Department of Urban Planning and Policy

Welcome to Urban Planning and Policy

In one of the world's great cities, Urban Planning & Policy (UPP) @ UIC has led the way in preparing students for careers for over 45 years. Grounded in social equity and sustainability, we teach students to use innovative concepts and technology to address urban issues. Our college is situated just minutes from downtown Chicago and is responsible for advancing the university’s commitment to urban research, policy change, and advocacy. We are comprised of a diverse student body as well as a faculty of esteemed researcher-practitioners, and we offer numerous opportunities for internships and engaged research in the growing field of urban planning and policy. Our alumni community is extensive, and you're one step closer to joining this network of planners, practitioners, and policy analysts active around the world.

Want a city that works? Plan it. Heading link

Only planning program in the Chicagoland region accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
#3 Planning Program in the Midwest by Planetizen
CUPPA was ranked #5 in Urban Policy by US News and World Report

Flagship Degree Programs Heading link

Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies

Our students experience and analyze urban issues from many different academic and practical perspectives in a department dedicated exclusively to the city.

Master of Urban Planning & Policy

The only professional planning program in the Chicago metropolitan area that is fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.

Master of City Design

Students learn by diving deep down into Chicago’s well-known neighborhoods, home to remarkably rich sub-cultures, as well as the famous downtown.

PhD in Urban Planning & Policy

A traditional research focus, preparing students for university faculty positions as well as careers as urban policy analysts and researchers.

In Solidarity Black Lives Matter

UIC City Design Summer 2022 Studio Heading link

MCD Summer Studio aka ‘Chicago Charrette’ offers a hands-on field-based immersive environment for learning the craft of community engagement at the intermediate urban scale. Working with seasoned scholars, professional practitioners, engaged residents, and community organizers, students learn how to conceive purposeful participatory strategies inviting the engagement of diverse place-based communities for co-creating meaningful design solutions. This semester the summer studio partnered with the McKinley Park Development Council (MPDC) to develop plans for three public infrastructure and civic realm projects in McKinley Park.

subtítulos en español: https://vimeo.com/720687919

Remembering Janet Smith

Undergraduate Programs Heading link

Graduate Programs Heading link

Accreditation, Association, Membership Heading link

UIC’s Master of Urban Planning and Policy program is the only accredited planning program in the Chicagoland region by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). According to the PAB, accreditation is a system for recognizing educational institutions for performance, integrity and quality. Accreditation ensures high quality education for future urban planners.

We are also proud members of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP) and the American Planning Association (APA).

The Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs recognizes the Department of Urban Planning and Policy as being ranked among the top 20 urban planning programs in the United States.

#17 Overall Graduate Urban Planning Program
#16 According to Urban Planning Educators
#11 Top Public Programs
#8 Top Big City Programs
#3 in the Midwest
#7 Among programs that offer part-time study
#3 Most Alumni