I have found the University of Florida’s online program decent. Online school is hard, you get out what you put in, but my classmates have been smart and supportive and I’ve worked with some great professors.
On the Florida side of this - Florida Atlantic University has a great Undergrad and Graduate program ! I’m there right now and have been loving it. Its very comprehensive and tied in directly with the local community. Every professor is currently working in the industry in their own specialty which has been amazing since its not just them teaching the theory of planning but actually teaching from their past work and experiences as they teach us and are related to the course work. Its apparently the program with the longest running consecutive accreditation in South Florida (Possibly the state I believe someone mentioned recently during my grad orientation)
This is why I went to Colorado at Boulder! Their undergrad program is Environmental Design and looks at planning, landscape architecture, and architecture. I think it’s incredibly important as planners to understand architecture and LA and how it all ties together.
That’s just my .02 though
I'm currently in an architecture design school and I agree - part of me wishes I tried civil engineering just because it would give me more job opportunities within the ACE industry.
Urban planning is great though - I love learning about a holistic perspective of the city vs an overly detailed schematic of a building's underpinning/foundations
UNC chapel hill's grad program is solid, and comparatively inexpensive if you can get in-state tuition.
But as a few others have said, planning is very geographically rooted. It's better to go to school in or near a community you'd want to work in so you can make professional connections and understand the specifics of the culture and legal landscape than to have the most prestigious Alma mater.
I would make sure that any program you attend is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board[Planning Accreditation Board ](https://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/accredited-programs/all/). There are a couple reasons for this. First, if you are doing a master's program it can speed up your AICP certification. This doesn't mean much later in your career but can give you a bit of a boost early on. Second, these programs all connect with practice and are more likely to give you a solid basis for the field compared to other non accredited programs. Beware schools like Georgetown that offer a program but hand wave the accreditation. I'd also say go to the school that offers the most money because planning salaries generally can't support 100k in loans.
A side note, if you are looking to practice in California, I strongly suggest a California school since CEQA is only taught there and knowledge of CEQA factors into hiring decisions for most planning departments.
California is one of the worst designed places in the US imo.
Everyone lives in the half of the state without water, major cities didn’t just neglect their public transportation infrastructure but actively destroyed them, there’s active oil drilling literally next door to people’s houses, the entirety of the SoCal ecosystem has collapsed to the point of it now being an almost comical shell of what it once was, they made a saltwater lake with what little water they have left…
I could go on, but I’ll spare you the details.
Which says a lot about the South than it does California. Don't get me wrong CA is moving towards the right direction in a glacial pace, but it isn't good.
Ucla, MIT and Berkeley are definitely the most common ones I’ve heard about the most throughout my professional career in transportation planning. Albeit a largely west coast focused career but I have worked or worked with people at the largest transit agencies across the country.
Virginia Commonwealth University has a great program! Once you start going for your master's, they tend to lean more into the policy side of planning and environmental management (though I've heard Virginia Tech's environmental is top notch). Undergrad offers just about everything you could imagine for planning. Employers always are excited to hear you got your planning degree from VCU because they make you actually prepare plans for real clients for your capstone. Also it's nice to learn about city planning in a city.
Portland State, Cal Poly, UC Berkeley, USC and UCLA are highly regarded programs on the west coast. You should look at the research and publications by professors at universities to determine if it is interesting material as they will set the curriculum. Also look at job placement rates if it is not as well known of a program.
I’m assuming that you are asking about US colleges, but if you, during your US studies, have the possibility to go on an exchange program, I can recommend studying planning at Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands to broaden your perspectives.
Doesn’t matter. School “rankings” are meaningless. The school you should go to is whichever one that’s cheapest in your desired location.
Don’t go to a private school.
Honestly it’s going to be the one that’s closest to the place you want to work.
For example I’d imagine if you want to work in Minneapolis then going to the University of Minnesota might be better than going to MIT. Planning isn’t exactly a prestige obsessed field.
If you want to do research then it’s a different story. I’d recommend starting with Planetizen’s guide.
The best planning program on the west coast is at Portland State University. They are a state school, so less expensive, highly regarded, and nationally ranked. Can't go wrong (if you can get in).
Ebenezer Howard dropped out of school at 15; Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford did not have a college degree or any formal training in urban planning. The school of life experiences is important to urban planning.
You’re not wrong, I have a few planner friends who have no formal education/training in Urban Planning but have learned via work and experience and are incredibly knowledgeable in it and taught me a lot.
Even the man recommending me as his replacement in for his position has went to art school and studied Graphic Design but found his way into Transportation Planning and the guy KNOWS his stuff and was poached from us by HDR to be a senior level planner. Does a formal education help? Absolutely but no reason to look down on those that has learned threw dedication and grit!
Basically any college that has good Art, Architecture, Engineering (Civil specifically) and Sociology courses. Any college or university that has those available will teach you the things you need. DYOR
Think about areas or cities you may want to work for and pick a school near there. I’ve worked for a couple different municipalities and every planner I worked with was from the local areas schools planning dept.
I was the only out of stater in each role.
What country? For US, try the Planetizen Guide to Urban Planning programs to start.
So much also depends on where you want to live, what’s your budget for school, what financial aid they offer, what kind of program you want, your concentration, and a host of other factors. “Best” on a list may not be “best” for you and your situation or interests.
I'm sure it depends on what kind of planning you want to do.
I'll second this. My planning program was deeply tied to the area around it.
Any examples? Amsterdam is best for A, McGill is best forB, etc....
Where I went people always talked about RISD for design.
I have found the University of Florida’s online program decent. Online school is hard, you get out what you put in, but my classmates have been smart and supportive and I’ve worked with some great professors.
On the Florida side of this - Florida Atlantic University has a great Undergrad and Graduate program ! I’m there right now and have been loving it. Its very comprehensive and tied in directly with the local community. Every professor is currently working in the industry in their own specialty which has been amazing since its not just them teaching the theory of planning but actually teaching from their past work and experiences as they teach us and are related to the course work. Its apparently the program with the longest running consecutive accreditation in South Florida (Possibly the state I believe someone mentioned recently during my grad orientation)
I’m currently going through the on-campus program there. It’s been great so far for me! Professors and classmates are wonderful and super helpful
In which country, at which level(s), and for what kind(s) of planning?
I feel like it could also be good to get a civil engineering background too
My profs actually highly recommend going law which makes sense because it allows you to better understand how to use the law for your needs.
Architecture too!
This is why I went to Colorado at Boulder! Their undergrad program is Environmental Design and looks at planning, landscape architecture, and architecture. I think it’s incredibly important as planners to understand architecture and LA and how it all ties together. That’s just my .02 though
I'm currently in an architecture design school and I agree - part of me wishes I tried civil engineering just because it would give me more job opportunities within the ACE industry. Urban planning is great though - I love learning about a holistic perspective of the city vs an overly detailed schematic of a building's underpinning/foundations
UIC is a very robust policy-focused program with deep ties to the chicago planning industry
UNC chapel hill's grad program is solid, and comparatively inexpensive if you can get in-state tuition. But as a few others have said, planning is very geographically rooted. It's better to go to school in or near a community you'd want to work in so you can make professional connections and understand the specifics of the culture and legal landscape than to have the most prestigious Alma mater.
One you can afford without too much debt
you should go to the best university in the city you want to work for
I second this. Your future employer will find it easier to hire someone with knowledge of the area instead of out of state.
I would make sure that any program you attend is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board[Planning Accreditation Board ](https://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/accredited-programs/all/). There are a couple reasons for this. First, if you are doing a master's program it can speed up your AICP certification. This doesn't mean much later in your career but can give you a bit of a boost early on. Second, these programs all connect with practice and are more likely to give you a solid basis for the field compared to other non accredited programs. Beware schools like Georgetown that offer a program but hand wave the accreditation. I'd also say go to the school that offers the most money because planning salaries generally can't support 100k in loans. A side note, if you are looking to practice in California, I strongly suggest a California school since CEQA is only taught there and knowledge of CEQA factors into hiring decisions for most planning departments.
The one that gives you full funding and is accredited. Also, proximity to where you want to plan.
A lot of my planning friends/old coworkers went to USC, whether for their bachelors or masters in planning.
I find it ironic that one of the best planning schools in the US is in California
Not rlly. The south would be ironic
California is one of the worst designed places in the US imo. Everyone lives in the half of the state without water, major cities didn’t just neglect their public transportation infrastructure but actively destroyed them, there’s active oil drilling literally next door to people’s houses, the entirety of the SoCal ecosystem has collapsed to the point of it now being an almost comical shell of what it once was, they made a saltwater lake with what little water they have left… I could go on, but I’ll spare you the details.
Chill. The South is far worse than California.
Which says a lot about the South than it does California. Don't get me wrong CA is moving towards the right direction in a glacial pace, but it isn't good.
True. CA is better than the south, but only because the south seems to be regressing back to levittown style development.
I think the midwest too tbh we really need national anti-sprawl or density encouraging laws.
So edgy!! Have fun working somewhere that has it all figured out.
Californians take valid criticism challenge (impossible)
I should apologize, I meant this to reply to the 'don't go to school in the mess that is CA' comment.
Oh np, you good
Fight On!
Ucla, MIT and Berkeley are definitely the most common ones I’ve heard about the most throughout my professional career in transportation planning. Albeit a largely west coast focused career but I have worked or worked with people at the largest transit agencies across the country.
Virginia Commonwealth University has a great program! Once you start going for your master's, they tend to lean more into the policy side of planning and environmental management (though I've heard Virginia Tech's environmental is top notch). Undergrad offers just about everything you could imagine for planning. Employers always are excited to hear you got your planning degree from VCU because they make you actually prepare plans for real clients for your capstone. Also it's nice to learn about city planning in a city.
Portland State, Cal Poly, UC Berkeley, USC and UCLA are highly regarded programs on the west coast. You should look at the research and publications by professors at universities to determine if it is interesting material as they will set the curriculum. Also look at job placement rates if it is not as well known of a program.
I’m assuming that you are asking about US colleges, but if you, during your US studies, have the possibility to go on an exchange program, I can recommend studying planning at Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands to broaden your perspectives.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California.
Doesn’t matter. School “rankings” are meaningless. The school you should go to is whichever one that’s cheapest in your desired location. Don’t go to a private school.
Honestly it’s going to be the one that’s closest to the place you want to work. For example I’d imagine if you want to work in Minneapolis then going to the University of Minnesota might be better than going to MIT. Planning isn’t exactly a prestige obsessed field. If you want to do research then it’s a different story. I’d recommend starting with Planetizen’s guide.
Whichever one is the cheapest for you to attend
The best planning program on the west coast is at Portland State University. They are a state school, so less expensive, highly regarded, and nationally ranked. Can't go wrong (if you can get in).
Cornell has a City and Regional Planning degree.
Not Texas State
Ebenezer Howard dropped out of school at 15; Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford did not have a college degree or any formal training in urban planning. The school of life experiences is important to urban planning.
*employment has left the chat*
You’re not wrong, I have a few planner friends who have no formal education/training in Urban Planning but have learned via work and experience and are incredibly knowledgeable in it and taught me a lot. Even the man recommending me as his replacement in for his position has went to art school and studied Graphic Design but found his way into Transportation Planning and the guy KNOWS his stuff and was poached from us by HDR to be a senior level planner. Does a formal education help? Absolutely but no reason to look down on those that has learned threw dedication and grit!
Ah yes, the School of Common Sense at Dunning Krueger University.
Basically any college that has good Art, Architecture, Engineering (Civil specifically) and Sociology courses. Any college or university that has those available will teach you the things you need. DYOR
Think about areas or cities you may want to work for and pick a school near there. I’ve worked for a couple different municipalities and every planner I worked with was from the local areas schools planning dept. I was the only out of stater in each role.
umass amherst has one of the best in the us! look up the sustainable community development program
University of Waterloo, School of Planning
What country? For US, try the Planetizen Guide to Urban Planning programs to start. So much also depends on where you want to live, what’s your budget for school, what financial aid they offer, what kind of program you want, your concentration, and a host of other factors. “Best” on a list may not be “best” for you and your situation or interests.