Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) Degree

The Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree requires 48 semester credits, distributed approximately as follows: core courses (25.5 - 26.5 credits); three concentration courses (at least 9 credits); capstone workshop (3.0 credits); and elective credits and/or Plan A thesis credits. A 400-hour professional internship also is required, unless you are exempted based on relevant previous employment.

Required Core Courses (25.5 - 26.5 credits)PA 5004 — Introduction to Planning (3)
PA 5013 — Law and Urban Land Use (1.5)
PA 5031 — Empirical Analysis I (4)
PA 5036 — Regional Economic Analysis (2)
PA 5037 — Regional Demographic Analysis (2)
PA 5253 — Designing Planning and Participation Processes (3)
PA 5204 — Urban Spatial and Social Dynamics (3) or PA 5521 - Development Planning and Policy Analysis (4)

Two of the following:
PA 8201 — Environment and Infrastructure Planning (4)
PA 8202 — Networks and Places: Land Use, Transportation, and Design (4)
PA 8203 — Neighborhood Revitalization Theories & Strategies (4)

If you do not have GIS competency, you must take a GIS course as part of your 48 credits.
You may be exempted from selected core course requirements if you have relevant prior coursework. In that case, you can take additional concentration or elective credits to meet the 48-credit requirement.

Concentrations (at least 9 credits in one of the following areas)
You can select a focus in an established area of concentration or self-design a concentration with your advisor and with the approval of the director of graduate studies. All concentrations require at least 9 credits. You can take concentration and elective courses at the Humphrey School and from other University departments.

Capstone Workshop (3 credits)
You can learn more about Capstone Workshops here.

Electives or Optional Plan A thesis credits (to bring total degree credits to at least 48)
You are welcome to read some recent theses.

Program Planning Worksheet
The Program Planning Worksheet (PPW) helps current students plan their degrees from start to finish. Students must submit a completed and approved PPW before graduating.

Dual Degree Opportunities
We offer dual degrees with the University of Minnesota Law School, the School of Social Work, and with the Department of Civil Engineering.

You can select a focus in an established area of concentration or self-design a concentration with your advisor and with the approval of the director of graduate studies. All concentrations require at least 9 credits. You can take concentration and elective courses at the Humphrey School and from other University departments.

To apply, start the University of Minnesota graduate school online application. The Humphrey School admissions and awards committee reviews all applications and decisions regarding admissions and financial aid. Decisions are communicated through the graduate school online system.

Requirements + Prerequisitses

• A four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. university or foreign equivalent at time of enrollment.

• Competence in college-level algebra (including facility with functional notations; algebraic manipulation of polynomials, logs, and exponentials; and graphic representation of equations) is required.

• MURP students must demonstrate competence with GIS through coursework or work experience (if you are not competent in GIS, you must take a GIS course as part of your 48 credits)

• A grade of B or better in an introductory course in microeconomics is strongly recommended for MURP students. A macroeconomics or single-semester general economics course will not satisfy this requirement.

• At least one course in political science (that analyzes political institutions) is strongly recommended.

• Sufficient prior academic preparation. The University of Minnesota Graduate School prefers a 3.0 or better undergraduate GPA. The average Humphrey School GPA is 3.5.

• Competence in MS Excel and Word is strongly recommended.

• English language competence. If English is not your native language, you must pass the TOEFL or IELTS exam with a minimum score of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), 100 (internet based, minimum 22 on each section), or 7 for the IELTS. TOEFL or IELTS scores must be less than two years old.

We consider many factors when choosing applicants for admission. We evaluate such attributes as:

• Your prior academic achievement

• Your professional experience

• Leadership and community/public service experience

• Your commitment to a career in public affairs or planning

• The fit between your interests and goals, and the programs at the Humphrey School

• Your letters of recommendation

• GRE scores

• Your potential contribution to the diversity of views and experiences represented at the Humphrey School

• TOEFL score (if required)

Capstone Workshops are designed to provide a learning opportunity for second-year students to apply their knowledge through a client-based team project.The workshop includes a written report for the client and an oral presentation to the client that summarizes the major findings of the project. The Capstone Workshop is intended as a culminating experience, offering an opportunity integrate knowledge and skills from across the MURP curriculum into a professional quality project. Recent capstone projects are listed below.

Master of Public Policy (MPP) students must do a professional paper, which can either be an individual professional paper OR a team project. In this case the Capstone Workshop team report (including a reflective paper) meets the requirements for the MPP professional paper.

• Rosemount and UMore: Sustainable Development Case Studies and Lessons Learned (clients: City of Rosemount, UMore Development LLC)

• Brooklyn Park Neighborhood Formation Toolkit (client: City of Brooklyn Park)

• Economic Development in St. Paul's Promise Neighborhood (client: Wilder Foundation)

• Minneapolis Bike Boxes: An Evaluation of Bike Boxes at Signalized Intersections Designed to Facilitate Bicyclist Left Turns (clients: City of Minneapolis, Transit for Livable Communities)

• Wooddale Station Redevelopment Framework (client: City of St. Louis Park)

Multiple capstone course options are offered each spring semester. The capstone is required for MURP students.

If you have questions about how the Capstone Workshop applies to your educational program, please consult your academic advisor.