Master of Urban Planning
The world is becoming more urbanized, and cities are growing denser and more diverse. It's exciting—it's also challenging. From transportation to environment, and crime to education, urban issues are complex because they're interrelated. NYU Wagner gives you the unique opportunity to study urban planning in the context of these issues, within a school of public service. You'll interact with people from other disciplines who are grappling with these real-world social, cultural, and economic issues. And there's no better place than NYC to learn what happens when ideas meet messy urban realities. The skills and insights you'll gain here and the multidisciplinary toolkit you'll build with core courses in finance, policy, and management are what you need to design more livable and sustainable cities—anywhere in the world.
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Program Highlights
- A unique blend of planning, management, finance, and policy that prepares you to address financial constraints and resource limitations, and also market realities and political hurdles—the difference between beautiful designs and real impact.
- A responsive program that adapts to evolving urban challenges and provides the full set of skills for you to grapple with them.
- A tight-knit and energized student community with the resources of a larger school.
- Flexibility for full- or part-time students, with options to switch between the two. Earn your degree in two years full-time, or 3-4 years part-time.
Tracks
Economic Development and Housing
Learn economic theories, social theories, the politics of development, finance, and policy analysis—to create thriving urban communities.
Environment, Infrastructure, and Transportation
Gain the critical skills to lead environmentally-conscious development efforts that support economic development and sustainability.
International Development Planning
Effectively plan the world's cities with a deep understanding of the issues, contexts, and organizations at play in international development.
Urban Analytics
Gain rigorous data analysis skills and an understanding of urban planning and design—both of which are necessary for using data-driven approaches to tackle today’s most pressing urban challenges.
Our Faculty
Degree brochure and viewbook
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED TO GRADUATE: 45
Degree core Courses
planning core courses
View the courses for each track: Economic Development and Housing; Environment, Infrastructure, and Transportation; and International Development Planning.
Capstone
The Capstone Program, a year-long consulting or research project that's required for all MUP students, puts you out in the world, resolving a problem or conducting an analysis for a client organization.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT
NYU Wagner is deeply committed to education outside of the classroom. First-hand work experience in your field of choice can be a pivotal experience, and our New York City location offers countless opportunities for career exploration. To this end, NYU Wagner requires all MPA and MUP students to graduate with professional experience that is directly related to their degree program and field of interest.
Students can fulfill this requirement in one of two ways:
- Enter NYU Wagner with at least two years of full-time, degree-relevant, professional experience; or
- Complete the Professional Experience Requirement (PER), which means working in a degree-relevant job or internship while attending NYU Wagner and before enrolling in Capstone. Students typically fulfill the PER via a relevant work experience over one semester (i.e. 15-20 hours per week during a semester, or 35-40 hours per week in the summer).
Once you begin classes, NYU Wagner’s Office of Career Services staff is available to advise you on strategies and resources for identifying degree relevant positions, submitting strong application materials, conducting successful interviews, or seeking a PER waiver for previous experience.
public information
Public information about the NYU Wagner Urban Planning Program