Community and Regional Planning

Downtown Austin skyline
COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING
How to Apply

The Graduate Program in Community and Regional Planning (CRP) is housed within The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture (UTSOA). Our program draws upon the full resources of a top-ranked, tier-1 research university, and offers a course of study that combines cutting-edge research and practice where students engage in real-world projects.

The CRP Program provides its graduates with the theoretical foundations, specific skills, and practical experience to succeed in professional planning and related policy careers. We strive to create a diverse student body and program and are deeply committed to building a professional planning community that resembles the communities in which our students and faculty work.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE

We are a small and friendly program of about 100 graduate students housed in a major tier-1 research university, with a student-faculty ratio under 9:1. Our program has a strong focus on sustainable development processes and practices. We seek development paths that balance growth with improved environmental performance while expanding opportunities for all segments of the community. Planning faculty and students are involved in an array of innovative research and practice activities in sustainability through our major research center, the Center for Sustainable Development, and our program also carries out exciting research and project work in our local community and around the world.

AUSTIN IS OUR LABORATORY

Our program is located in one of the most vibrant and fast-growing cities in the country, providing students with a bounty of interesting and exciting things to do. The city and surrounding region also offer a unique breadth of real-life planning challenges and serves as a laboratory for our courses and research projects. In addition to local planning decisions, Austin, as the state capital, is the central forum for state-level issues. The result is a unique setting for community and regional planning, where there are diverse opportunities for planning-related academic study and engagement, and an attractive job market for planners and for a variety of allied professions.

#9 PLANNING PROGRAM IN THE U.S.

Downtown Austin skyline seen through the trees along Lady Bird Lake

The only comprehensive ranking of graduate planning programs, Planetizen’s ranking is a testament to the program’s commitment to preparing the next generation of planners to change the world.

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Community and Regional Planning

DEGREES + PROGRAMS

The Community and Regional Planning Program at the University of Texas at Austin offers six graduate-level degree programs as well as a Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning. 

GRADUATE PH.D.

Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning [MSCRP]

MSCRP + Master of Science in Sustainable Design

MSCRP + Master of Science in Urban Design

MSCRP + Master of Arts in Latin American Studies

MSCRP + Master of Public Affairs

MSCRP + Doctor of Jurisprudence

Ph.D, in Community and Regional Planning

CITY FORUM LECTURE SERIES

City Forum is a planning and urban issues speaker series intended to provide a space for open, critical dialogue regarding crucial planning-related issues in Austin and elsewhere. The speaker series is intended to encourage discussion of diversity, multiple publics, and social change.

COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING WORK

Click on images below for more information on CRP projects.

  • Instagram Post
    Mebane Lounge by Jeanette Chen @harpnut, Jen McClelland @jenjenmcclelland, Erin Murphy @erkamu, and Stephanie Belov for Igor Siddiqui’s @isssstudio Interior Design Core I // 2023-2024 Design Excellence Award Winner<br>
    @utsoa

    Mebane Lounge by Jeanette Chen @harpnut, Jen McClelland @jenjenmcclelland, Erin Murphy @erkamu, and Stephanie Belov for Igor Siddiqui’s @isssstudio Interior Design Core I // 2023-2024 Design Excellence Award Winner

  • Instagram Post
    Calling all alumni: We want to hear from you!<br> <br>As alumni, supporters, and friends, your perspective is invaluable to us. Consider letting us know how you feel about the school and how we can better engage with members of our extended community at the link in our bio.<br>
    @utsoa

    Calling all alumni: We want to hear from you!

    As alumni, supporters, and friends, your perspective is invaluable to us. Consider letting us know how you feel about the school and how we can better engage with members of our extended community at the link in our bio.

  • Instagram Post
    “Fashion Flagships” by George Lipe @_georgelipe_ for Patrick Danahy’s @pdanahy Design V Studio // 2023-2024 Design Excellence winner<br>
    @utsoa

    “Fashion Flagships” by George Lipe @_georgelipe_ for Patrick Danahy’s @pdanahy Design V Studio // 2023-2024 Design Excellence winner

  • Instagram Post
    This summer, insect habitats designed by first-year interior design students will be on display @brooklynbotanic in New York City.<br>
    @utsoa

    This summer, insect habitats designed by first-year interior design students will be on display @brooklynbotanic in New York City.

  • Instagram Post
    Summer looks good on you ☀️
    @utsoa

    Summer looks good on you ☀️

  • Instagram Post
    This summer, two Community &amp; Regional Planning students @vickierbelcher and @arfar.razi (second from left and right) competed in the final round of the Nature-based Future Challenge competition.<br>
    @utsoa

    This summer, two Community & Regional Planning students @vickierbelcher and @arfar.razi (second from left and right) competed in the final round of the Nature-based Future Challenge competition.

  • Instagram Post
    In the most recent issue of @txarchitects Magazine, SOA alumnus and contributing writer Cole Von Feldt @cole_v profiled several of SOA’s design-build studios which “serve as a bridge between academia and practice, better preparing students for architecture beyond the academic setting.”<br>
    @utsoa

    In the most recent issue of @txarchitects Magazine, SOA alumnus and contributing writer Cole Von Feldt @cole_v profiled several of SOA’s design-build studios which “serve as a bridge between academia and practice, better preparing students for architecture beyond the academic setting.”

  • Instagram Post
    Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Practice @juanasalcedoo, who received a 2024 @grahamfoundation grant to fund her exhibition “Jaguar Lens.” <br>
    @utsoa

    Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Practice @juanasalcedoo, who received a 2024 @grahamfoundation grant to fund her exhibition “Jaguar Lens.”

  • Instagram Post
    Congratulations to Master of Interior Design student Winnie Lin @winnlin (MID ’25) who was recognized by @asid_hq as one of only three 2024 Student Portfolio Competition award winners selected from submissions across the US and Canada!<br>
    @utsoa

    Congratulations to Master of Interior Design student Winnie Lin @winnlin (MID ’25) who was recognized by @asid_hq as one of only three 2024 Student Portfolio Competition award winners selected from submissions across the US and Canada!