Public Information

The Planning Accreditation Board requires this information be posted for the Master of Urban Planning program.

Student Achievement 

We define student achievement as the demonstration of competence in applying knowledge and skills gained through the “Jayhawk Planner Experience” which includes coursework tied to accreditation standards and a culminating portfolio or thesis tied to learning objectives. The Jayhawk Planner Experience also includes advising from faculty and staff, and engaging with the profession through real-world projects and the Jayhawk Planners and Friends network (alumni, other professionals, elected officials, and planning commissioners). Students’ competence is evident both in and beyond the classroom.

Traditional measures of student achievement include degree completion rates, pass rates for the AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) exam, employment (see the Public Information table below), and tracking learning objectives. Other measures include student exit survey and alumni survey results indicating the percentage of eligible students employed in an internship while a student and actionable feedback. We also place a premium on measures that capture a student's success in advancing the profession and the variety of planning jobs our graduates obtain.

Exit Surveys

Graduates complete exit surveys for the program to assess on an annual basis. For the class of 2022, 79% had at least one paid internship, and for the 2023 class, it was 86%. The 2023 exit surveys indicated a need for more GIS training, which was added in collaboration with the Professional Science Master’s program and Environmental Studies effective Spring 2024. Further evaluation in 2024 has resulted in a collaboration with the Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science to enhance applied skills in GIS which will be revisited in 2025.

Virtually all domestic students who want an internship may be placed in a paid position that is part-time during the academic year and full-time during the summer. Placement is more challenging for international students. Assistance is provided to students studying on an F1 visa to help place them in internships that qualify under the Curricular Practical Training provisions of their visa.

Alumni Surveys

A 2022 survey of all alumni found that 77% of respondents agreed with the statement, “The Program made me feel secure in my prospects for finding employment.”

For engagement with the planning profession, the program assesses how many alumni are members of the American Planning Association (APA) or other related professional organizations. In the 2022 survey, 64% of respondents are members of APA, 59% of respondents are AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) or an AICP candidate. Four alumni are FAICP (Fellows of AICP). 57% of respondents are members of other related professional organizations, such as, AIA, COMTO, ULI, WTS, or others.

Alumni Employment

The variety of planning jobs alumni have is indicative of their flexibility and the transferability of their skills. Alumni have positions with cities, counties, states, councils of governments, metropolitan planning organizations, nonprofits, consulting firms, national level agencies in the U.S. and abroad, development companies, law firms, universities, housing authorities, transit agencies, transportation authorities, financial institutions, ports, museums, and other cultural institutions; some are even elected officials.