Course & Degree Resources
Urban Planning students are encouraged to take advantage of courses and seminars offered through this department as well as the wide variety of courses offered by other departments and programs at UCLA.
Students are bound by the requirements that were in place the year they were admitted to the program. The current policies are listed in the handbooks below. If you need to see the policies from your admission year please see the department Graduate Advisor.
Student Resources
Most faculty have “You Can Book Me” links on their faculty webpages, but you can also email any faculty member for an appointment.
Any group of twelve or more students may petition any faculty member to organize a new course to be offered during a subsequent term. The petition must be countersigned by
- the faculty member willing to offer and/or supervise the course and
- the students who will take the course if offered.
The petition should be submitted to the Director of the MURP Program and the Curriculum Working Group. Following Curriculum Working Group review and MURP Program Director approval, final approval of the course resides with the Department Chair. Such approval will take into account the demand for courses that the faculty member would otherwise teach.
Student initiated courses can be student-led under faculty supervision (and numbered 298), or may lead to special topics courses taught by faculty or visitors, resources permitting. Students may complete a maximum of two student-initiated (UP 298) courses for credit during their degree program. All UP 298 courses are graded S/U, while special topics courses may be taken for a letter grade or S/U.
Faculty agreeing to supervise a student-initiated course are responsible for determining that the readings, topics, and assignments are appropriate in scope and scale to a graduate course in UrbanPlanning; are expected to attend each of the class meetings, except by special arrangement (as with other courses they teach); and are responsible for overseeing and approving the grading of assignments and the assignment of final grades.
Past Courses & Syllabi
Winter 2017: Abolitionist Planning in Today’s Political Conjuncture
- Abolitionist Planning for Resistance Resource Guide, created by the students in the Winter 2017 Student Initiated Course
Spring 2016: Abolitionist Planning: Incarceration, Injustice, & Communities
Spring 2011: Integrated Environmental Assessment
Winter 2017: Abolitionist Planning in Today’s Political Conjuncture
- Abolitionist Planning for Resistance Resource Guide, created by the students in the Winter 2017 Student Initiated Course
Spring 2016: Abolitionist Planning: Incarceration, Injustice, & Communities
Spring 2011: Integrated Environmental Assessment
- Bruin Resource Center
- Campus Assault Resources & Education (CARE)
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
- Dean of Students
- Economic Crisis Response Team
- Graduate Resource Center (GRC)
- Graduate Writing Center (GWC)
- LGBTQ Campus Resource Center
- Office for Students with Disabilities
- Statistical Consulting Services
- Student Organizations, Leadership, & Engagement (SOLE)
Fellowship awards are available for continuing MURP students participating in unpaid internships during the summer. The fellowship period is a minimum of 3 months of full time work between the months of June to September.
Award amount
$8,400
Applications
Applications are open for as long as funding is available. Students will need to submit verification of their internship offer as well as proof that it is unpaid.
The link to apply can be found here: https://forms.gle/a7ktneaAmk7ygfzV6
Fellow Responsibilities
Students who are granted the fellowship will be required to submit a follow-up report to the department at the end of their internship period.
Summer 2025 Recipients and Internships
- Paul Louboutin; Transportation Planning and Policy Intern for LADOT
- Jarel Sayles; Community Economic Development Intern for Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
- Corinne Marangi; Schoolyard Greening Intern for North East Trees
- Kathy Zhang; GIS Intern for LA City Council District 14
- Elizabeth Shin; Planning Intern for Veritable Good (Volition Garden)
- Jonathan Dale; Policy and Research Intern for Office of Public Accountability/Ratepayer Advocate
- Nick Giorgio; Transportation Planning Intern for LADOT
- Shaylyn Becton; Data Intern for Instituto DACOR
- Ivan Sanchez; Feasibility Studies Intern for Caltrans District 7
- Prokriti Monolina; Research Intern for Waste Concern (Bangladesh)
- Brita Higgins; Compensation and Budget Analysis Intern for Veritable Good
- Hollis Potts; Community Building and Engagement Intern for Little Tokyo Service Center
International Programs
The Department of Urban Planning offers a variety of international study opportunities, including summer programs, internships, international/comparative planning workshops, and international exchange agreements.
Type: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
www.sciencespo.fr/ecole-urbaine/en
Sciences Po is the most prestigious French university in social sciences and public policy, Almost all French presidents, political leaders and business leaders have been trained there. “Sciences Po” is slang for “Political Science” in French, and its full name is the Institute of Political Studies. Sciences Po is highly-ranked internationally in social science, and its student population is 40% non-French, drawn from all over the world, and many of its courses are given in English. The Urban School of Sciences Po has recently been formed by putting together its different master and PhD programs that deal with cities, urban politics and urban policy, with a world-class faculty drawn from many disciplines. The exchange is with the Sciences Po home campus in the historical heart of Paris, the Left Bank. In this urbane and cosmopolitan city center, students will have a once-in-a-lifetime academic and urban experience. But Paris is more than its beautiful core: it is a diverse world city, with populations drawn from every continent, and it is as much an urban laboratory as any great city, with all the opportunities, problems and challenges.
Exchange students will learn about the common problems that world cities face today, but see in Paris a very different context for urban politics and policies, providing an opportunity for comparative and international learning between Los Angeles and Paris. The Urban School of Science Po has many international projects, across the continents, also providing students an opportunity to work with the Sciences Po students and to build a new network of friends and colleagues.
Interested students can apply for this program in the Winter Quarter of their first year. Selected applicants will spend the Fall Quarter of their second year studying at SciencesPo. For more details please see the department graduate advisor.
Type: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
www.hertie-school.org
Initiated in 2011, this reciprocal exchange program allows the exchange of up to three graduate students from each institution per year. The exchange students pay required tuition at their home institution. Although students pay tuition and fees at their home institution, they also need to purchase student insurance at the exchange institution. Students are responsible for travel and living expenses incurred during the exchange program. Although in Berlin, the Hertie School instruction is in English. The period of exchange is normally in Fall Quarter/Semester. Credits and grades earned at the exchange institution are applied toward the degree requirements at the home institution. Exchange students under this agreement are accorded normal student privileges.
Interested students can apply for this program through the Department of Public Policy. Applications are typically collected in March of each year.
Exchange students will learn about the common problems that world cities face today, but see in Paris a very different context for urban politics and policies, providing an opportunity for comparative and international learning between Los Angeles and Paris. The Urban School of Science Po has many international projects, across the continents, also providing students an opportunity to work with the Sciences Po students and to build a new network of friends and colleagues.
Interested students can apply for this program in the Winter Quarter of their first year. Selected applicants will spend the Fall Quarter of their second year studying at SciencesPo. For more details please see the department graduate advisor.
Within the department of Urban Planning student have the ability to organize international/comparative planning workshops. These workshops usually take place during the summer or spring break. Students may receive academic credit for these workshops through a course that is created in conjunction with the trip. The courses have a faculty sponsor and generally meet for half a quarter of instruction with a syllabus, assigned readings and assignments prior to the field trip. Students are required to submit a term paper and do a presentation.
Type: EXCHANGE PROGRAM
https://www.unige.ch/en/
For UCLA students
For University of Geneva students
Interested students can apply for this program in the Winter Quarter of their first year. Selected applicants will spend the Fall Quarter of their second year studying at the University of Geneva. For more details please see Ervin Huang.For UCLA studentsFor Sciences Po students
Student Organizations
Consistent with the University policy on nondiscrimination in all University-sponsored programs, all students may participate in any of the described clubs and organizations.
Students develop a strong sense of identification with the department, in part because of a philosophy that encourages everyone to participate actively in governance. Student organizations play an active role in the department.
Black Planners Network
Description: Black Planners Network (BPN) is a professional growth and development organization on the UCLA Campus. Our goal is to bring together Black planners and allies from the Urban & Regional Planning Master’s program, undergraduate Urban Planning minor, and alumni to create a support system for students and a network for beyond.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bpnucla/
Email: bpnucla@gmail.com
Sample Activities:
· Networking Opportunities
· Social Mixers & Get-Togethers
· Office and Site Visits
Email: bpnucla@gmail.com
Instagram: @bpnucla
Twitter: @bpnucla
BPN Leadership: bpnucla@gmail.com
Chair – Mia Almond (malmond27@g.ucla.edu)
Vice Chair External (Partnerships) – Shaylyn Becton (sbecton@g.ucla.edu)
Vice Chair Internal (Operations) – Jarel Sayles (jcsayles@g.ucla.edu)
Communications and Resources Chair – Tolani Ayeni (mayeni1@g.ucla.edu)
Events Chair- Olivia Robinson (oliviarobinson@g.ucla.edu)
Bruins for Urban Design and Development @ Luskin (BUDDY)
Description: BUDDY @ Luskin is dedicated to the representation and empowerment of UCLA Graduate and PhD students interested in urban design and real estate development. BUDDY @ Luskin also aims to ensure that students have the necessary skills and network to improve their professional development and be competitive applicants in the field upon graduation.
Contact: mileskimparr@gmail.com
Sample Activities
- Portfolio design workshops
- KDI firm tour
- A+D Museum Visit
BUDDY Leadership: buddyatluskin@gmail.com
Conrad Alumia (signatory), calumia95@g.ucla.edu
Luis Fernando Anguiano Quiroz (signatory), Lfanguia@g.ucla.edu
Andrea Bizarro, abizarro13@g.ucla.edu
Kyla Marie Corpuz (signatory), kmxcorpuz@g.ucla.edu
Brenda Gonzalez, Bgonzalezr@g.ucla.edu
Dhyana Patel, dhyanapatel@g.ucla.edu
Dorothy Faye Pirtle, D.pirtle@gmail.com
Ethan Trinh, ethantrinh@ucla.edu
Solbok Yi, yslbk1@gmail.com
Critical Planning Journal
Description:
This PhD student-run journal has been based in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA since 1993. Critical Planning is a peer-reviewed yearly publication that features research from emerging and established scholars in Urban Studies and Planning. Each year focuses on a theme central to advancing critical scholarship on and related to cities. For information on how to contribute to the journal and access all published volumes, visit our website.
Website: escholarship.org/uc/uclaspa_criticalplanning
Email: critplan@ucla.edu
Sample activities:
- Review and edit articles
- Contribute research articles, images, and other visual/written material
- Work as a designer for the journal or website
GSA Social Sciences Council
Description: The thirteen Councils of the Graduate Students Association are made up of the representatives of the various departmental graduate student associations in their respective domains. Each Council supervises and allocates funding drawn from the “Councils” portion of GSA membership fees, and amounts are assessed on the basis of graduate student enrollment in the departments. The UP student body elects 1 representative from each MURP cohort.
Sample Activities
- Winter social by SSC
- Grad Games
- Graduate student leadership dinner
Planners of Color for Social Equity (PCSE)
Description: PCSE creates space for the ideas and practice that reflect the experiences of planners of color and the low-income marginalized communities they help serve. We provide academic and emotional health support, including activities that encourage community engagement and foster professional development. Our organization also advocates for curriculum and faculty that provide analysis and tools to work towards institutionalizing social justice. PCSE membership is open to any UCLA graduate or undergraduate student.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcse.ucla/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/pcse.ucla
General Email: info.pcse@gmail.com
Committee:
KATHY ZHANG <kazhang@g.ucla.edu>,
CONRAD ALUMIA <conrad.alumia@gmail.com>,
LUIS VALENTE <valente@g.ucla.edu>,
PROKRITI MONOLINA <prokriti@g.ucla.edu>,
TRINIDAD RUIZ <trini3@g.ucla.edu>,
ELIZABETH SHIN <eyshin@g.ucla.edu>
Sample Activities
- Orientation and event mixers
- Community organizing opportunities
- Mentorship programs
Urban Planning Student Association
Description: UPSA is the Urban Planning Students Association at UCLA. We are the elected student government for the department. We act as a liaison with the department and represent students in departmental decisions such as improving and creating new programs, processes, certificates, and courses.
Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS-UCLA)
Description: WTS-UCLA is dedicated to the representation and empowerment of women interested in the field of transportation. Our aim is to ensure students have the necessary skills and network to improve their professional development and be competitive applicants in the field.
Website: WTS-UCLA Student Chapter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wts_ucla/
Email: info.wts.ucla@gmail.com
Board Members:
- Jasmine Law at jasminelaw99@g.ucla.edu
- Janeli Cruz at janelicruz@g.ucla.edu
- Gabriela Navarro at gabrielan27@g.ucla.edu
Sample Activities:
- Office and Site Visits
- Networking Opportunities
- Informational Sessions
Students interested in re-registering a past organization or starting a new one should visit the SOLE website.
Bike Coalition
Description: The Bike Coalition at UCLA is a collective of students, faculty and staff working to make the UCLA campus and the surrounding area a better place to ride.
Website: www.facebook.com/groups/UCLAbikecoalition/
Sample Activities
- Operation Firefly – bike light giveaways
- Bike to UCLA Breakfast Pit-Stop
- Dockweiler Beach Bike Ride
The Built Environment and Public Health Council (BEPHC)
Description: The Built Environment and Public Health Council (BEPHC) is a group of students, faculty and staff involved in promoting the intersection of the fields of the built environment (planning, architecture, development, engineering, design, etc) and public health. The purpose of this student group is to provide a place for conversation at UCLA around the built environment and health, to advocate on behalf of students and organizations dedicated to the subject, and to increase the visibility of the research being done on health and the built environment.
Website: bephcucla.wordpress.com
Sample Activities
- What’s Health Got to Do with It? Career Panel
- National Public Health Week Panels
- Organizing for BEH Certificate
Luskin International Student Group
URL: https://community.ucla.edu/studentorg/4672
Planners Network
Description: Planners Network at UCLA is informally affiliated with Planners Network, an international network of professionals, activists, academics, and students committed to progressive planning. We believe in fundamental change in our political, social, and economic systems and institutions to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice and equity.
Website: www.facebook.com/groups/uclaplannersnetwork/
Sample Activities
- On-campus Happy Hours
- Progressive Planning magazine
- Organizing in solidarity with community-based efforts and organizations
Praxis
URL: https://www.instagram.com/praxis.ucla/
General Email: praxis.ucla@gmail.com
Students for Community Land Ownership
N/A
(Un)Common Public Space Group
N/A
Urban Spelunkers of UCLA
Description: Urban Spelunkers of UCLA explore the urban environment with the goal of expanding understanding of the forces that shape Los Angeles and similar city environments. The group investigates urban areas through a series of predetermined excursions throughout the region.
Website: www.facebook.com/groups/urbanspelunk/
Sample Activities
- Little Tokyo Spelunk
- Koreatown Spelunk
- Culver City Spelunk
Urban Planning Womxn of Color Collective
Urban Planning Womxn of Color Collective (UP WOCC) provides a supportive community space for all womxn of color including but not limited to Asian & Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA), Multi-Ethnic, gender fluid, and/or trans people of color. UP WOCC is culturally responsive and relevant to the needs of its members in the following ways:
- Support: Hold meetings and/or social events for group discussion of critical issues to promote interaction between womxn of color and allies in urban and regional planning; Organize wellness sessions that promote creativity, self-care, and community building;
- Recruitment: Continue and advance the pipeline of womxn of color into the urban and regional planning field; Foster the growth of incoming womxn of color students;
- Empowerment: Cultivate and support members to take on leadership positions; Provide our membership an opportunity to gain skills; Share knowledge relevant to career and personal development.