Bachelor of Science in Planning

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Planning (Course 11) at MIT is an interdisciplinary, preprofessional program designed for students interested in addressing social, environmental, economic, and urban challenges through planning, policy, design, and analytical methods. Students study how economics, policy analysis, political science, urban design, spatial analysis, and GIS can be combined to understand complex urban problems and develop solutions for public- and private-sector settings.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students build their MIT foundation through the General Institute Requirements while beginning to explore planning through subjects such as 11.001[J] Introduction to Urban Design and Development and 11.002[J] Making Public Policy. These courses introduce urban design, development, public policy, and the ways planning can respond to social and environmental challenges.

Year 2: Students strengthen their analytical foundation with 14.01 Principles of Microeconomics and 11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Laboratory (CI-M). This stage develops economic reasoning and hands-on spatial-analysis and GIS capabilities that can be applied to planning problems.

Year 3: Students select from 78–81 units of Planning electives, allowing them to shape a concentration around areas such as Designing the Urban Environment, Environmental Policy, International Development, Policy Analysis and Urban Problems, or Urban History and Society. Students are also encouraged to connect academic learning with practice through MIT's optional 11.027 City to City: Comparing, Researching, and Reflecting on Practice, which includes a spring-break trip.

Year 4: Students bring their planning knowledge together through advanced electives and a substantial senior research experience. Every major completes 11.THT[J] Thesis Research Design Seminar followed by 11.THU Undergraduate Thesis, while the senior thesis or project can examine a public-policy issue, document an internship or field experience, or synthesize research on urban affairs.

Focus Areas:

Designing the Urban Environment, Environmental Policy, International Development, Policy Analysis and Urban Problems, Urban History and Society, urban design, public policy, spatial analysis, GIS, economics, and planning.

Learning Outcomes:

Urban problem-solving, policy analysis, economic analysis, spatial analysis and GIS, urban design, interdisciplinary research, critical analysis, real-world planning application, and independent senior research.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

Not stated as a professionally accredited undergraduate planning program by MIT. MIT describes Course 11 as an interdisciplinary preprofessional major preparing students for public- and private-sector careers and providing a foundation for graduate study in planning, law, public policy, international development, urban design, and related fields.

Reputation (Employability Rankings):

Not stated as a program-specific QS, Guardian, or other employability ranking on the official MIT program sources. MIT does state that the Bachelor of Science in Planning is designed for careers across the public and private sectors, with students encouraged to apply their analytical and planning skills to real-world situations.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in MIT’s Bachelor of Science in Planning (Course 11) gain practical experience by applying planning, policy, economics, urban design, and spatial-analysis skills to real urban problems. The program encourages students to test classroom learning through urban field experience, internships, research, client-based projects, GIS laboratory work, and a required senior thesis or project, with opportunities to work alongside community organizations, government agencies, and private firms.

Practical opportunities include:

Spatial analysis and GIS: The required 11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Laboratory develops practical skills in measuring, representing, and analyzing urban phenomena using spatial information systems.
Client-based projects: 11.007 Urban and Environmental Technology Implementation Lab has student teams work with real clients and environmental problems, develop strategies using sensor technology, build prototypes, and recommend solutions for implementation.
Urban field experience: 11.027 City to City: Comparing, Researching, and Reflecting on Practice provides an opportunity to study planning practice comparatively and includes a spring-break trip as part of the course.
Field trips and local exploration: The Undergraduate Planning Seminar includes weekly student presentations and may include walking tours or arranged field trips focused on local planning issues.
Internships and professional experience: MIT's DUSP supports practical experience through internships, practicums, studios, UROP experiences, and summer jobs; the department also maintains internship opportunities with local public, private, and nonprofit organizations.
Community-based learning: The Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) supports faculty and student collaboration on field-based projects with communities, departments, laboratories, and centers, including work involving climate change, poverty, and mass urbanization.
Senior research project: Every Course 11 student completes a senior thesis or senior project, which can involve public-policy analysis, research on urban affairs, or a problem-solving experience developed through an internship or other field experience.
Research opportunities: Students can participate in UROP and other research experiences, giving them opportunities to work on planning and urban research alongside MIT faculty and research groups.
Planning technology: The curriculum specifically develops practical capabilities in GIS, spatial analysis, urban information systems, data analysis, visualization, and emerging technologies for urban decision-making.
Facilities and research environment: Students benefit from MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, including its research and practice-oriented initiatives such as the Community Innovators Lab, Center for Advanced Urbanism, and SENSEable City Lab.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor of Science in Planning (Course 11) at MIT is designed as an interdisciplinary, pre-professional degree that prepares students for careers across public and private-sector planning, policy, economic development, urban design, development, and nonprofit management. Its practical emphasis, combined with MIT’s career network and opportunities for internships, research, fieldwork, and the optional five-year SB/MCP pathway, gives graduates multiple routes into professional planning or advanced study.

Typical career roles: Urban Planner, Transportation Planner, Economic Development Planner, Urban Designer.

Career progression and opportunities include:

Career services: DUSPConnect provides students with career events, skill-sharing sessions, alumni career forums, and online databases of positions, employers, and fellowships; students can also access MIT Career Advising and Professional Development for career advising and recruiting resources.
Practical professional experience: Students pursuing the five-year SB/MCP pathway can demonstrate planning experience through internships, practicums, studios, UROPs, and summer jobs, which are specifically recognized in the program's admission criteria.
Employment outcomes: MIT reports that among 2025 bachelor's graduates, 48% planned to work and 42% planned to attend graduate school; 98% of bachelor's graduates planning to work expected to work in the U.S.
Salary context: MIT reports an average starting salary of $145,820 for an MIT senior entering industry in 2025. This is an MIT-wide undergraduate figure, not a Course 11-specific salary, and MIT does not publish a separate official salary figure for the Bachelor of Science in Planning on the program page.
Employer and professional network: MIT states that employers recruit students through career fairs, information sessions, programs, events, and formal recruiting partnerships. Its 2025 list of organizations hiring MIT graduates includes employers such as Accenture, Amazon, Bain & Company, Bloomberg, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte Consulting, Google, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, and Verizon; these are MIT-wide employers rather than Course 11-specific recruiters.
Planning-sector partnerships: DUSP research and teaching connect students with external organizations and communities. For example, the department's urban planning work has involved partners including community organizations, local governments, the Philadelphia Water Department, Penn's Center for Community Partnerships, and Philadelphia Green through the West Philadelphia Landscape Project.
Professional accreditation: The Bachelor of Science in Planning is described by MIT as an interdisciplinary pre-professional undergraduate major; MIT does not state that this bachelor's program itself carries Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accreditation. Therefore, no undergraduate PAB accreditation claim is made here.
Graduation outcomes: MIT's 2025 institutional data shows that 45.9% of bachelor's graduates reported full-time employment and 41.2% reported attending graduate or professional school as their principal activity after graduation.
Long-term professional development: MIT reports that 56% of the 2025 class who entered employment had previously interned with their eventual employer, while 19% of employed graduates joined a startup, demonstrating the broader value of MIT's experiential and employer connections.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can apply to MIT's Master in City Planning (MCP) through the department's five-year SB/MCP option, allowing eligible Course 11 students to earn both degrees in five years. The bachelor's degree also provides a foundation for graduate study in law, public policy, international development, urban design, management, and planning, while students interested in advanced research can progress toward planning-related graduate and doctoral programs.