Master of Urban Planning

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Texas A and M University College Station

Program Overview

The Master of Urban Planning (MUP) at Texas A&M University is a two-year interdisciplinary professional degree that prepares students to understand and manage urban and natural environments through technical, political, economic, and legal perspectives. It suits students from a broad range of academic backgrounds and combines planning theory with applied work, professional internship experience, community engagement, spatial analysis, and specialized study in areas such as transportation, climate resilience, and housing and economic development.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their planning foundation through PLAN 664: Planning Theory and History, PLAN 610: City Form and Function, and PLAN 604: Planning Methods I (Demographic and Economic Analysis), developing an understanding of planning history, urban form, and quantitative analysis. They continue with PLAN 613: Planning Methods II (Land Use, Transportation, and Infrastructure) and PLAN 640: Planning Law, while spatial-analysis options such as PLAN 625: Geographic Information Systems in Landscape & Urban Planning or PLAN 624: Digital Communication in Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning build technical and communication capabilities; the first year also includes a professional internship.

Year 2: Students move into applied and collaborative planning through PLAN 661: Community Engagement and PLAN 665: Plan Making, developing skills for working with communities and creating comprehensive plans. They then complete PLAN 658: Plan Implementation and PLAN 662: Applied Planning I, while choosing electives and completing their culminating thesis, professional paper, or comprehensive examination through PLAN 691 or PLAN 693.

Focus Areas:

Transportation Policy and Planning; Planning for Hazard and Climate Resilient Communities; Housing, Community, and Economic Development; Environmental Hazard Management; Sustainable Urbanism; Health Systems & Design; Historic Preservation; Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Learning Outcomes:

Planning theory and history, demographic and economic analysis, land-use planning, transportation and infrastructure planning, planning law, community engagement, plan making and implementation, applied planning, GIS and digital communication, collaborative problem-solving, and professional planning practice.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accredited professional program; the MUP is designed for professional planning practice and prepares graduates for planning positions across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Reputation (Employability Rankings):

Professional outcomes: Texas A&M reports that 84.21% of the Class of 2024 were employed in planning or planning-related positions within 12 months, while 15.78% pursued further education; the program also reports a 90% AICP exam pass rate for members of the Class of 2021 within three years of graduation and a $66,000 median entry salary. The university's current program page also lists recognition from Planetizen and U.S. News & World Report, although these are external rankings rather than Texas A&M's own rankings.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) at Texas A&M University gain practical planning experience through integrated coursework, applied planning studios, community-based projects, and a required summer internship. The program combines technical planning methods with GIS, digital communication, site planning, community engagement, and spatial analysis, while students can work directly with communities through Texas Target Communities and access research centers focused on geospatial science, housing, urban development, and hazard reduction.

Practical opportunities within the program include:

Applied planning studio: Students complete an applied planning studio with Texas Target Communities, where MUP students work with communities to analyze needs and produce comprehensive plans or other planning documents.
Required internship: The two-year MUP includes a required summer internship, giving students professional experience alongside their academic preparation. Texas A&M also offers PLAN 684: Professional Internship, involving professional practice with approved public or private agencies.
GIS and spatial analysis: Students can take PLAN 625: Geographic Information Systems in Landscape & Urban Planning and PLAN 626: Advanced GIS in Landscape & Urban Planning, developing spatial-analysis skills used in contemporary planning practice.
Digital planning tools: PLAN 624: Digital Communication in Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning provides training in digital communication, while the program also offers PLAN 667: Site Planning for students with existing GIS and digital-tool experience.
Real-world transportation projects: Students can pursue applied coursework such as PLAN 678: Applied Transportation Studio: Site Planning and Traffic Impact, which covers transportation-land-use relationships, site planning, traffic-impact analysis, access management, and site design.
Community engagement: PLAN 661: Community Engagement is part of the MUP core, and Texas Target Communities provides a structured setting for applying planning knowledge to community needs.
Planning research centers: Students can engage with the Center for Geospatial Sciences, Center for Housing and Urban Development, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, and Texas Target Communities, which support research in geospatial science, housing, urban development, disaster resilience, and community planning.
Geospatial research resources: Texas A&M's Texas Planning Atlas provides geospatial datasets covering transportation, built environments, environmental resources and hazards, administrative boundaries, and social vulnerability—useful resources for evidence-based planning and spatial analysis.
Collaborative planning events: Texas A&M planning students have participated in COLLAB, an event bringing together students from Texas A&M and UT Austin for workshops and an intensive planning charrette addressing statewide urban-development, infrastructure, and sustainability challenges.
Research and applied planning: The department's research environment focuses on sustainable communities, disaster resilience, urban development, geospatial science, housing, and community development, giving MUP students opportunities to connect academic planning with current research problems.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The MUP gives graduates a direct pathway into professional planning across government, consulting, nonprofit, transportation, environmental, housing and economic-development settings. Texas A&M reports that 84.21% of the Class of 2024 entered planning or planning-related employment within 12 months, with a $66,000 median entry salary, while graduates have gone on to organizations including AECOM, Jacobs, Google, Amazon and multiple government agencies.

Typical career roles: Urban Planner, Transportation Planner, Environmental Planner, Economic Development Analyst.

Career progression and opportunities include:

Career services: The Texas A&M Career Center provides one-to-one career advising, job-search resources, employer connections and access to HireAggies, while the department also maintains professional connections through its planning career network.
Employment outcomes: 84.21% of the Class of 2024 were employed in planning or planning-related positions within 12 months, while 15.78% pursued further education. The program awarded 17 degrees in 2024–25.
Salary: The program reports a $66,000 median entry salary for its graduates. Texas A&M also provides salary-survey information through its Career Center for graduating students.
Government connections: Graduates have worked with the City of Atlanta, Texas Department of Transportation, City of Galveston, City of New Braunfels, City of Bryan, City of College Station, City of Raleigh, Florida Commerce, Texas General Land Office, North Central Texas Council of Governments and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command.
Industry connections: Private-sector organizations employing or collaborating with program graduates include Freese and Nichols, McAdams, CDM Smith, LJA Engineering, AECOM, RS&H and HNTB. Graduates have also moved into positions with Jacobs, Stantec, Asakura Robinson, Uber, Google and Amazon.
Nonprofit opportunities: Graduates have worked with organizations including Center for Houston’s Future, Habitat for Humanity and Houston-Galveston Area Council, with roles including grant writing, equity analysis, and policy and planning advising.
Professional accreditation: The MUP is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), giving the degree continuing professional recognition within planning education. Texas A&M also reports that 90% of the Class of 2021 passed the AICP examination within three years of graduation, supporting the program's preparation for professional planning practice.
Graduation outcomes: Texas A&M reports a 93% graduation rate within four years for the Class of 2021, alongside the 84.21% professional placement rate reported for the Class of 2024.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science (URSC) at Texas A&M for advanced research and academic preparation in urban and regional issues. The university also offers interdisciplinary pathways and combined programs involving urban planning, architecture, land and property development, and related built-environment fields.