Graduate

Our graduate program offerings currently consist of master’s degrees in City Planning (MCP) and Urban Affairs (MUA), which have wide applicability in the urban discipline and beyond. Both degree programs provide a rigorous foundation for both new and experienced student-scholars and professionals. Applicants from a wide variety of disciplines with an interest in the “urban” are encouraged to apply.

Some of the reasons to study City Planning or Urban Affairs at BU’s MET include:

  • Practical Focus
    Our MCP and MUA coursework not only provides a solid theoretical basis in planning, urban management, and public policy, but also hands-on experience in real-world projects. We connect theory to practice.
  • Professionally Experienced Faculty
    Our faculty members average 25 years of experience in executive and managerial roles in city and regional planning, corporate management, economic development, environmental protection, and nonprofit and public management. As an MCP or MUA student, you will learn exactly what you need to know to become a member of the next generation of planners, public managers, and urban researchers.
  • Flexible Programs
    Our students may complete the program on either a full- or part-time basis, with convenient evening classes. Our program can help you to balance education, work, and other responsibilities. Also, with numerous elective options, students can pursue individual specializations and concentrations without any additional coursework or time.
  • Multiple Career Options
    Graduates of the MCP and MUA programs can pursue a wide range of professional careers in town, city, and regional planning; sustainable management; community and economic development; transportation planning; public-sector/nonprofit management; and policy research, among others. The MCP and MUA degrees from Boston University enable students to apply their knowledge to the most pressing social, economic, and political issues facing the world today.
  • Alumni Networks
    Our alumni—in greater Boston and internationally—are changing the face of city planning and urban management, and they share expertise and professional networks to enrich our students’ educational and career development.
  • Diverse Student Body
    Our students are a refreshingly varied group, both with differing backgrounds, from new graduates to seasoned professionals, and with a wide range of undergraduate majors and career fields. What brings us all together, however, is our shared passion for understanding and shaping the spaces we inhabit for the betterment of our societies.

City Planning

The Master of City Planning (MCP) at Boston University’s Metropolitan College prepares students for a wide variety of professional roles in planning for urban and regional management. During the course of their study, our Master of City Planning students can specialize in an array of complex issues and policy areas with optional focus areas that include:

  • Transportation Planning
  • Housing and Community Development
  • Urban Policy and Planning (graduate certificate)
  • Applied Sustainability (graduate certificate)
  • Applied Urban Informatics (graduate certificate)

The MCP is a professional graduate degree intended for those pursuing careers in planning-related fields and designed to be completed in one and a half to two years if taken full time.

MCP graduates work as town and city planners, community development directors, research analysts, and policy experts with federal, state, and local governments; nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations; corporations; and research institutions.

Urban Affairs

The Master of Urban Affairs (MUA) is designed for students seeking a broad background in urban public policy, community development and service delivery, and the administration of public and private agencies in urban settings. The MUA is a one-year graduate degree program, if taken full time. The MUA provides the theoretical, analytical, and practical foundations for understanding the complexities of the urban environment. The optional focus areas for MUA students are:

  • Transportation Planning
  • Housing and Community Development
  • Applied Sustainability (graduate certificate)
  • Applied Urban Informatics (graduate certificate)

Graduates of the program are prepared for careers in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors in which they assemble and analyze information for policy-making, identify community needs and resources, and administer effective service-delivery programs. MUA graduates work in the fields of housing, health and social services, economic development, transportation management, and environmental protection, among many others. Many students obtain the MUA degree in preparation for further study, or to seek advancement in their current job or field.

Admissions Information, Degree Requirements, and Cross Registration

For detailed admission policies, degree requirements, and other information, please visit the Master of City Planning or Master of Urban Affairs pages on the Metropolitan College website.