Welcome to Our Community
From Chicago and Beyond, See How We're UPP Strong!
Welcome to the UIC Department of Urban Planning and Policy! You have either committed to starting the Master in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) in the fall or you’re considering doing so. We wanted to tell you a little more about our community.
We are one of the largest urban planning programs in North America, celebrating 45 years of educational and scholarly achievements. We are situated just minutes from downtown Chicago and are 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. Explore the following content for more information about our department, our programs, and the many reasons to pursue the MUPP degree at UIC.
The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA)
Indeed, one of the most important experiences we offer our students, staff, and faculty is the opportunity to study, learn, and work in a wonderfully diverse environment. CUPPA remains committed to promoting dialogue and analysis about what may seem like intractable urban problems: the persistence of poverty and inequality, urban sprawl, climate change, gentrification. We work to create safe spaces to collaborate and exchange ideas, providing you full access to the faculty and administrators in the College to share your concerns, ask questions, or seek support.
Research Centers
Our college has over 500 current students, as well as links to more than 250 public service organizations and private companies in the Chicago region who host CUPPA students in internships. We host eight research centers and institutes (see right) and have connections with local governments, advocacy organizations, and planning and policy think tanks around the globe.
In CUPPA, we help students match their hopes for the future with the skills and networks to make real change possible. We teach students to first understand the needs and strengths of places and systems, and then work collaboratively with stakeholders to improve them. In Chicago and around the world, we strive to create just, resilient, and livable communities.
CUPPA Academic Advising
A core component of our CUPPA community is attentive advising. Our advisors help students navigate their graduate experiences through a straightforward pedagogical framework of connection, retention, collaboration, and graduation. We serve our students by encouraging transformational growth and personal and professional development. In addition to working with the graduate program advisor, each student is assigned a faculty advisor in their specialization. Students also benefit from a small faculty-student ratio (12 to 1), ensuring small classes and opportunities to connect to instructors and fellow students. These multiple sources of support promote student success and deliver a quality planning education.
Humans of CUPPA - UPP Staff and Faculty
I can’t believe I have been at UIC for 21 years! I originally was attracted to the great reputation of the program and the department’s commitment to progressive planning. Our students are practical idealists, and it is so gratifying to see our grads — whether working for a community organization in Englewood, a think tank in Washington DC, or a transit agency in Denver — engaged in the hard work of social change.
| Professor - Urban Planning & Policy
That's not all of us! Meet the faculty.
Humans of CUPPA - The Student Community
What really set UIC apart for me is that we get to study Chicago in a completely pragmatic way. The conversations that we have in class often highlight the real-world issues that are directly impacting me or my neighbors in real-time. I think that is crazy cool.
| Current MUPP Student
Planning Student Organizations
We learn about the world we live in and how each of us can contribute to it. Participating in one of our active student organizations is one way to experiment with what you learn in the classroom and to meet other students and practitioners with similar interests. Student organizations also allow opportunities for leadership, collaboration, and socializing.
UPPSA
Urban Planning and Policy Student Association (UPPSA)
UPPSA provides academic, social, professional, and philanthropic events for MUPP students at UIC. We are a student-led, student-focused organization dedicated to helping students make the most of a graduate planning education–building connections, volunteering, and having fun along the way.
UPPSA @ UIC is nationally-recognized for student engagement.
Society of Black Urban Planners
Society of Black Urban Planners (SBUP)
The Society of Black Urban Planners seeks to empower and support Black UPP students at the University of Illinois at Chicago while fostering positive connections with planning professionals locally and regionally.
LPODER
Latino Planning Organization for Development, Education, and Regeneration (LPODER)
The main goal of LPODER is to enhance the retention, outreach, and professional development of Latino students in the CUPPA graduate and undergraduate programs, thereby increasing the number of Latino students that enter the fields of Urban Planning, Policy, and Design. LPODER is also committed to working with other Latino organizations at UIC, and local communities in order to continue advocating for the civil rights of all Latinos in cities.
WPPA
Women in Planing and Public Affairs (WPPA)
The Alumni Community
Our alumni address pressing urban issues, organize communities, confront poverty and inequality, document inequitable distributions of resources, analyze spatial data, incubate new ideas and design new programs, improve community and regional infrastructure, and consult, research, strategize, analyze, and generate policy. Below are a handful of employers (and the kinds of employers) who have recently hired MUPP graduates:
Side One
California Department of Transportation
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Chicago Transit Authority
City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Environmental Protection Agency
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
FEMA
Great Lakes Alliance
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Side Two
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Local and Regional Governments
Enlace Chicago
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago
National Transitional Jobs Network: Heartland Alliance
Private Consulting and Planning Firms
Quad Communities Development Corp
The Woods Fund & other philanthropies
The Related Companies & other developers
CUPPA-AA
CUPPA has one of the most active alumni associations at UIC, which is a testament to the good feeling graduates have about the program. The CUPPA Alumni Association organizes networking and professional development events and maintains the social connections that students form while in the program. In its ninth year, the CUPPA Alumni-Student Mentoring program matches seasoned, successful alumni with current MPA and MUPP graduate students. Students are given the opportunity to explore various career topics and discuss the realities of the professional planning/public administration environment. To learn more about the Alumni-Student Mentor Program and the CUPPA Alumni Association, click here.
Humans of CUPPA - The Alumni Community
I’m a dance teaching artist in the Chicagoland area, and I believe that dancers (and movers) have an innate understanding of their bodies, interactions with the built environment and how we engage with one another. We as consumers contribute to a silent dialogue with both transitional and permanent spaces. Urban planning is a tool to inform two dynamic communities (urban planning and dance [movement]) to inform how we can better engage in conversations on how cities work with and for people.
| MUPP Alum ('19)
CUPPA really changed a lot for me – it plugged me into a professional world I would not have had the exposure to otherwise. I had no idea such comprehensive work could be done in the realm of policy, especially around a lot of the work I have always been especially interested in.
| CUPPA Alum ('19)
Where can you find a CUPPA alumnus? Find the company or organization doing good in our city and region. At least one person there, in the background doing the work, has a CUPPA degree. This is our community: concerned citizens, compassionate leaders, and dedicated activists. I was drawn to CUPPA because of this, and it’s what defines my commitment to the college as an alumnus. As the President of the board of the CUPPA Alumni Association, I’m hopeful we can use this energy and our shared values to strengthen relationships among alumni, alumni and the college, and alumni and current students.
| CUPPA-AA Board President / MUPP Alum
Sweet Home Chicago
One of the best things about the MUPP is its location. We are located on the west side of Chicago, a short walk from the Loop and a few yards from the UIC Halsted Blue Line CTA station. You have access to all the resources on UIC’s campus (library, gym, student center) but are also close to the rapidly-developing Fulton Market district, with restaurants, shops, and parks. We study urban change and there is much to study in our own backyard. Below you can explore all the neighborhoods home to UIC.
Greektown / West Loop
Greektown / West Loop
Once the home of factories, wholesale markets and warehouses, the West Loop is one of Chicago’s fastest growing neighborhoods. Among the rising loft and condo buildings are tech firms, retailers and restaurants. Located at the north end of the UIC campus, also boasts art galleries, dance companies, designers, boutiques and music venues. At the edge of the neighborhood is Greektown, which holds strong to its Greek heritage and celebrates Greek food and traditions even as the rest of the area transforms.
Cultural Attractions:
Little Italy / University Village
Little Italy / University Village
This is the area that UIC calls home. Lying between the east and west sides of campus and stretching from our north to south, it’s an area that is diverse both ethnically and socioeconomically. Once known as “Hull House neighborhood,” Jane Addams’ original home and the resident’s dining hall still stand as a museum. While University Village bustles with new housing and businesses, Little Italy’s heritage is displayed prominently in the restaurants of Taylor Street.
Cultural Attractions:
Get to know Chicago like a Chicagoan
Want to learn more? Explore these links!
Ready to Join Our Community?
Already Admitted?
Submit your intent to enroll by visiting your Admissions Application Portal. Still having trouble? Contact Dominic Belcaster, Graduate Academic Advisor, at dbelca2@uic.edu.
Ready to Apply?
Click here to learn more about the UPP application process. Applications for the Fall 2022 semester are due by May 15, 2022.
Need More Information?
Not to worry – we have plenty of information to provide you with! Click here to learn more about UPP and each of our respective programs. Still have questions? Contact Dominic Belcaster, Graduate Academic Advisor, at dbelca2@uic.edu.