Master of Community Planning (M.C.P.)

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Maryland College Park

Program Overview

The Master of Community Planning (M.C.P.) at the University of Maryland, College Park is a 48-credit professional degree designed for students who want to address complex urban and community challenges through planning, policy, research, and real-world engagement. The program suits students seeking careers in housing and community development, economic development, environmental planning, transportation planning, and related planning fields, with a curriculum that combines core planning knowledge, specialization options, studio work, and an internship.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students build a strong foundation in planning through URSP600 Research Design and Application, URSP601 Research Methods, and URSP603 Land Use Planning: Concepts and Techniques, developing research, analytical, land-use, and planning-process skills. They also study URSP604 The Planning Process, URSP605 Planning History and Theory, and URSP606 Planning Economics, establishing an understanding of how cities and regions function socially, physically, economically, and institutionally.

Year 2: Students apply their planning knowledge through URSP708 Community Planning Studio and URSP709 Field Instruction, while developing a specialization through nine credits in areas such as Community Development, Housing, Economic Development, International Urban and Regional Development Planning, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Social Planning, Organization and Administration, or Transportation Planning. The remaining coursework includes electives that allow students to build a more individualized professional focus, alongside the required capstone project and internship experience.

Focus Areas

Community Development, Housing, Economic Development, International Urban and Regional Development Planning, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Social Planning, Historic Preservation, Transportation Planning.

Learning Outcomes

Research and analysis, planning methods, land-use planning, planning policy, economic analysis, modeling, scenario planning, data analytics, community engagement, professional communication, presentation, and quantitative and qualitative planning methods.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Planning Accreditation Board (PAB): The M.C.P. is a professionally accredited planning degree, with the program accredited through the Planning Accreditation Board of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

University-wide reputation: The University of Maryland ranked No. 14 among U.S. public institutions in Forbes’ 2026 America’s Top Colleges, a ranking the university describes as recognizing student outcomes and return on investment. UMD also ranked No. 82 globally and No. 13 among U.S. public institutions in the 2026–27 U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings; these are university-level rankings rather than rankings specifically for the M.C.P.

Career outcomes: UMD reports that 91% of the Class of 2025 had positive career outcomes, defined as employment or continuing education within six months, although this figure covers the university's surveyed graduates rather than M.C.P. graduates specifically.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in the Master of Community Planning (M.C.P.) at the University of Maryland gain practical planning experience through a curriculum that combines technical training, community engagement, a studio practicum, and a required internship. The program develops skills in GIS, quantitative planning methods, economic analysis, modeling, scenario planning, and data analytics, while its location near Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis gives students access to diverse real-world planning environments. Students can also connect their coursework with UMD’s research centers, labs, and community-engaged initiatives:

Planning studio: The required Community Planning Studio (URSP708) provides applied project experience, while the capstone may also be completed through a client-based capstone report.
GIS and digital planning: URSP611 – Planning Technology: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems provides dedicated training in GIS as part of the MCP core curriculum.
Internship: Students complete a required 300-hour internship with a planning agency, giving them direct professional planning experience.
Community-engaged projects: The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) connects UMD students with local governments to address specific sustainability challenges and provides real-world learning opportunities.
Research and professional exposure: Students can engage with the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, which brings together practitioners, researchers, faculty, students, and community partners around equitable and sustainable communities.
Environmental planning research: The Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab conducts research on flooding, stormwater infrastructure, green spaces, vulnerability, and environmental justice, with opportunities for student involvement in research projects and mentoring.
Collaborative spaces: The School provides 24/7 student workspace, collaboration areas, and a Fabrication Lab equipped for prototyping and site-model production.
Research resources: Students have access to MAPP’s Library, historic collections, computer lab, and research tools, supporting planning research and project development.
Professional practice: The School encourages students to participate in planning competitions, public project presentations at government agencies, and planning conferences, providing opportunities to present work and interact with the profession.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Master of Community Planning (M.C.P.) at the University of Maryland prepares graduates for professional planning roles across housing and community development, transportation, environmental planning, economic development and related areas. Its location near Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis also provides access to government, nonprofit and private-sector planning opportunities, supported by internships, practitioner networks and UMD research centers.

Typical career roles: Urban Planner, Community Development Planner, Transportation Planner, Environmental Planner.

Career progression and opportunities include:

Career support: UMD's professional network connects students with practitioners, while the program maintains an internship list and highlights opportunities across public, private and nonprofit organizations.
Internship experience: Students complete a 300-hour internship at a planning agency, providing direct professional planning experience before graduation.
Research and professional connections: Students can work with the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, the Environmental Finance Center and other research initiatives focused on transportation, housing and community development, environmental planning and economic development.
Employment outcome: 76% of MCP graduates in the 2024 graduating class obtained professional planning, planning-related or other positions within 12 months of graduation.
Salary information: UMD does not publish a salary figure specifically for MCP graduates on the program's official outcomes page. For broader context, UMD's 2025 university-wide graduation survey reports a $77,000 median salary, but this figure covers the university's surveyed graduates rather than MCP graduates specifically.
Industry connections: The program's Baltimore–Washington location provides employment opportunities across government, private and nonprofit sectors, while students can gain professional exposure through planning agencies, public project presentations, conferences and practitioner networks.
Professional accreditation: The MCP has been accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) since 1984, with the most recent accreditation review conducted in 2019. PAB accreditation provides an established professional quality framework for planning education.
Professional preparation: The program develops both qualitative and quantitative planning capabilities, including community engagement, critical thinking, quantitative methods, economic analysis, modeling, scenario planning and data analytics.
Graduation progression: UMD reports an 86.7% graduation rate within four years for the entering class of 2021 and a 94.7% retention rate for students who began in fall 2024.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue into UMD's Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning and Design (URPD), which supports advanced research, teaching and high-level decision-making across planning and related built-environment disciplines. Students can also pursue interdisciplinary graduate study through UMD's MPH + MCP dual-degree pathway, or other planning-related dual-degree options offered by the university.