International Professionals Programs

The UCLA Department of Urban Planning has developed research exchange agreements with several international planning agencies.

China Academy of Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD) [1]

The Department of Urban Planning annually hosts 5 to 10 managers and senior staff from CAUPD, China's leading urban planning agency.  

ChengDu Institute of Planning and Design (CDIPD) [2]

The CDIPD sends 1 to 6 mid-career planning professionals to the UCLA Department of Urban Planning each year.  The Professionals must hold the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning or a related field, have at least two years of professional planning experience, and be fluent in English.  

The period of exchange will normally not exceed three quarters or two semesters during the academic year (summer not included), and shall not be for purposes of obtaining a UCLA degree. While at UCLA, each Professional is expected to take a full academic course load.  Each Professional is permitted to attend and complete the requirements for up to three (3) Urban Planning courses per academic term. Additional courses at UCLA may be audited with the permission of the instructors.

Each Professional is assigned a faculty advisor with whom he or she can meet during regular office hours.  The professional will participate in a weekly one-hour seminar supervised by Urban Planning faculty members  to discuss comparative China/U.S/International urban and regional planning issues in general, and the Professionals’ planning research papers in particular.   At the end of the academic year, each Professional is expected to submit an original planning research paper and each Professional is invited to give a presentation on his or her planning work in China to the Urban Planning faculty, staff, and students.

The CDIPD will pay UCLA U.S. $10,000 per Professional to cover the academic costs of the visit.

Institute d'amenagement et d'urbanisme de la region d'ile-de-France (IAURF) [3]

The IAURF sends up to one fellow per year for a three month research visit.  Each fellow proposes a detailed plan of study and works with a faculty sponsor.  While based at UCLA each fellow develops professional contacts and may travel to other cities in the region to conduct research and personal interviews relevant to their studies.  The fellow also travels in the U.S. for field study of about four weeks.  

Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University (CEPT),  Ahmedabad, India [4]

The UCLA Department of Urban Planning signed an agreement with CEPT, a premier Indian planning program located in Ahmedabad, India, to establish contact and collaboration among faculty, staff, and students and explore joint research programs and educational and research exchanges.  Under this agreement urban planning students  work as summer interns and participate in hands-on projects at India's leading architecture and urban planning university.