Community and Regional Planning Program Ranks Ninth in Planetizen’s Guide to Urban Planning Programs

The University of Texas at Austin’s Community and Regional Planning Program ranked ninth in Planetizen’s most recent Guide to Urban Planning Programs. Of nearly 100 planning programs considered, UT Austin joins an elite group in the Top 10. 

“This ranking is a testament to the excellence of planning education at UT Austin,” said Ming Zhang, Director of the Community and Regional Planning Program. “Not only that, it is a celebration of the accomplishments of our CRP faculty and students who are well supported by their home within School of Architecture and the UT Austin community.  

An independent public-interest platform for the planning community, Planetizen has ranked graduate programs in the United States through seven editions of its Guide to Urban Planning Graduate Programs. The only comprehensive ranking system for planning education out there, Planetizen’s methodology evaluates data using a quartile system, with 29 metrics organized into four criteria: Program Characteristics, Faculty Characteristics, Student Characteristics, and the Opinion of Planning Educators. The guide also includes interviews with current graduate students and professional planners, and research about the planning job market, to provide guidance beyond the rankings themselves. 

Since it was first accredited by the American Institute of Planners in 1960, the UT School of Architecture’s Planning Program has offered interdisciplinary and hands-on training in the field, with attention to sociological, economic, and environmental considerations, as well as quantitative and qualitative approaches to the built environment. Drawing upon the resources of the University’s status as a Tier-1 research university, the program offers a course of study that combines both research and practice, and enables students to meaningfully engage in real-world projects. 

Today, the program offers a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning, a Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning, as well as graduate-level opportunities for dual degrees with Urban Design, Sustainable Design, Latin American Studies, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the School of Law. 

For specific questions about admission to the program, contact Jake Wegmann, Graduate Advisor, and learn more about the program and its strengths here. 

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