New Rankings: UC s Planning Program Rated Among Nation s Best

The newest rankings of the nation’s top master’s degree programs in urban planning are just out, and the University of Cincinnati’s graduate planning program was ranked fifth in the Midwest region and 20th in the nation.

The Planetizen 2009 Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs is just out from Planetizen, the leading Web site for the urban planning community. Planetizen developed the guide’s listings, information and directory of programs in conjunction with opinion research firm Davis, Hibbits, and Midghall, Inc. In developing its rankings, Planetizen surveyed hundreds of professionals, educators and students.

UC’s School of Planning, part of the university’s internationally and nationally top-ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, scored very high in terms of providing student financial aid (ninth in the nation) and for providing training to international students (sixth in the nation).

Summary of UC’s graduate planning rankings

• 20th overall in the nation
• 5th overall in the Midwest
• 6th in the nation for providing training to international students
• 9th in the nation for offering the best financial aid

With its high rankings in planning, UC is grouped with other top-25 programs like Harvard University, Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With its top ranking in the Midwest – which includes schools in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and seven other states – UC is grouped with other leading regional schools like the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Michigan.

Interest in urban planning as a major is on the rise. With the U.S. recently passing the 300-million population mark and with estimates projecting 100 million more Americans in the next 30 years, coping with urban growth is becoming paramount for cities and regions. Urban planning is the profession that guides development and redevelopment, economic stimulus, historic preservation, land use, social policy, transportation systems, housing and environmental protection.

• Visit UC’s School of Planning Web site.
• Apply to UC’s graduate planning program.
• Get the latest news from UC.