Urban Planning, MUP MUP
Urban planners help to create better communities. Our professional Master of Urban Planning graduate degree empowers you to transform communities, drive policy and foster connections across diverse neighborhoods. And any undergraduate degree can lead you here.
From shaping urban spaces to advocating for social justice, you’ll work alongside faculty, local organizations and public agencies to address critical issues in housing, transportation and economic development. Plus, you can choose from concentrations in GIS or Real Estate Development to align your studies with your passion for sustainable, inclusive urban growth.
Program Type
Master’s
Program Format
On Campus
What’s it like to study at the School of Architecture & Urban Planning?
Immerse yourself in a program where practice meets purpose. You’ll build partnerships with community groups, agencies and nonprofits while working on real projects. Our faculty are directly involved in local and regional planning activities, which means you’ll learn firsthand how to shape equitable places, shift power toward public interest and explore bold possibilities. You can also engage in applied research through the Center for Equity Practice & Planning Justice and the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety. Plus, you’ll meet guest speakers and professionals — including many alumni — who can help you build valuable connections.
But don’t take our word for it. See for yourself what it is like to be a student here by scheduling a visit to campus.
Master of Urban Planning (MUP) Program Details
The Master of Urban Planning (MUP) is a professional program designed to prepare you for careers in public planning agencies, nonprofit organizations or in private practice. During the program, you’ll learn though classes, practice-based projects, internships and other hands-on opportunities, such as faculty-led research and community-based events.
An undergraduate degree in any discipline is required for admission to this graduate degree. Students have come from backgrounds in architecture, geography, political science, engineering, urban studies, business and many more.
Review the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) requirements.
Concentrations
The Master of Urban Planning offers two optional transcript-designated concentrations to add specialization to your degree.
How to Apply
Applying to a program offered by UWM’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning is simple with our detailed application instructions. Learn what materials to prepare and confidently take next steps with important dates in mind.
Graduate Assistantships + Scholarships & Aid
Graduate students may be eligible to receive funding support through teaching, research and project assistantships. Graduate assistantships typically include full tuition remission, annual stipend and affordable state health coverage through the university.
UW-Milwaukee offers a variety of cost-saving opportunities, including scholarships, grants, fellowships and residency-based tuition rates. Plus, we offer several scholarships available exclusively to School of Architecture & Urban Planning students.
Projects
The greater Milwaukee community is a living laboratory for learning and discovery. Your core courses and many elective courses engage you in real-life planning experiences where you’ll work in groups, under faculty supervision, for clients in the community. That means you’ll learn firsthand the challenges and rewards of articulating a vision, finding solutions, analyzing policies and preparing plans.
Internships
Our location in Milwaukee offers an array of planning internships and opportunities that are made possible by faculty relationships with practitioners. Students have interned with dozens of different planning agencies, including:
- Milwaukee Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative
- Milwaukee Department of City Development and Milwaukee Department of Public Works
- Suburban planning offices
- Department of Natural Resources
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
- Consulting firms and nonprofit organizations
Research Opportunities
As a top-tier R1 research university, we’re experts at offering students opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research alongside faculty in areas like ecological design, historic preservation and urban planning. With paid research positions at the undergrad and graduate level and a specialized Resource Center to support your research, there is no limit to what you might uncover. Learn more about research opportunities.
Student Organizations
Learn in action through architecture and urban planning student organizations. Opportunities include connecting with professional association leaders, attending national conferences and tackling real-world projects for clients and community partners. Plus, you’ll deepen your connections with faculty, mentors and fellow students. Check out our student organizations.
Career Outlook
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook
Where Urban Planners Work
The majority of planners work for municipalities, including central cities and suburbs within major metropolitan areas and suburbs. They also work in medium-sized and smaller cities that serve as the hub of activity for a larger rural area. Planners also work in county government, for regional planning agencies and in state government. A significant number of planners work in the private sector as well.
Here are some additional examples where planners work:
- Architecture firms hire planners to help them design more functional neighborhoods.
- Banks hire planners to assist them in making community investment decisions.
- Economic development agencies hire planners to help them better understand the linkages between public policies and employment and to better communicate with employers about the competitive advantages of specific locations.
- Nonprofit community organizations hire planners to operate housing, mortgage assistance, or economic development programs.
- Real estate developers hire planers to help them negotiate development terms that meet the developer’s needs while addressing the concerns of neighborhoods and city councils.
- School districts hire planners to help with resource allocation decisions or initiatives dealing with new approaches to service delivery.
- Transportation agencies (such as state highway departments and local transit agencies) need urban planners to help them better integrate proposed transportation improvements (whether highways, transit, or bike facilities) with new residential and commercial development.
Career Resources
We’re committed to helping you launch your career from your first semester to your first job and beyond. We offer a variety of ways for you to build your professional network and prepare for a successful transition into your career. Learn more about career resources.
Which faculty you have within this program depends on your chosen courses or interests. For a list of all School of Architecture & Urban Planning faculty and staff please click the button below.
- Associate Professor & Co-Chair, Urban Planning
- cesswein@uwm.edu
- 414-977-7744
- Arch & Urban Planning 389
- Associate Professor, Urban Planning
- Founding Director, Center for Equity Practice & Planning Justice
- keharris@uwm.edu
- 414-229-5824
- Arch & Urban Planning 322
