Master of Urban and Regional Planning Admissions

Are you passionate about helping plan and build vibrant, sustainable cities? Do you want to help protect the environment and prepare resilient, successful regions? Are you inspired to help people help themselves and promote equitable, healthy communities? The Master of Urban and Regional Planning at CU Denver explores these important topics and offers a hands-on, real-world-oriented experience that uses Colorado as our classroom and engages students with top planning/design professionals and the community.

Application Information

Students eligible for admission to this program must have completed a Bachelor’s degree before they will be able to begin this program. An official conferred degree transcript is required by the university. For additional information, please see Graduate School Policies and Procedures.

• Have at least a 3.00 undergraduate grade point average
• Have a demonstrated passion for urban and regional planning (although any prior field of undergraduate study is acceptable)
• Be drawn to at least one of our three Pillars—Healthy Communities, Equitable Urbanism, and Regional Sustainability
• Be excited about what our program has to offer
• Be enthusiastic about going to graduate school in downtown Denver and experiencing Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West
• Contribute to the diversity of our student body by having backgrounds and experiences that give the applicant a unique perspective on urban and regional planning

Application Requirements

• Online application
• Application fee ($50 for domestic applicants, $75 for international applicants)
• A 2-3 page (double-spaced) statement of purpose in which you discuss the following:
  • Your interest in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program
  • The planning topics or areas of interest about which you are particularly passionate
  • Your special strengths and the aspects of your values/personal beliefs, background, and/or experiences that you believe will enable you to make a unique contribution to the Planning Program
  • ​How the Planning Program will further your career plans and the contributions you hope to make after graduation
• A resume that documents your educational and professional background
• A sample of your academic writing, approximately 3-5 pages (double-spaced) long. The paper should demonstrate your writing skills as well as your ability for critical analysis. (A professional project you individually completed may be submitted instead of an academic paper. However, like the paper, this project should demonstrate your abilities in intellectual writing and analytic thought). Include a note explaining why you selected the particular paper or project for submission.
• Three letters of recommendation. At least one of these should be from an academic reference. You will enter their contact information into your application and they will receive an email from CU Denver with a link to upload their letter directly to your application.
• Transcript(s):
  • Domestic transcripts: Transcripts from each institution you have attended, except for study abroad courses, should be sent to the following:
    • Electronic Transcripts: cap-admissions@ucdenver.edu
    • Mailing Address:
      College of Architecture and Planning
      University of Colorado Denver
      Campus Box 126
      P.O. Box 173364
      Denver, CO 80217-3364
  • International transcripts: Do not submit transcripts from foreign (non-US) institutions to CU Denver. Instead, you must provide an international credential evaluation report from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) or World Education Services (WES). You will send your transcripts to the evaluation provider of your choice, and the provider will send their evaluation report to CU Denver. After you submit your application, our International Admissions office will send you an email with a link to the specific landing pages where you can order your report for CU Denver’s use. ECE or WES will charge you for this service. The cost is $163 to $208, depending on your chosen service, plus delivery fees. If this cost is prohibitive, please contact us at intldocuments@ucdenver.edu. If you have questions about the international credential evaluation, please contact International Admissions at intldocuments@ucdenver.edu or read our FAQs.
  • Students who are admitted and enrolled in the program will be required to subsequently submit official college transcripts. Notifications will be sent out prior to the start of the semester.
• Students admitted into this program must have completed a Bachelor’s degree before they will be able to begin this program. An official conferred degree transcript is required by the university.

Meet Our Alumni

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