On July 1st, 2019, the Department of Geography merged with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. The unified department will strengthen academic programs and support inter-disciplinary faculty and student collaborations.
As we work on our new website, we are still supporting some older information pages, but please note that these pages may change without much advance notice.
For information about the Geography program, please visit http://www.sjsu.edu/geography/
As our nation and the world become increasingly urban in character, there is growing interest in urban and regional planning. Planners work to manage and guide the critical issues of urban and regional growth and change, as well as to promote environmental and social balance. Planners strive to encourage orderly growth and development responsive to the present and future needs of society. Careers for urban and regional planners exist in city, county, regional, state and national government, private consulting firms, nonprofit organizations, and research and academic institutions.
Opportunities for Planning Education at San José State University
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning is uniquely poised to educate future
and current planning professionals and to generate innovative research to further
the discipline. The university is located in downtown San José, the largest city
in Northern California and the capital of Silicon Valley, one of the most rapidly
changing and socially complex metropolitan areas of the nation. The department takes
advantage of its urban location by collaborating with local planning agencies and
through hands-on work with community-based organizations. Faculty and students engage in public service projects designed to assist local
communities in addressing topical planning issues, while also providing students with
real-world professional experience. Through these projects and other course work,
students become familiar with cutting-edge planning concepts and applications that
are evolving locally in the Silicon Valley and the larger Bay Area.
In addition, departments across SJSU offer courses in a wide range of fields that complement the offerings within the Urban and Regional Planning Department, such as design, engineering, environmental studies, ethnic studies, geography, public administration, social work, and sociology.
The department offers an undergraduate minor in Urban Studies, six graduate certificate programs, and a Master of Urban Planning (MUP) degree.
More information about the department can be found in our brochure and the 2017 Department Strategic Plan.
For more information on earning a career and education in urban planning visit the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.