Master of Science in Urban Planning - Urban Transportation Planning

University of Arizona

The two-year Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of Arizona prepares you for a meaningful career where you'll shape a more resilient future for cities and communities, locally and across the globe. At CAPLA, we're pushing urban planning education, research and practice in new and exciting directions--and students from diverse backgrounds are at the heart of our award-winning and engaging work.Our flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum provides students with an opportunity to specialize in two of four concentration areas while obtaining a foundational background in planning theory and practice. MS Urban Planning students choose nine credits of primary concentration courses and six credits of secondary concentration courses from two of four focus areas. Selecting areas of concentration allows for greater student engagement with specialized faculty while providing an in-depth exploration of content, methods and applications specific to a desired professional focus. Full-time planning students typically complete the program in two years.Students in the Urban Transportation Planning concentration explore issues and develop skills for building and maintaining sustainable urban transportation systems. We emphasize connections between transportation planning and safety, environmental and climate resilience, social equity, health and wellbeing, resource limitations, accessibility and community impact. Through our emphasis on multi-modal planning (e.g., cars, public transit, pedestrians, bicyclists) and providing inclusive facilities and public spaces that are safe and comfortable for all users, this concentration teaches students to consider transportation planning in holistic, analytical and innovative ways. This program of study will give students hands-on experience with practical transportation planning applications, including opportunities for original data collection, analysis and plan-making.Students will become familiar with the transportation planning profession at various urban scales and at the local, regional, state and national levels. This concentration also provides students with opportunities to explore national and international best practices and to critically consider the implications of transformative/disruptive technologies, such as autonomous vehicles and transportation network companies, on existing planning, design and urban growth considerations.