The Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program at the University of Colorado Denver has evolved to become one of the strongest, most unique planning programs in the United States. We offer a very hands-on, real-world oriented program that uses Colorado as our classroom and engages students with top planning/design professionals and the community.
We believe that successful city building requires expertise, breadth, interdisciplinary understanding, and creativity. Our program looks beyond traditional professional silos and instead centers on issues at the forefront of planning practice. Our three Initiatives-Healthy Communities, Urban Revitalization, and Regional Sustainability-form the basis of our research, instruction, and community outreach.
We encourage all students to follow their passion and develop expertise in the areas that matter most to them. Thus, we offer a unique, self-directed curriculum that allows students to understand the breadth of the planning field while gaining the technical expertise demanded by the profession.
Our world-class faculty includes some of the most respected researchers in the planning field, and our award-winning planning practitioners bring a wealth of experience to the classroom. All of our faculty make teaching a top priority.
Our presence in a College of Architecture and Planning ensures that our approach to planning education has a strong connection to design, and our location in the heart of downtown Denver presents our students with endless opportunities to learn what it takes to create amazing cities.
Curriculum
Program Requirements
Completing the MURP degree requires 54 semester hours, comprised of 36 semester hours of required “core” courses and 18 semester hours of elective courses. (Six of the 36 required semester hours represent a self-directed Capstone project or thesis.) Most full-time students complete the program in two years, while other students complete the program at a slower or part-time pace.
New students begin the program of study in the fall semester. Full-time students typically take approximately 12 semester hours per semester; taking more than 15 is generally ill-advised. Students are strongly encouraged to primarily take core courses during their first year of study. With the exception of the studio and capstone courses, most core courses are offered only one semester per year so it is important to pay attention to the scheduling to ensure your desired graduation date.