Urban Studies & Planning, BA & Urban Planning, MUP
For the degrees of Bachelor of Arts Major in Urban Studies & Planning and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
The 4+1 program allows for students completing the BAUSP degree in the Department to complete the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) on an accelerated timeline--BAUSP and MUP degrees in five years. To be eligible to participate in the 4+1 program, the student should be a Junior BAUSP major with a minimum 3.6 GPA. Junior BAUSP majors who do not meet these requirements may apply to the program, but their applications will need to provide extraordinary evidence of preparedness for the MUP program in order to gain admission.
Eligible BAUSP students should submit their application packet as a single PDF document to us by email by December 15 of their Junior year. The application packet should include a cover letter, statement of purpose, resume and work examples. Students will be notified by February 15 of their Junior year if they have been accepted into the 4+1 program.
At the end of their senior year, 4+1 students wishing to complete the MUP degree will formally apply to the MUP program, submitting a full application package including recommendations, resume and transcripts.
For the degrees of Bachelor of Arts Major in Urban Studies & Planning and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 152 hours.
- Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies & Planning Requirements: 120 hours.
- Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning: 32 hours.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
fulfilled by UP 312 | ||
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
Urban Studies & Planning Foundation Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FAA 101 | Arts at Illinois | 1 |
| ECON 102 | Microeconomic Principles | 3 |
| or ACE 100 | Introduction to Applied Microeconomics | |
| UP 116 | Urban Informatics I (or equivalent) | 3 |
| or STAT 100 | Statistics | |
| 3-4 hours selected from: | 3-4 | |
| Intro Asian American Studies | ||
| Intro to African American St | ||
| Contemp Issues in Ind Country | ||
| Global Development & Environment | ||
| Social and Cultural Geography | ||
| Intro Latina/Latino Studies | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Total Hours | 10 | |
Urban Studies & Planning Core
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| UP 101 | Introduction to City Planning | 3 |
| UP 201 | Planning in Action | 3 |
| UP 203 | Cities: Planning & Urban Life | 3 |
| or UP 204 | Chicago: Planning & Urban Life | |
| UP 211 | Local Planning, Gov't and Law | 3 |
| UP 312 | Communication for Planners | 4 |
| UP 316 | Urban Informatics II | 3 |
| UP 347 | Junior Planning Workshop | 4 |
| UP 401 | Professional Development Seminar | 1 |
| Total Hours | 24 | |
Urban Studies & Planning Required Concentration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one below: | ||
| Total Hours | 9-11 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BAUSP Senior Year | ||
| The MUP core courses meet the BAUSP requirements for UP electives and planning-related electives. 4+1 students are expected to enroll in the first year MUP core courses in their senior year, although they are not yet admitted to the MUP program. | ||
| Senior Workshop (pick 1 from the following or discuss other offerings with your advisor) | 4 | |
| Land Use Planning Workshop | ||
| Economic Development Workshop | ||
| Sustainable Planning Workshop | ||
| Small Town/Rural Planning Workshop | ||
| Community Development Workshop | ||
| Select at least four courses from: | 16-20 | |
| Planning History and Theory | ||
| Physical Planning | ||
| Urban History and Theory | ||
| Urban and Regional Analysis | ||
| Law and Planning | ||
Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete any of the 500-level courses not completed in year four (UP 501, 503, 504, 505, 511) | 0-4 | |
| UP 510 | Plan Making | 4 |
| UP 591 | Capstone Seminar (enrollment required for two terms- 0 hours each for Thesis students or 4 in fall, 0 in spring for Non-Thesis students) | 0 OR 4 |
| UP 598 | Master's Project (UP 598 for 4 total hours or UP 599 for 8 total hours) | 4 OR 8 |
| or UP 599 | Thesis Research | |
| Once admitted to the MUP program, a 4+1 student must take 32 hours of graduate courses, 20 of which must be UP courses. These courses include the capstone seminar and master's project or thesis. The 32 hours of graduate courses is a minimum requirement for the MUP degree; it cannot be reduced by UP 590 internship or course waivers. | 32 | |
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Other MUP Requirements | |
| Up to two MUP core courses may be included among the 32 hours. If more core courses are needed, then correspondingly more than 32 hours will be required for the MUP degree. | |
| Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: | 20 |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 16 (12 in UP) |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
Summary of Credits for the joint Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Planning and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BA in Urban Studies & Planning | 120 | |
| General Education | ||
| Foundation | 10 | |
| Core | 24 | |
| Concentration | 9-11 | |
| Senior Year | 20-24 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| MUP in Urban Planning | 32 | |
| A minimum of 16 credits at the 500 course level are required, 12 must be in UP. | ||
| Total Hours | 152 | |
For the degrees of Bachelor of Arts Major in Urban Studies & Planning and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Sample Sequence
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. This may require up to three semesters of language depending on high school coursework or placement. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| FAA 101 | 1 | UP 116 | 3 |
| UP 101 | 3 | UP 201 | 3 |
| ECON 102 | 3 | Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| Composition I or Language Other than English (3rd level) | 4 | General Education course | 3 |
| Foundation Course. Choose from list | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 1 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| UP 203 | 3 | UP 211 | 3 |
| Concentration Gateway | 3 | UP Electives | 6 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| UP 312 | 4 | UP 316 | 3 |
| UP Elective | 3 | UP 347 | 4 |
| UP Elective | 3 | UP Elective | 3 |
| Concentration Elective | 3 | Concentration Elective | 4 |
| Free Elective course | 1 | Free Elective course | 1 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| UP 400-level Workshop | 4 | UP 401 | 1 |
| UP 501 | 4 | UP 505 | 4 |
| UP 503 | 4 | UP 511 | 4 |
| UP 504 | 4 | Free Elective courses | 5 |
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| UP 510 | 4 | UP 599 or 598 | 0 or 4 |
| UP 591 | 0 or 4 | UP 591 | 0 |
| UP 598 or 599 | 4 | UP Graduate Electives | 12 |
| UP Graduate Electives | 8 | ||
| 20 | 12 | ||
| Total Hours 152 | |||
For the degrees of Bachelor of Arts Major in Urban Studies & Planning and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Students who complete a degree in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning will be able to:
- Identify and understand the planners’ role in:
- advocating for racial and economic equity;
- planning for the needs of disadvantaged groups;
- expanding choice and opportunity;
- reducing inequities through critical evaluation of systems and institutions;
- planning for sustainable communities;
- reducing impacts of climate change; and
- creating equitable and climate‐adapted futures.
- Demonstrate planning proficiency in a global context in the areas of:
- history, theory, law and institutions;
- the evolution of the practice of planning; and
- urban and regional development.
- Build and put into practice a set of skills that are central to the planning profession, including skills specific to:
- communication, community engagement, and the planning process;
- research and critical thinking;
- mapping and data visualization; and
- data collection and analysis, and data analytics.
- Illustrate professional leadership values including collaborative skills and ethical behavior in research, client representation and decision-making.
For the degrees of Bachelor of Arts Major in Urban Studies & Planning and Master of Urban Planning in Urban Planning
Urban & Regional Planning
Department Head: Marc Doussard
Urban & Regional Planning Department website
Urban & Regional Planning Department faculty
111 Temple Buell Hall, 611 Taft Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-3890
Urban & Regional Planning email
College of Fine & Applied Arts
Fine & Applied Arts website
Admissions
For admission criteria and process, see Urban & Regional Planning Department website or contact us by email.