Urban & Regional Planningat California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Graduates earn $47,832/yr in their first year — about 14.0% above the national Urban & Regional Planning average. Base-case 10-year earnings $531K; scenarios range from $504K to $534K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at Cal Poly SLO
Cal Poly’s "Learn by Doing" philosophy is your core advantage here. While other programs focus heavily on theory, you'll be immersed in studio-based projects tackling real-world California issues like housing shortages, water rights, and sustainable transit. This hands-on, portfolio-building approach makes you a known quantity to employers. You'll graduate with practical skills that are immediately valuable to state and municipal agencies, as well as private consulting firms up and down the West Coast that actively recruit from this program. The curriculum's strong emphasis on environmental planning and design also aligns perfectly with California's progressive regulatory landscape, giving you a distinct edge in the regional job market. Your key to maximizing this is to use your senior project to build deep connections with a specific municipality or firm you’d want to work for after graduation.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Cal Poly SLO's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Urban & Regional Planning
How Cal Poly SLO stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at Cal Poly SLO
Other highest-scoring programs offered at Cal Poly SLO, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
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 at Cal Poly SLO
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Urban & Regional Planning at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo?
A score of 47/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Urban & Regional Planning. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Urban & Regional Planning careers?
With 34% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $504,448 in decade earnings vs $533,909 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.