The program of study leading to the MURP degree provides professional training to students in preparation for careers in the public, private and non-profit sectors of urban and regional planning. The curriculum is carefully structured to provide students with a comprehensive grounding in the skills needed to address complex planning problems in professional practice.

The 45-credit hour program offers specializations in the areas of Environmental and Hazard Mitigation Planning, Historic Preservation, Housing and Community Economic Development, Land Use and Urban Design, and Transportation Planning. These specializations provide students the opportunity for more targeted training in their chosen area of interest. The Department also offers a certificate program in Historic Preservation and a credentials program in Hazard Planning. Opportunities exist for students to earn a Graduate Certificate in Hazard Policy Studies offered through the UNO Department of Political Science and a proficiency in GIS through the Department of Geography.

In addition to high-quality classroom instruction, the MURP program offers graduate students real world planning experience while providing applied research and technical planning assistance to community-based organizations and state, metropolitan, and local agencies. In the critical years of rebuilding facing New Orleans, MURP students at the University of New Orleans will continue to have the opportunity to gain valuable planning work experience through internships and community-based class projects while contributing to the revitalization of the city and region.

Committed to the equitable and sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the MURP faculty have been actively engaged in post-Katrina planning and redevelopment efforts.  Faculty members serve on a variety of local and state-level task forces and commissions, work with community-based organizations in neighborhood planning and capacity building efforts, and participate in the citywide planning and redevelopment initiatives.

The Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at the University of New Orleans offers the following joint degree and affiliated programs:

• Master of Urban and Regional Planning/Loyola School of Law Dual Degree Program
• 3+2 Dual Degree Program with Dillard University
• 3+2 Dual Degree Program with Xavier University