Urban and Environmental Planning, MUEP
Want to make an impact? Prepare to become a leader in the planning profession and impact your community. Through small classes and practical projects, this two-year professional degree program equips you to solve complex issues in diverse communities.
Quick facts
Locations
Credits
Additional facts
STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
International students (F1), this program is not eligible for the STEM-OPT extension.
Accreditation and professional licensure
The program is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, enablin...
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Degree description
The Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program trains you, as a creative, skilled and ethical professional planner, through real-world, transdisciplinary learning. In the program, you develop the tools and judgment to navigate complex systems, engage communities, and address pressing challenges across environmental, social, economic and political domains. The program emphasizes building strong foundations in theories of planning; methods of analysis; planning processes; and creative implementation of planning tools, strategies and approaches. These foundational skills are complemented by opportunities to apply your knowledge to real-world planning challenges, including coursework that integrates local community partnerships and integrated networking and professional development throughout the program.
The MUEP program offers you a valuable opportunity to integrate urban and environmental aspects of planning in a rapidly developing metropolitan area. Cohort-driven classes, one-on-one advising and a common core of courses that translate knowledge into practice give you opportunities to build technical skills and grow your professional network.
As a part of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, the program is enriched by the school's planning faculty, with expertise across the discipline including transportation, environmental planning, housing and community development, as well as a transdisciplinary faculty with expertise in geography, geographic information systems, urban climate and sustainability. You have access to a wide selection of electives within the school, enabling you to explore a range of contemporary planning issues that align with your interests, as well as complementary courses in allied fields of study. The program's dedicated advising model supports you in selecting course work, within the school and across the university, that aligns with your professional goals. The program is also complemented by the participation of faculty from other disciplines within the university and collaboration with leading planning practitioners in the Phoenix area.
Faculty research and teaching interests focus especially on the following broad interdisciplinary themes:
- city building and urban structure
- environmental and resiliency planning
- housing, neighborhoods and community development
- spatial analytics and smart cities
- transportation planning and policy
Curriculum
This graduate degree includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below.
47 credit hours and a thesis, or
47 credit hours including the required applied project course (PUP 593), or
47 credit hours including the required capstone course (PUP 580)
Required Core (21 credit hours) Electives (14 or 15 credit hours) Other Requirements (6 credit hours) Culminating Experience (5 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information Elective courses should be selected in consultation with your program advisor. Students must complete at least six credit hours of PUP 500- or 600-level coursework and at least three credit hours of other courses offered by SGSUP with the prefixes PUP, GPH, GCU or GIS. Students take PUP 576 or another methods course approved by the department. Students take PUP 542 or another environmental planning course approved by the department. Online students must take PUP 580 as their culminating experience.
PUP 501 Planning, History and Theory (3)
PUP 520 Planning Practice, Ethics and Processes (3)
PUP 531 Planning and Development Control Law (3)
PUP 544 Urban Land Use Planning (3)
PUP 571 Quantitative Methods for Planners (3)
PUP 579 Qualitative Methods for Planners (3)
PUP 642 Urban and Regional Economic Analysis (3)
PUP 542 Environmental Planning (3)
PUP 576 GIS Workshop for Planners (3)
PUP 580 Practicum: Planning Workshop (5) or
PUP 593 Applied Project (5) or
PUP 599 Thesis (6)
Students take either 14 credit hours of electives for the thesis option or 15 credit hours of electives for the nonthesis option.
What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Apply quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis methods appropriately.
- Effectively communicate planning concepts and recommendations through written reports, graphic visualization, and oral presentations.
- Apply ethical planning principles in course projects.
Apply quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis methods appropriately.Admission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants (opens in new window) | International applicants (opens in new window) | English proficiency (opens in new window)
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. An applicant with a cumulative GPA between 2.50 and 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") may still be considered. All applicants must submit: Additional Application Information The personal statement should be no longer than 600 words and must address the applicant's: Letters of recommendation are not required for admission to the MUEP program; however, prospective students are encouraged to submit up to three letters to strengthen their application or provide necessary context to the application. Recommenders may include professional supervisors or colleagues, or academic supervisors (e.g., former professors and instructors) who can speak to the applicant's academic or professional experiences and qualifications to pursue a graduate degree. Examples of applicants who may consider submitting letters of recommendation include:
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
Application deadlines
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 01/15 | Priority* |
| Session A/C | Online | 08/01 | Priority* |
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | Online | 12/01 | Priority* |
*A priority deadline means that applications submitted and completed before the priority deadline will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted after the priority deadlines will be reviewed in the order in which they were completed and on a space-available basis. An application is complete after all materials are received by Admission Services.
Explore expanded study opportunities
This program allows you to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. As a high-achieving student, accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for you to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of your master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
Approval to pursue the accelerated master's is typically granted during the junior year of your bachelor's degree program. If you are interested, you can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
ASU offers formally approved and coordinated degree programs at the graduate degree level. These programs include a designated number of approved credit hours that are shared by two degrees. For most concurrent degree programs, you apply once through the ASU graduate application. However, if you want to pursue a concurrent program that includes a law degree, you must submit both the ASU graduate application and the law school application.
This degree is also offered as a concurrent program with the following:
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students recieve financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Professionals with expertise in planning theory and practice are in high demand across sectors and industries, including planning consulting firms, local governments and community organizations. Skills in environmental impact assessment, geographical data analysis and community resiliency planning are valuable to businesses and institutions that rely on practical, research-based approaches to solve complex problems.
Alumni of the MUEP program work as professional planners in a variety of public, private and nonprofit settings. Career examples include:
- city and regional planning aide
- geospatial information technologist
- social services director
- sustainability specialist
- transportation planner
- urban and regional planner
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
|
COOR 5671
SGSUP.gradprograms@asu.edu
480-965-7533
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
