Bachelor of Urban + Environmental Planning
The undergraduate curriculum in Urban + Environmental Planning gives students professional and design skills in the context of a liberal arts education, while emphasizing interdisciplinary study, internships, and research and design projects. Students typically take courses in the social and natural sciences, the humanities, and in design fields that complement professional courses in planning practice and theory.
The first year of study is a shared Common First Year curriculum wherein students take courses in three School of Architecture departments: Architecture, Urban + Environmental Planning, and Architectural History. During the spring semester of the first year, students choose an intended major: Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Bachelor of Urban + Environmental Planning, or Bachelor of Architectural History.
The Urban + Environmental Planning department offers a wide range of lecture, practice-based and seminar courses, including a focus on community design and development, transportation strategies, data analysis and visualization, land use and environmental policy, field work, and social planning.
122 CREDITS
The Bachelor of Urban + Environmental Planning is a 4-year undergraduate degree with a minimum of 122 credits.
The undergraduate program in Urban + Environmental Planning is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, sponsored jointly by the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
Undergraduate students entering the School of Architecture share a Common First Year Curriculum. Students take core courses in three School of Architecture departments: Architecture, Urban + Environmental Planning, and Architectural History to provide a framework for the study of contemporary culture through observation, analysis, and design. Students must pass each core course with a grade of C- or higher. During the spring semester of the first year, students choose an intended major: Bachelor of Architectural History, Bachelor of Science Architecture, or Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning.
Students must have a minimum of 122 credits with at least a 2.0 average in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning degree. A minimum of C- is required of all PLAN/PLAC and Language of Architecture courses. Students who wish to transfer to the program should consult with the Undergraduate Program Director before applying for transfer for the spring or fall semesters. If other prerequisites have been met, it is possible for transfer students to complete the required planning courses in two years.
Students who show exceptional promise in their major field of study and have the required 3.4 cumulative and major GPA may be eligible for admission to the Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) within their department.
The BUEP Distinguished Major provides students the opportunity to work more directly with a faculty member on an area of research that supports their long-term goals and strengthens their research skills. The Distinguished Major track does not add any additional credit hours, but would require that professional and open electives be directed to higher-level courses that support focused research. Eligible students can apply for admission to the Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) in the spring of their 2nd year, or their fourth semester.
In addition to the writing and acceptance of an undergraduate thesis, students will work with their faculty advisor to develop a communications plan for their work that includes academic journals, social media, and print media to expand the reach of their research and discovery. All students in the program will have access to workshops on expanding the impact of undergraduate research.
A minor in urban and environmental planning requires 15 credits of PLAN courses with a minimum grade of C-. Students may choose from among any PLAN or PLAC course, with no more than 6 credits at the 5000 level. PLAN courses taken as a completed Planning Minor do not count against the limit of credits college students can take outside the College.
Jointly listed courses PLAN/ARCH, PLAN/EVSC, PLAN/SARC, etc. also count toward the minor.
Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning students may consider pursuing the Master’s Degree through advanced standing.
The standard Master of Urban & Environmental Planning degree program is a two-year course of study oriented toward students coming from arts and science or design backgrounds. The graduate curriculum consists of core courses, specialized courses representing functional areas of planning, applied courses emphasizing the synthesis of planning analysis and values in specific settings, and a professional internship. Graduate students design a concentration in consultation with a faculty member.
ADMISSION
Admission to the Advanced Standing Program will be determined through the regular formal graduate admissions procedure. The program is intended for students with strong undergraduate records.
Prospective students may apply for the Advanced Standing Program after graduating from the University of Virginia BUEP Program.
Application details can be found at our Graduate Admissions webpage.
ADVANCED STANDING
The standard Master of Urban & Environmental Planning degree program is a two-year course of study oriented toward students coming from planning, arts and science or design backgrounds. The graduate curriculum consists of core courses, specialized courses representing functional areas of planning, applied courses emphasizing the synthesis of planning analysis and values in specific settings, and a professional internship. Graduate students design a concentration in consultation with a faculty mentor.
More details can be found at UVA's Graduate Record.