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About Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Urban Affairs and Planning (UAP) prepares students to explore the intersections of planning, policy, and practice at the metropolitan, community, and neighborhood scales and in the diverse contexts of rural and urban, poor and affluent, fast-growing and declining communities. We engage issues affecting where people live, work and play; where they shop and receive medical attention; how they get from place to place; what communities look like; how communities work and how we use our resources. We are preparing the next generation of planners for this exciting and challenging work. UAP has two campuses: Arlington and Blacksburg, Virginia.

Points of Distinction

We are proud of our faculty expertise in various areas, including active and public transportation; collaborative governance; disaster resilience and risk management; economic and community development, and heterodox economics; environmental policy and planning, including climate resilience and community sustainability; international development; social and environmental psychology; and urban and rural policy and planning. In addition to our accredited Master of Urban and Regional Planning program (MURP), we offer two undergraduate majors - Smart and Sustainable Cities (SSC) and Environmental Policy and Planning (EPP); a PhD in Planning, Governance, and Globalization (PGG); and a range of Graduate Certificates.

Degrees & Programs

Master's Degree
Degree Name Master of Urban & Regional Planning
Degree accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board: Yes
Minimum GPA 3.0
Minimum GRE Optional
Minimum TOEFL 90 (IBT) with a score of 20 or greater in the Listening, Writing, Speaking and Reading subsections
Minimum IELTS 6.5
In-state tuition per year $18,600 (tuition and fees)
Out-of-state tuition per year $34,000 (tuition and fees)
Application deadline Rolling admission
Financial aid and scholarship deadline March 1st for fall admission
Bachelor's Degree
Degree Name Public and Urban Affairs (PUA), with majors in Smart & Sustainable Cities (SSC) and Environmental Policy and Planning (EPP)
Degree accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board: No
In-state tuition per year $16,000 (tuition and fees)
Out-of-state tuition per year $38,000 (tuition and fees)
Students in program 185
Full-time equivalent student:faculty ratio 21
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Urban Affairs and Planning Program, School of Public and International Affairs

College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Arlington and Blacksburg Virginia

Address

140 Otey St NW
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-1062

Department Email

tschenk@vt.edu

Department Phone

not listed
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Last Updated: October 10, 2025

Faculty Members

David Bieri

Associate Professor
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Ralph Buehler

Professor
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Margaret Cowell

Associate Professor
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Ralph Hall

Professor
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Steve Hankey

Associate Professor
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Shalini Misra

Associate Professor
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Todd Schenk

Chair & Associate Professor
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Max Stephenson

Professor
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Paroma Wagle

Assistant Professor
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Diane Zahm

Associate Professor
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Yang Zhang

Associate Professor
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Dara Wald

Associate Professor
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