The Master of Urban Planning (MUP) is a two-year academic/professional Master's degree that qualifies graduates to work as urban planners. Some schools offer the degree as a Master of City Planning (MCP), Master of Regional Planning (MRP), or Master of Planning (MPlan), or in some combination of the aforementioned (e.g., Master of Urban and Regional Planning), depending on the program's specific focus. Yet other schools offer a Master of Arts or Master of Science in planning. Regardless of the name, the degree remains generally the same.
Recipients of a planning degree accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board in the United States are able to become full members of the American Planning Association. Similarly, graduates of accredited planning programs in Canada qualify for full membership in the Canadian Institute of Planners .
In the United Kingdom, the degree is often known as a Master of Town Planning (MTP). Graduates of such programs are qualified to become full members of the Royal Town Planning Institute .
Since planning programs are usually small, they tend not to be housed in distinct "planning schools" but rather, as part of an architecture school, a geography department, or a public policy school, since these are cognate fields. Generally speaking, planning programs in architecture schools focus primarily on physical planning and design, while those in policy schools tend to focus on policy and administration. There is some debate in academic circles as to whether or not the housing of planning programs in architecture schools is outdated, as planning is such a diverse discipline that involves more than just urban design and physical planning.
As urban planning is such a broad and interdisciplinary field, a typical planning degree program emphasizes breadth over depth, with core coursework that provides background for all areas of planning. Core courses typically include coursework in history/theory of urban planning, urban design, statistics, land use/planning law, urban economics, and planning practice. Many planning degree programs also allow a student to "concentrate" in a specific area of interest within planning, such as land use, environmental planning , housing, community development, economic development, international development, urban design, transportation planning, or geographic information systems (GIS).
A thesis, final project or capstone project is usually required to graduate. Additionally, an internship component is almost always mandatory due to the high value placed on work experience by prospective employers in the field.
Like most professional Master's degree programs, the MUP is a terminal degree. However, some graduates choose to continue on to doctoral studies in urban planning or cognate fields; no doctoral program in urban planning has been accredited by any planning accreditation organization.