The MUP Program prepares students to work in a wide variety of fields, including land use and environmental planning, parks and recreation planning, urban design, historic preservation, transportation planning, open space planning, regional planning, and in the development of geographic information systems. With the continuing expansion of Louisville and the nation's other metropolitan areas, urban planning is one of the leading professional fields in terms of demand and job satisfaction, according to surveys by Jobs Rated Almanac and Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance. Students have the opportunity to benefit from working on real planning problems through the required internship and studio courses. Studio courses are taught at the Urban Design Studio, located in downtown Louisville and operated by the MUP Program in cooperation with the City of Louisville and the College of Architecture of the University of Kentucky. They also provide for remission of tuition and health insurance.
Early application is encouraged.
The core consists of eight required courses, or 24 credits. Core courses may be waived by the Program Director based on previous study. The Planning Internship involves a minimum of 120 hours of practical planning experience, while the Capstone Studio involves working on a team to address real planning problems under the guidance of a faculty member. The courses available for each specialization are as follows. Other courses not listed below may be substituted with the permission of the Program Director.