photo uploaded by University of Pennsylvania

About University of Pennsylvania

Weitzman City & Regional Planning will prepare you for a fulfilling career in the private, public, and/or nonprofit sectors. You will gain the quantitative, qualitative and digital skills to analyze complex problems and visualize alternative futures. You will learn how historical and institutional contexts shape planning practice and how to work with community members to leverage their knowledge and skills. You will also gain in-depth knowledge in at least one of our six areas of concentration: Land Use and Environmental Policy; Urban Design; Housing, Community and Economic Development; Smart Cities; Public and Private Development; and Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning.

Points of Distinction

The MCP core curriculum encompasses the basic skills and knowledge required of all planners regardless of their specialization and is a hallmark of our cutting-edge and practical approach to educating city planners. Students who complete the core will understand the legal and historical basis of city planning; they will know how to use a wide variety of population and economic data to understand local communities; and they will understand the form and arrangement of cities and metropolitan areas around the world. Most important, they will understand which planning approaches work best in which contexts and circumstances.

Degrees & Programs

Master's Degree
Degree Name Master of City Planning
Degree accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board: Yes
Minimum GPA not required
Minimum GRE not required
Minimum TOEFL 100 total and a minimum of 25 in each section
Minimum IELTS 7 overall band score and a minimum of 7 on each section
In-state tuition per year $61,020
Out-of-state tuition per year $61,020
Application deadline January 8
Financial aid and scholarship deadline January 8
Students in program 148
Full-time equivalent student:faculty ratio 6.67
Bachelor's Degree
Degree accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board: No
University of Pennsylvania logo
Department of City and Regional Planning

Weitzman School of Design
Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Address

127 Meyerson Hall
210 South 34th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-3899

Department Email

cityplan@design.upenn.edu

Department Phone

215-898-8329
Visit Department Website
Last Updated: October 9, 2025

Faculty Members

Francesca Ammon

Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Eugenie Birch

Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Sayna Carley

Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Thomas Daniels

Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Elizabeth Delmelle

Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Akira Drake-Rodriguez

Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Lance Freeman

Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Jamaal Green

Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Erick Guerra

Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Allison Lassiter

Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Zhongjie Lin

Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Sarah Lopez

Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Vincent Reina

Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Megan Ryerson

Department Chair & Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Lisa Servon

Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Domenic Vitiello

Associate Professor of City Planning and Urban Studies
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Xiaoxia Dong

Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile

Xiaojiang Li

Assistant Professor of Urban Spatial Analytics
University of Pennsylvania
View Profile