Western Washington University

About Western Washington University

WWU’s Urban Planning and Sustainable Development (UPSD) major offers an interdisciplinary approach to solving complex problems. The curriculum combines urban planning, sustainable design, policy and environmental science to provide students with an understanding of the multidimensional issues in urban development. Graduates are ready for professional careers in planning agencies, consulting firms, and non profit organizations at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels of government, as well as advanced graduate study. Our program aspires to serve diverse communities and we encourage students with a breadth of backgrounds and life experiences to apply.

Points of Distinction

The BA degree in Urban Planning and its predecessor planning degrees have continuously been offered at WWU for over 50 years. The BA planning degree has been granted to well over 800 students, most who have entered professional careers in planning. In 2016, Western Washington University (WWU) received its first national accreditation of its BA in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development (UPSD) major, granted by the national Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). The degree is one of only 16 accredited undergraduate programs in the nation, and one of only two accredited undergraduate planning degree in Washington State.

Degrees & Programs

Degree Name	Urban Planning and Sustainable Development
Accreditation:	yes
In-state tuition per year	$9,942.00
Out-of-state tuition per year	29109
Application deadline	2026-04-20
Students in program	73
Full-time equivalent student:faculty ratio	8:1