The School of Planning and Public Affairs offers two professional master degrees. 

Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Master of Public Affairs

We also offer a Graduate Certificate in Transportation Planning.

Undergraduate students at the University of Iowa can pursue a minor in Urban Studies and Public Policy. 

About Urban and Regional Planning at Iowa

About Public Affairs at Iowa

You can contact our Graduate Coordinator to learn more about admission to our programs. 

The minimum requirements for admission are a bachelor’s degree in any major and a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00, or the foreign equivalent as determined by the Office of Admissions. Please refer to the Graduate College Admissions page for Urban and Regional Planning or Public Affairs for more information.

Our programs are open to all undergraduate majors and there are no prerequisites. 

Students in our program come from a wide range of academic backgrounds including Geography, Environmental Studies, and Economics. 

Our programs are open to all undergraduate majors and there are no prerequisites. 

Students in our program come from a wide range of academic backgrounds including Political Science, History, and Sociology. 

There are no prerequisites for joining either the URP or the MPA program. 

The school offers a two-day data and statistics workshop that all incoming students are encouraged to attend during the week of orientation in August. 

Assistantships and fellowships are offered, dependent on available funding. Fellowships are offered primarily to new students and are a flat sum of money. There is no work requirement for a fellowship. Assistantships require 10 hours of work per week and are accompanied by a tuition scholarship and stipend. The priority application deadline to be considered for funding is January 15. Please see our financial assistance page for more information.

Those who apply for fall admission prior to January 15 can expect to receive a decision by February 1.

All other applicants can expect a decision within 4-6 weeks of application completion.

Applicants admitted to the program can apply for one deferment or change of session for up to one year. International students are strongly encouraged to begin their program in the fall semester.

Tuition amounts for graduate students are on the Registrar’s website. More information on estimated annual expenses is available for MPA and URP students.

We currently have just over 50 students pursuing master's degrees in either Urban and Regional Planning or Public Affairs. We have 9 full-time faculty members. 

The school strongly encourages all students to complete an internship experience with a relevant agency, firm, or organization during their time in the program. Internship experience can be vital when being hired for post-graduation jobs. Most students choose to complete their internship during the summer semester. Positions are usually paid and are eligible for 1-3 semester hours of course credit. Details about requirements for receiving internship credit are available in the student manual.

Iowa City is a small city with a lot to offer.

The office of graduate admissions offers several resources on finding housing in the area. 

There are three key areas that the admissions committee considers when reviewing applications:

1. GPA 

   Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA (or equivalent) to be considered for admission; however, we welcome students with lower GPAs to apply if extenuating circumstances impacted their GPA in a negative way. 

   Strong candidates are considered those with GPAs of 3.7 or higher. 

2. Statement of Purpose

   There is no specific content or structure that we are looking for in the statement of purpose. Your goal in writing this document should be conveying to the admissions committee a.) the depth/breadth of your interest and experience in urban planning and/or public affairs (professionally, academically, personally) and b.) what you hope to achieve by joining the program/your goals for the future and how our program can help you get there.

    

3. Letters of Recommendation

   Letters should be written by academic or professional supervisors who knows you personally and can write a letter emphasizing your individual strengths and skills and how those qualities will serve you well in the academic and/or professional context of urban planning and/or public affairs. These may include, but are not limited to: communication skills, creative problem-solving, leadership, data analysis, intellectual curiosity, work ethic, etc. 

Both of our graduate programs are fundamentally rooted in policy. Students studying Urban and Regional Planning are more likely to pursue career paths that focus on policy implementation at the community level. Students studying Public Affairs are more likely to pursue careers in policy analysis and leadership of public and non-profit entities. 

Graduates of our programs have great success securing employment in their desired field. 

Our school has a dedicated Career Services Coordinator who assists students with a wide range of career development opportunities. 

All students in both master's degree programs complete a Community Engagement Capstone project organized through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities.