Urban & Regional Planning
Students study land use, transportation systems, zoning laws, community development, and sustainable urban design to shape how cities and regions grow. Graduates typically pursue careers as urban planners, transportation planners, housing policy analysts, and community development directors for government agencies and consulting firms. This major is increasingly relevant as cities face challenges around housing, climate adaptation, and equitable development.
What Urban & Regional Planning graduates do
Your degree prepares you to shape the places where people live and work. As an entry-level urban or regional planner, your days will involve a mix of technical analysis and public engagement. You might spend the morning analyzing zoning codes and environmental impact data for a new housing development, then spend the evening presenting those plans at a town hall meeting, navigating feedback from residents and developers.
With experience, your focus can shift from hands-on planning to leadership. Many planners advance to become architectural and engineering managers, where you’ll direct large-scale projects, manage multimillion-dollar budgets, and lead teams of technical staff. Others pivot to academia, teaching the next generation of planners and architects. While planning and management roles show steady growth, academic positions are more competitive.
AI will significantly change your day-to-day work, automating routine tasks like data analysis and preliminary site plan generation. This means your value will shift from technical grunt work to uniquely human skills: negotiating with community stakeholders, making ethical judgments about development, and critically evaluating AI-generated options. Adaptability will be key to thriving.
Related majors worth comparing: Environmental Design, Urban Studies, and Interior Architecture.
Where Urban & Regional Planning graduates work
Common career paths for Urban & Regional Planning graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 20,300 combined openings per year across these roles.
| Role | Median Pay | Annual Openings | 10-yr Growth | AI Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Architectural and engineering managers
|
$167,740
$135K–$207K
|
14,500 | +3.8% | Moderate · 41% |
|
Architecture teachers, postsecondary
|
$101,480
$78K–$129K
|
900 | +2.0% | Moderate · 49% |
|
Urban and regional planners
|
$83,720
$66K–$104K
|
3,400 | +3.4% | Moderate · 48% |
|
Social sciences teachers, postsecondary, all other
|
$75,040
$60K–$105K
|
1,500 | +1.7% | Low · 0% |
Best schools for Urban & Regional Planning
Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 15.
| # | School | DW Score | 1-yr Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ · Public
|
53 | $40,037 | 14.8x |
| 6 |
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX · Public
|
52 | $47,256 | 11.5x |
| 7 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Seattle, WA · Public
|
49 | $39,635 | 12.9x |
| 8 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
|
47 | $47,832 | 9.8x |
| 9 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public
|
45 | $41,501 | 10.3x |
| 10 |
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH · Public
|
43 | $46,122 | 7.5x |
| 11 |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale, AZ · Public
|
42 | $46,954 | — |
| 12 |
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL · Public
|
41 | $22,719 | 32.5x |
| 13 |
Miami University-Oxford
Oxford, OH · Public
|
36 | $40,721 | 4.7x |
| 14 |
Westfield State University
Westfield, MA · Public
|
33 | $32,802 | 10.5x |
| 15 |
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit
|
27 | $37,131 | 1.7x |
Highest Earnings Top 5
| Texas A & M University-College Station
TX |
$50,580 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA |
$47,832 |
| Texas State University
TX |
$47,256 |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion
AZ |
$46,954 |
| Arizona State University Digital Immersion
AZ |
$46,954 |
Best ROI Top 5
| Florida Atlantic University
FL |
32.5x |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA |
23.0x |
| University of Arizona
AZ |
14.8x |
| Iowa State University
IA |
13.7x |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus
WA |
12.9x |
Related majors
Similar fields of study often offered alongside Urban & Regional Planning.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Urban & Regional Planning offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Urban & Regional Planning trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Urban & Regional Planning
How much do Urban & Regional Planning graduates earn?
First-year earnings for Urban & Regional Planning graduates average $42,023 annually, based on data from 15 programs. The range spans $22,719 at the low end to $50,580 at the top.
How exposed is Urban & Regional Planning to AI disruption?
Our analysis classifies Urban & Regional Planning as "High" for AI risk — approximately 43% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts some of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.
What's the top-ranked school for Urban & Regional Planning?
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona leads all 15 programs with a DegreeOutlook Score of 61/100. Graduates earn $45,960/yr — the ranking weighs earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size equally.
What's the ROI on a Urban & Regional Planning degree?
On average, Urban & Regional Planning graduates earn 12.6x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.