. A career as a city, community or regional planner is for someone who takes pleasure in understanding how social, economic, and political systems work together. Students will rely on the principles of architectural design in order to create communities that are eco-friendly and appealing to its residents. This is done by designing public transportation, affordable housing, and comfortable and environmentally friendly buildings.
Critical assessment and problem identification are necessary skills for this major. It is also imperative to be able to evaluate and come up with strategies to fix problems and implement solutions. Students will need to be strong thinkers with an interest in correcting present problems and avoiding problems in the future. The idea is not to provide a Band-Aid to an issue, but to actually fix it in order to create livable and healthy environments for communities all around the world. Students should be prepared to build physical models and designs as well as models on the computer.
Skills developed in a urban & regional planning program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a urban & regional planning major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several urban & regional planning degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 10 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 669 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 1,611 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 72 |
People currently working in careers related to urban & regional planning tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 36.4% |
| Master’s degree | 22.1% |
| Doctoral degree | 18.7% |
| First professional degree | 10.5% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 6.2% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 2.1% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 1.8% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 1.1% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.5% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.5% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in urban & regional planning careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
With a degree in Urban and Regional Planning a student can go in many different directions. They can become a land use and code enforcement planners, transportation planners, environmental and natural resources planners, economic development planners, and urban design planners. With so many different focuses, it really allows the student to pick what interests and inspires them.
In order to become a city planner a master's degree is necessary. Most programs will accept undergrads with a degree in a range of topics, such as economics, geography, political science, or environmental design. Depending on what interests you, the graduate program you pick will focus on the issues that mean the most to you.
A degree in urban & regional planning opens doors to a variety of career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to urban & regional planning.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to urban & regional planning.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other | 1,421,275 | 11.1% |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | 489,715 | 11.8% |
| Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | 440,884 | 8.0% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 207,139 | 9.0% |
| Urban and Regional Planners | 52,637 | 8.1% |
The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of urban & regional planning graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $57,381 |
| 4 years | $68,856 |
| 5 years | $79,049 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for urban & regional planning graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers urban & regional planning grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $101,277 |
| Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers | $89,263 |
| Urban and Regional Planners | $66,890 |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | $66,757 |
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other | $47,617 |
With 115 different urban & regional planning programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased urban & regional planning school rankings to help you.
Students interested in urban & regional planning, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 2,362 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | 9,814 |
| Architecture | 4,594 |
| Landscape Architecture | 1,050 |
| Interior Architecture | 756 |
| Environmental Design | 714 |
| Real Estate Development | 555 |
| Architecture and Related Services, Other | 166 |
| Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation | 151 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
