Masters

DUSP provides graduate professional education for individuals who will assume planning roles in public, private, and nonprofit agencies, firms, and international institutions, in the United States and abroad. The Master in City Planning (MCP) is a professional degree in the field of planning and seeks to provide MCP students with the skills and specialized knowledge needed to fill traditional and emerging planning roles. The two-year MCP program emphasizes the mastery of the tools necessary for effective practice, and is therefore distinct from liberal arts programs in urban affairs. An intensive course of study stresses skills for policy analysis and institutional intervention.

MCP graduates work in a broad array of roles, from traditional city planning to economic, social, and environmental planning. In addition to its basic core requirements, the program offers four areas of specialization: city design and development; environmental policy and planning; housing, community, and economic development; international development; urban science; and mobility. MCP students, in their application to the department, select one of these areas of specialization.

Admission to the MCP Program is highly competitive. Approximately 55-60 new students enroll each year from an applicant pool of about 400+. Of these, 30 percent are international students, approximately 50 percent are women, and about 20 percent of domestic students are from underrepresented minority groups. Most applicants have strong academic records coupled with some work in the field.  One strength of the program is the diverse work experiences that participants in each cohort bring and we strongly encourage applicants to pursue meaningful work experience after their BA degree before applying to the graduate program. Also considered are promising applicants who are changing fields. 

For more information, please visit the Admissions page.

The relationship between advisee and academic advisor shapes academic decisions and develop career options for advisees. Advisors are responsible for: assisting their advisees select subjects and approve registration each term; collaboratively review degree requirements; availability for consultation, review, and approval of appropriate changes to advisee registration status; assessing advisees ability and performance in class and at MIT, offering appraisals, recommendations, or performance evaluations when appropriate. 

In addition, student support resources may be found here. Detailed best practices for MIT graduate advisors may be found here. 

A collection of subjects and requirements to be taken during the students two years in the MCP program constitute a core experience viewed as central to the professional program and consisting of an integrated set of subjects and modules designed to introduce planning practices, methods, contemporary challenges, and the economic and social institutions within which planners work. 

The core subjects and requirements include the following:

First Semester (Fall)

• 11.200 Gateway
• 11.205 Introduction to Spatial Analysis
• 11.220 Quantitative Reasoning
• 11.222 Introduction to Critical Qualitative Methods
• 11.328 Introduction to Urban Design

Second Semester (Spring)

• 11.202 Planning Economics
• 11.203 Microeconomics

Additional Requirements

• A practicum course-- complete one of several designated courses that provide the opportunity to synthesize planning solutions within the constraints of client-based project
• A thesis clinic and signed thesis proposal completed in the third term of study
• Thesis

Through lectures, case studies, and hands-on experience, students become familiar with theories of planning and their application in professional practice. Students are encouraged to take one of the Department's many workshop and studio subjects that engage planning issues in real-world settings. Entering students with significant knowledge in Microeconomics, Data Management and Spatial Analysis, Design, Qualitative Research and/or Quantitative Reasoning may test out of these requirements.

During the course of four semesters, students typically take about 14 subjects from a selection of about 90 graduate subjects offered by the Department and additional courses offered elsewhere at MIT, Harvard and other area universities. Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January offers the opportunity to take additional short subjects or workshops or to conduct thesis research. Students must complete a total of 126 units of coursework and 24 units of thesis to graduate with a Master in City Planning degree.

The MCP program is designed to be completed in four semesters, but students can finish in three semesters if all requirements are met.

The fourth semester is devoted to completing a thesis and rounding out course work leading to graduation. A thesis in the MCP program may take one of several forms: an independent scholarly research project guided by an advisor and readers; a directed thesis contributing to a larger research effort directed by a faculty member; or a professionally oriented thesis developed in the context of a studio or practicum course. In all cases the thesis must be a piece of original, creative work conceived and developed by the student.

In addition to the MCP core requirements described above, common to all students in the program, various groups and subsets of the department have organized to coordinate and steward more focused areas of specialization and practice. Although these do not represent formal certificates or requirements and the specific subjects and affiliated faculty might change over time, the following "MCP Curricular Pathways" are currently recognized by the department:

Climate and Environment

Environmental professionals today must contend with the dual objectives of adapting to a rapidly changing climate while promoting more sustainable and just energy and development futures.  This curricular pathway covers a range of ethical and theoretical debates, practice challenges and spatial analytics that every environmental professional is expected to master.  We organize our teaching and research under five headings: climate adaptation and infrastructure planning (n.b., we are focused on taking action in the world rather than studying problems alone); environmental planning, renewable energy and sustainable development (acknowledging that a just energy transition is the key to coping with a rapidly changing climate); environmental and ecological economics and natural resource management (both market operations and market failures are covered in our courses) ; environmental law, regulation and governance (we emphasize deliberative public and stakeholder engagement in community decision-making); and public interest technology (while we connect to the rest of MIT in our emphasis on entrepreneurship and technology change, our focus is always on the public interest).  

Environmental and Planetary Health

The environmental and planetary health curricular path focuses on how natural, built, economic and social conditions shape planetary health.  Planetary health comprises the social and geographic distributions of human health and disease, the functioning of ecosystems, and how human activity affects the health of non-human organisms, ecosystems, and the planet at large.  This pathway introduces tools designed to integrate human and planetary health considerations into policy-making and planning and to build systems of resilience and reciprocity. It also explores empirical evidence, social theories, methodological approaches, and normative frameworks that practitioners and researchers use to explain planetary and human health outcomes, and to guide interventions for health and well-being, socio-natural relationality, and environmental justice.

Governance, Negotiation, and Reparative Planning

Communities worldwide confront fractured trust, contested resources, uneven institutions, and the urgent demand for resilience in the face of economic, demographic, and technological disruption. This pathway prepares students to engage across government, business, and civil society, where negotiation, governance, and reparative planning are practiced not just as skills but as civic disciplines—ways of thinking and acting that align stakeholders around durable solutions amid deep differences. Rooted in DUSP’s interdisciplinary tradition, the courses draw from expertise in political economy, law, organizational design, planning theory, and social movements to equip planners with the tools to design transparent, accountable, and adaptive institutions. Through seminars, studios, clinics, and applied research, students examine global and local cases of contested governance—from water and energy sharing, land restitution, and post-disaster recovery to environmental remediation, indigenous sovereignty, and civic infrastructure renewal—gaining both perspective and practice in how to repair systems and build trust. They learn to broker agreement in contexts of mistrust through credible, inclusive processes, while deploying accountability frameworks such as participatory budgeting, truth-telling mechanisms, and performance monitoring to restore public confidence across sectors. Simultaneously, students hone narrative and communication strategies to render complex analyses persuasive and actionable, inspiring constituencies and catalyzing collective action. Without prescribing ideology, the pathway emphasizes pragmatic approaches that enhance peace, foster development, and create legitimacy that lasts beyond political cycles, cultivating planners who embody the stamina, curiosity, and care to innovate, repair, and lead with integrity in the pursuit of shared prosperity.

History for Planning Action  

Planning is a forward-looking profession, but our plans for the future must always be grounded in an understanding of the past. Through the deep, detailed, and reflective study of the history of urbanization and the history of the planning profession -- including the growth and development of different cities; the changing context of urban policies and politics; shifting demographics and flows of migration; the effects of new industries and technologies; and even changes in the planet's environment -- this pathway roots our pracitce and provides deeper context for the work we do.

Housing

This curricular pathway prepares and supports students interested in understanding, creating, and sustaining housing. It explores history, politics, policy, design, development, land use regulation, and economics related to housing, and their relationships to healthy, environmentally and socially sustainable communities and thriving economies, with special attention to innovative approaches to the topic. It also addresses how housing discrimination, housing insecurity, lack of safe and healthy housing, and lack of affordable housing affect members of the community. The role of housing in building strong communities will relate this work to other aspects of the DUSP curriculum. Coursework may include history, law, planning tools, political economy, housing finance and community development. Students will come out of this pathway with the tools to plan for and develop housing as well as plan for those experiencing homelessness or housing challenges.

International Development

With a long history of focus on planning challenges in lower income environments around the world, this curricular pathway engages students in learning about the actors, institutions and processes that are relevant to the economic, political, and social transformation of such regions, cities, and nations-states.  The institutional and policy challenges of such transformations, the distributional consequences of such transformations and the realities of such transformation in practice, inform much of our approach to teaching, research and scholarship.  Diverse areas of focus of research and teaching include peace-building and security dimensions of planning, key sectoral areas such as governance, housing, property, land, water and sanitation, health, transport and real estate, and legal and institutional dimensions of development.

Mobility

The global mobility system is undergoing profound transformation. An unprecedented combination of new data and technologies (autonomy, electrification, and AI) is colliding with new and evolving priorities and objectives (decarbonization, public health, and social justice). The timeframe for these changes – decarbonization in particular – is short in a system with massive amounts of fixed, long-life assets and entrenched behaviors and cultures. At the same time, much of the world still faces conditions of poor mobility services, congestion, pollution, insecurity, crumbling infrastructure, etc. In the face of these global challenges and opportunities, DUSP’s mobility-related classes seek to understand and develop mobility systems that are safe, clean and inclusive. DUSP students also have the opportunity to apply for the dual degree in the Master of Science in Transportation (M.S.T.) degree program that emphasizes the complexity of transportation, lying at the intersection of technology, operations, planning, management, and policy-making. The program is interdepartmental, drawing on coursework, faculty, and research staff from across MIT.

Municipal & Regional Land-Use, Law, and Regulation

Much of the planning in the US and internationally still happens at the local and regional levels. This pathway is designed to prepare students for work as local and regional planners or in related fields. In addition, property and land use law are fundamental to addressing climate change, wealth inequality, and housing affordability, as well as foundational to urban design and economic development.  This curricular pathway introduces students to basic U.S. Constitutional priniciples and their relation to environment, land use, housing, and civil rights.  It also provides students with the tools and background to prepare for work in local government, for regional planning agencies, at Metropolitan Planning organizations, or in other positions that require similar skills.

Political Economy and Economic Development

Political economy and economic development broadly examine the interactions between public, private and non-profit sectors as well as communities and civil society with political institutions,  markets, power structures, and decision-making that shape cities and regions, the economy, and society writ large.  DUSP’s approach to teaching classes in political economy and economic development engages with both theory and practice and the use of various models, levers and tools that can help realize equitable opportunities for all. Classes are taught across different scales –  local, regional, national and international levels – and include perspectives from around the world.  

DUSP emphasizes that the fields of urban and regional economic development require an understanding of spatial connections to see how urban and regional economies are organized in space. Urban economics investigates the forces shaping cities — land use, housing, agglomeration, and labor markets. Regional economics examines larger territorial dynamics, such as industrial specialization, trade, and interregional inequality. Taken together, these approaches help us understand not only how cities function internally but also how they connect outward to regional, national and global economic systems. The mutual dependence between urban and regional political economies is visible in industrial restructuring, technological change, infrastructure expansion, and the persistence of poverty and inequality across space. Finally, DUSP also underscores the importance of place making in economic development. Building places people want to live and work in as well as can afford, is going to be crucial to urban and regional economies going forward.  

Real Estate Development and Finance

This curricular pathway explores how capital, investment, land use policy, and technology shape the built environment and real estate market, and how public-private collaboration can drive urban transformation, value creation, public value capture, and contribute to urban sustainability and social equity. The pathway introduces the physical, economic, financial and legal foundations and key theories for understanding real estate. Real estate development and finance classes also cover urban and product design, valuation and pricing, financial analysis, investment strategy, and sustainable practices. Classes in this pathway introduce students to analytical tools to assess risk and return across diverse asset types and market contexts, while grounding real estate practice in principles of market efficiency, social and environmental responsibility, and long-term economic resilience.

Urban and Landscape Design

Urban design is a physical and socio-political and technical process of shaping places and understanding urban environments. Design strategic solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges—including climate change, water conservation, deindustrialization, environmental justice, adaptive reuse and the design of cultural landscapes.

The Urban Design and Landscape curricular pathway investigates the transformation of large-scale areas of city-regions through shaping the form of buildings, public spaces, infrastructure and landscapes. This entails understanding the institutions, politics, regulation and other mechanisms that affect form. Coursework analyzes the impact of the built environment on the natural environment and vice versa.  

Through urban design course material, students engage the theory and history of city form and design, including patterns of settlement, the imaging of urban environments, and the quality of the public realm.

Urban Data Science

Urban data science integrates data analysis, visualization, sensors, and artificial intelligence into a planning, design, and policy-making context to answer urgent challenges. They include but are limited to the climate crisis, digital citizenship, jobs and labor, sustainable urban development, and building just cities and equitable communities.  DUSP’s approach to teaching urban data science embraces the value of participatory practice and co-designing with communities; has sensitivity to space, place, and built environment; and recognizes and critically examines the role of technology and dominant power structures.

Students in the MCP program are encouraged to integrate field work and internships with academic course work. The Department provides a variety of individual and group field placements involving varying degrees of faculty participation and supervision, as well as a number of seminars in which students have an opportunity to discuss their field experience.

Under special circumstances, admission may be granted to a limited number candidates seeking a one-year Master of Science (SM) degree. The SM is a non-professional degree intended for professionals with a number of years of distinguished practice in city planning or related fields who: have a clear idea of the courses they want to take at MIT, the thesis they want to write and the DUSP faculty member with whom they wish to work. That faculty member must be prepared to advise the candidate when at MIT and to submit a letter of recommendation so indicating as part of the candidate's application. This process means that prior to submitting an application, the candidate must contact the appropriate DUSP faculty member and work out such a relationship.

To successfully obtain the SM students must satisfactorily complete a program of study of at least 66 subject units, including a submitted thesis proposal, signed by a thesis advisor at the end of the fall semester, and a completed thesis at the end of the spring semester. The SM degree is not intended to be earned jointly with other degrees at MIT or elsewhere, and requires full-time participation of the student in residence; the SM degree does not require the candidate to take the core courses, which are mandatory for the MCP degree.

Please note, there is no departmental funding available to support the SM program a this time.

The Master of Science in Transportation (M.S.T.) degree program emphasizes the complexity of transportation, lying at the intersection of technology, operations, planning, management, and policy-making. The program is interdepartmental, drawing on coursework, faculty, and research staff from across MIT. During the two-year program, students work closely with a research advisor to select an individually-designed area of focus within the realm of transportation. Requirements include coursework across different aspects of transportation, as well as specialized work in the designated area of choice.

Learn more via the MIT Mobility Initiative website

Drawing on resources from the MIT School of Architecture and Urban Planning, the MIT School of Engineering, the Department of Economics, and the MIT Sloan School of Management, the Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) offers a specialized education beyond the scope of a traditional MBA. Our multidisciplinary master’s program incorporates every topic that impacts the real estate industry and is built on three intellectual pillars: Finance and Economics; Design and Development; Sustainability and Technology.

Learn more via the MIT Center for Real Estate website

Some students in the MCP program choose to complete additional requirements for professional certificates associated with program groups. Students wishing to pursue any certificate must declare and formally submit their intention to do so at least one semester before graduation. Currently students may choose to complete a:

• Environmental Planning Certificate
  • Any student in DUSP who meet the requirements will be eligible to receive an Environmental Planning Certificate when they graduate. The requirements are completion of (1) 11.601 (the graduate Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning; (2) an environmental management practicum such as 11.360 or 11.362; and (3) six subjects, at least one from each of five listed sub-areas: Science, Health and Political Decision-making; Land Use, Growth Management and Restoration; Ecology and Landscape; Facility Siting, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development; and Methods of Environmental Planning and Analysis.
  • This certificate is intended to provide graduates seeking jobs in the environmental planning field a competitive edge by acknowledging the specialized competence and skills they have acquired.
  • Certificate application and tracking is handled within duspsis.mit.edu, reach out to the student services team if you have any questions about your credits.
• Urban Design Certificate
  • The Department of Architecture and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning offer a joint graduate program in urban design, and recognize the completion of this program by awarding a Certificate in Urban Design.
  • To earn the Certificate in Urban Design students must first be admitted and enrolled in the MArch, SMArchS, MCP, or MS degree programs and complete at least one subject in each of six curriculum areas. At least one subject must be at an advanced level. The Urban Design Seminar, covering key issues and trends in city design, is a required subject for all certificate students, providing a common experience and base of knowledge.
  • Students pursuing the Certificate in Urban Design will be expected to complete a thesis on a topic substantially related to urban design, and at least one member of their thesis committee must be a member of the City Design and Development faculty. Students’ thesis proposals must also be approved by the Certificate committee.
  • Apply for the Urban Design Certificate.

• Student Achievement
  • The program used an exit survey of graduates of the program administered by the Provost's Office of Institutional Research, which included the following questions:
    • How would you rate the overall program quality?: 78% responded "good", "very good", or "excellent";
    • How would you rate the overall quality of graduate level teaching by faculty?: 71% responded "good", "very good", or "excellent";
    • How would you rate the relationship between faculty & graduate students?: 78% responded "good", "very good", or "excellent."
• 2025-2026 Tuition and Fees
  • In State Residents, per full-time academic year:    $ 64,310
  • Out of State Residents, per full-time academic year    $ 64,310
• Student Retention Rate
  • Percentage of students who began studies in fall 2024 and continued into fall 2025:    100%
• Student Graduation Rate
  • Percentage of students graduating within 4 years, entering class of 2021:    100%
• Number of Degrees Awarded
  • Number of degrees awarded for the 2024 - 2025 Academic Year:    64
• AICP Certification
  • Percentage of master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 3 years who pass, graduating class of 2021:   50% [1 of 2]
• Employment
  • Percentage of all graduates obtaining professional planning, planning-related, or other positions within 12 months of graduation, graduating class of 2024:    87-100%

We welcome any feedback you have about the DUSP masters programs. 

• Questions, concerns, and/or complaints regarding registration, enrollment, leaves, exams and/or other student requirements should be addressed to the Academics team.
• Questions, concerns, and/or complaints regarding regarding the masters programs' student process should be addressed to the MCP Committee co-Chairs (see DUSP Governance)