Department Alumni
Our alumni work in a variety of spatial planning and urban design careers. See what they have to say about our programs:
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“I decided to pursue the MCD Program because I was interested in how design can be used to address the social, environmental, and ecological challenges of cities. Pursuing the MCD degree along with the MUPP degree granted me a deep understanding of how urban issues play out spatially. I greatly value my time in the MCD program for the insight it gave me into how urban planning and design works in practice, particularly in Chicago. Upon graduation, I felt prepared to enter the industry and I am equipped with the knowledge I needed to take projects from concept through implementation. I met fantastic people, from my classmates, to faculty, to prominent individuals working in the industry I would highly recommend the MCD program to anyone hoping to receive a well-rounded degree that will prepare you for work in many areas of the planning and design world.”
| Planner/Designer at Design Workshop
“I worked in marketing at an architecture firm for four years, and I have an undergraduate background in communications, graphic design and social work. I always enjoyed working on urban design proposals in my marketing role, and I realized I wanted to pursue urban design as a career path. I chose the UIC Master of City Design program for a few reasons. The program is condensed to one year and is affordable. The faculty and staff are renowned designers, planners, architects, and academics. Most importantly, the program is local to Chicago, and I had a chance to dive deep into learning about my own city. One of the most useful aspects of the program was having one semester’s studio focused on socioeconomic systems (revitalizing a commercial corridor) and one semester’s studio focused on natural systems (ecological design, particularly focused on finding solutions to cloudburst flooding). I was able to explore my interests in both subject areas and understand the wide scope of what an urban designer tackles. I would recommend students come to MCD if they are looking for an intensive and concise curriculum focused on the physical and spatial design of cities, where you will be instructed by the field’s most brilliant minds and reviewed by some of the industry’s top designers.”
| Urban Designer at SmithGroup
“Owing to my background in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, I chose MCD program because it provides an edge in the profession of city building in Chicago: the birthplace of Burnham’s ‘City Beautiful’ movement. The program laid an emphasis on an overlap of urban planning and urban design through carefully curated plan-making process for the Framework Plans, Form Based Codes etc. by collaborating with eminent practitioners, academics, and stakeholders in our studio sessions. As an international student, the program also offered an opportunity to contextualize the global challenges like climate change, urban edges, community engagement and Transit- oriented developments in real life urban issues. As a MCD graduate, this unique skillset and outlook has helped me better my professional duties as a landscape and urban designer working for different communities within the city.”
| Urban Designer and Landscape Architect at Living Habitats
“For the three of us, the Master of City Design program at UIC offered a path towards community-based urban design that was complementary to our backgrounds in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. What we didn’t expect was that this one-year intensive program would deliver a transformative learning experience in applied design and create a close-knit partnership amongst ourselves.
MCD encouraged us to be collaborative and to engage directly with real-world issues. The hands-on studios, the valuable elective courses, and the community exposure brought our learning to life in ways that felt tangible and impactful. We not only learned how to construct design frameworks, but to keep the process alive and oriented towards people. Whether we were tackling issues of urban renewal, corridor revitalization, public transit, or climate resilience, MCD’s professors taught us to combine our unique perspectives to craft inclusive urban design solutions. This interdisciplinary environment is on par with what you’d find at elite universities, but with one big distinction: MCD’s laboratory is Chicago–a city steeped in design history that becomes your partner as you work through the program.
Yet, our experiences in Chicago aren’t siloed. MCD offers unparalleled access to design practitioners from around the world, compared to other programs. Whether it was through site visits, guest lectures, or juried studio presentations, we were constantly exposed to innovative ideas and thinking. Many of these relationships fostered by our professors and the program administrators are sure to last far longer than your time at UIC. This is especially true for us. We built a supportive network amongst ourselves that helps us collaborate and co-create that has made us better designers.
At MCD, you’ll be provided with the tools, knowledge, and experiences to advance your career, as it has done for us. Regardless of your design background, MCD encourages you to be fluid and to think collaboratively about your work, while giving you a chance to meaningfully apply that knowledge. The future of City Design is interdisciplinary and community-based. That’s why we chose MCD.”
“I chose to study my masters at CUPPA, first and foremost, for its well-rounded program. I was attracted to its comprehensive view towards planning and designing the urban environment. Once there, I was happy to realize that CUPPA’s strengths not only lie on its program, but on the networks and long-lasting relationships you create during your time there, with both professors and fellow students. Also, the fact that the program caters to many international students, like myself, enriches your vision of the world and expands your way of thinking about cities. And last but not least, due to the fact that it’s located in Chicago, one of the greatest cities in the world and the perfect place to study urban planning and design!”| Urban Design Associate at a91
“Earning my Master’s Degree from UIC’s Department of Urban Planning and Policy helped me develop an in-depth understanding of the Chicago metro region I needed to make me effective in my planning career and the professional contacts I needed to make it a reality. No other school gives you the same exposure and expertise in all things Chicago and fosters the innovation needed for Great Cities!”
| Project Manager at HNTB
“I value my MUPP education because I worked on project teams with a diverse range of people, personalities and professors. I had classes where some of the most prominent movers and shakers in Chicago were invited to speak informally about their lives and their work. It was an incredibly fascinating and challenging experience, My appreciation for UIC’s CUPPA program grows daily. “
| Principal, Wohlt Group
“Through UIC’s Department of Urban Planning and Policy, you will have the opportunity to establish a truly comprehensive framework to understand urban planning, which in nature one of the most complex and interdisciplinary field. With UPP’s outstanding faculty team, you will gain access to the full spectrum as well as subject-matter experts and researches that really can enable you deep dive into most interesting and profound urban planning issues. UIC’s UPP program is known for its balanced emphasis on both planning practices and academic research. I learned the theory of planning while having the chance to help out real community issues.”| Project Manager + Senior Planner at WATG
“What better place can you learn trending planning strategies and concepts than at UIC located in downtown Chicago. I was able to immerse myself with my classmates to see firsthand how new planning principles are shaping the cities we live. In the two short years I was in the MUPPs program, I traveled to China and helped redevelop the City of Shunda, created a masterplan for a dilapidated Chicago neighborhood with the help of two SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merril) employees, study the reinvention of Cabrini Green, and most importantly live in one of the best planned cities in the world. You just can’t get any more real-life practice then at UIC MUPPs program!”
| Director of Landscape Architecture and Planning at Kovert Hawkins Architects Inc.