URP Student Handbook Urban and Regional Planning at UTSA (2024-2025)

Welcome!

You are joining a growing program in urban and regional planning where aspiring students from all backgrounds experience a life-changing education leading to a bold future. This handbook, along with UTSA’s other key documents, faculty, recent alumni, and student peers, all make up a body of guidance to help ensure you can seize every opportunity to succeed in urban and regional planning. This program’s research, flexible approach to coursework, and excellent career prospects provide an exciting context. Your growth as a planner will be centered in downtown San Antonio, the seventh-largest city in the United States at the forefront of the nation’s demographic shift—a living laboratory for the city of the future.

Program faculty, students, and alumni collaborated to develop our program mission statement:

Urban and regional planning at UTSA prepares planners to meet known and emerging urban and regional challenges, inspired by our values of collaboration, innovation, and inclusiveness.

Urban and regional planning at UTSA is distinguished by four key markers:

  1. Urban and regional planning (URP) at UTSA is multicultural. Enrollment in the MSURP is 55% Hispanic or Latino as of Fall 2024 (UTSA Institutional Research and Analysis), whereas only 6% of US planners nationwide share this background (APA 2018). Similarly, 14% of students in the MSURP identify as Black or African American, with only 4% representation in the field nationwide. Each of our four tenure-track faculty hails from a different nation, providing global experience to our research and teaching.
  2. Research resources distinguish our program, impacting our community and discipline. Faculty and graduate students in urban and regional planning conduct research spanning the fields of transportation, environmental planning, housing, urban design, and related topics. The program also incorporates real-world projects into coursework, often in collaboration with planning agencies and practitioners in the region. Students can choose either a research-oriented thesis, or a professional report to address a practical challenge. The program's unique, endowed Nungesser Family Graduate Research Fellowship supports student research. MSURP students interested in a career in transportation have earned Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships and presented their research at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. Students are co-authoring journal articles (ex. Jobe and Griffin, 2021, Terracciano and Han, 2023). Faculty are accelerating our recent national and local research funding and publications.
  3. Job placement is a strength of urban and regional planning at UTSA. 75% of MSURP graduates in 2020 obtained professional planning, planning-related, or other positions within 12 months of graduation (UTSA 2021), comparing favorably to a 73% placement rate across our peer models of excellence with accredited planning programs (Arizona State, Portland State, UC Irvine, and Central Florida). Urban and regional planners create and revitalize communities of lasting value, and most often work in local, regional, state, or federal government, and in consulting roles with private and non-profit organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the typical entry-level education is a master's degree, the median annual wage for urban and regional planners was $78,500 in 2021 and projects 2,700 openings for urban and regional planners in the US from 2020-2030 (BLS 2022).
  4. 75% of MSURP graduates passed the AICP exam within five years of graduating, compared to a 60% average pass rate across our peer models of excellence with accredited planning programs (Arizona State, Portland State, UC Irvine, and Central Florida). AICP Certification is the only nationwide, independent verification of planners' qualifications.

The program is flexible for those who take courses part-time and does not require a specific sequence for coursework. Urban and Regional Planning classes are offered in the afternoon and evening at the UTSA Downtown campus and online, enabling work during normal hours. The internship program provides a structure for starting or expanding career opportunities while receiving course credit.

Contents

Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning
Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning
Dual Master of Architecture and MSURP Degree Program
Financing your Graduate Program
Urban and Regional Planning Student Life
Planning Professional Reports and Theses
Computing and GIS Resources for Urban and Regional Planning
Data and Information Sources for Planning Projects
Graduation and Beyond

Program Faculty

Core Faculty

1st row: Xueyin Bai, PhD | Esteban López Ochoa, PhD | Ryun Jung Lee, PhD, AICP | Wei Zhai, PhD

Affiliated and Adjunct Faculty

1st row: Greg Griffin, PhD, AICP | David Robinson, Jr., MSURP, Manjiri Akalkotkar, AIA, 2nd row: Julia Murphy, AICP, LEED AP | Sarah Serpas, PhD (c) ACIP

Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning

Students seeking to work with planners can enroll in the 15-semester credit hour Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning. Two foundation courses are required:

  • URP 5333 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning, AND
  • URP 5343 History and Theory of Urban and Regional Planning, OR PAD 5103 Planning and Land Use Law

Electives include 9 semester credit hours of graduate elective courses approved by the Urban and Regional Planning Graduate Advisor.

Students can work toward the Graduate Certificate through three routes:

  • Exceptional UTSA undergraduate students with a 3.0 GPA or higher, lacking no more than 30 hours for graduation, can request enrollment in graduate courses (download form). The credit can apply to the Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning, if the student graduates at the end of that term, and applies and is admitted to the program. Otherwise, the course is regarded as undergraduate credit. If graduate credit is earned, the semester hours are not considered a part of the baccalaureate degree program.
  • Special graduate students (non-degree-seeking) who have a bachelor's degree, and are not current UTSA graduate students can learn more and apply at Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning.
  • Current UTSA graduate students can declare their intent to pursue the graduate certificate by partially completing and signing the UTSA Graduate Certificate Form, and sending it to the GAR for execution (currently esteban.lopezochoa@utsa.edu). Consult the UTSA Graduate Catalog for specific requirements.

Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning

Students can learn about the MSURP program, including its mission and program outcomes, and apply for the MSURP program here.

Similar to the Graduate Certificate, exceptional UTSA undergraduate students with a 3.0 GPA or higher, lacking no more than 30 hours for graduation, can request enrollment in graduate courses (download form). The credit can apply to the Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning, if the student graduates at the end of that term, and applies and is admitted. Otherwise, the course is regarded as undergraduate credit. If graduate credit is earned, the semester hours are not considered a part of the baccalaureate degree program.

The Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR), Greg Griffin, PhD, AICP (greg.griffin@utsa.edu) advises students in Urban and Regional Planning. The UTSA Graduate Catalog is the official guide for course planning and successful program completion. Students use the Graduate Catalog for the year they enter the program. For example, a student who enters the program in fall 2022 uses the 2021-23 Graduate Catalog (any semester between Fall 2021-Spring 2023). Previous catalogs are also archived for students entering earlier. Following is a summary of the 2021-23 catalog requirements, with additional guidance.

The Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning (MSURP) requires 48 semester credit hours of coursework. This section provides guidance on the three components of the program:

  • 27 semester credit hours of required courses
  • 15 semester credit hours of electives, and
  • 6 semester credit hours of capstone coursework.

Unlike many programs, the MSURP does not require a specific sequence of classes, enabling students to seize opportunities to take key courses when available. Following is an example 3/4 time course of study, assuming a student can take two classes per semester, and some in summer:

MSURP Course of Study, 3/4-time example

Full-time graduate study is considered three courses at a time. The following graphic shows completion of the MSURP in two years:

MSURP Course of Study, full-time example

Required

  • URP 5333 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning
  • URP 5343 History and Theory of Urban and Regional Planning
  • URP 5363 Urban Planning Methods I
  • URP 5393 Urban Planning Methods II or URP 5513 Public Participation and Qualitative Analysis
  • URP 5413 Planning Practice and Ethics
  • URP 5453 Urban and Regional Sustainability
  • URP 5483 Planning Workshop
  • PAD 5103 Planning and Land Use Law
  • PAD 5513 Urban and Regional Economic Development (URP 5493 Planning and Economic Development has been accepted as a substitute)

Specializations and Electives

MSURP students choosing a general path (neither the Urban Design nor Urban Policy specialty) may choose electives within or outside of URP. Following are courses previously found to be complementary to our program, and can be taken without approval from URP. However, you may need to contact the course instructor or department for approval. Other electives require approval from the GAR to ensure they will count toward your MSURP.

  • ARC 5203 History and Theory of Preservation - An introduction to the history, philosophy, methodologies, and practices of historic preservation and restoration.
  • ARC 5403 Historic Preservation Seminar - An advanced study of selected topics in architecture, design, preservation, and planning. May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.
  • ARC 5423 Preservation Laws and Environmental Policy - A survey of the laws and regulations that affect preservation of the built environment nationally, regionally, and locally. Includes considerations of fundamentals of legal protection for and regulation of historic cultural resources in light of contemporary attitudes toward the historic environment, and the economic bases of the use of historic buildings and sites examined in terms of contemporary social and cultural attitudes that determine effective strategies of preservation action.
  • CE 5093 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Introduces vector, raster and tabular concepts, emphasizing the vector approach. Topics include spatial relationships, map features, attributes, relational database, layers of data, data ingesting, digitizing from maps, projections, output, applications, and availability of public data sets. Focus will be placed on spatial/temporal data analyses using digitized maps and database information in an area of CE specialization.
  • CE 5473 Transportation Planning - An introductory course in urban transportation planning. It includes, an overview of highway capacity concepts, trip generation, trip distribution, modal split and trip assignments. Course gives hands-on exposure to software implementing these steps and discusses case studies of San Antonio’s 2020 master plan. Finally, it extends this approach to air passenger and road freight transportation.
  • CE 5483 Urban Transportation - This course is an introduction to urban passenger transportation planning in the USA with a sustainability focus. It is structured around three components: (1) History, theory, and problem definition; (2) The planning process; and (3) Solutions and analytical techniques. The course will help to understand the planning process comprehensively along with its multiple dimensions, how our current transportation systems has evolved over time, what is a sustainable system, policies and planning approaches that help to achieve it, and challenges related to planning. The course provides opportunities to hear from local and regional planners about their work, and learn from their experience about the methods they use in practice.
  • DEM 5093 GIS for Population Science - Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. This course is designed to give graduate students interested in population science and policy fields a hands-on introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The course will cover geographic data types, spatial data creation and management, exploratory spatial analysis, and basics of geospatial modeling. At the close of the course, students are expected to be able to: create and modify geographic data, perform GIS visualization of spatial data, use database software to manage geographic data and perform descriptive analysis of spatial data using industry-standard GIS software.
  • DEM 5013 Demographic Methods of Analysis - Examines basic materials and methods used in demography, including methods for measuring levels and rates of population change, fertility, mortality, migration (both domestic and international), distribution, and composition. Emphasis on cohort and period patterns of change, methods of standardization, and life table methods and population projection methods.
  • DS 5003 Introduction to Data Science - An in-depth investigation into the Data Science life cycle. Focus areas on data visualization, data curation, tools available for data analysis, and software packages will be covered.
  • DS 5013 Programming for Data Science - An introduction to data-driven programming emphasizing problem solving, critical thinking, and algorithmic thinking. Topics will focus on foundational computer programming concepts along with fundamentals of object-oriented programming and mathematics/statistics packages.
  • FIN 5403 Real Estate Principles - This course provides an overview of the discipline of real estate including both residential and commercial real estate. Topics may include the lease/buy decision, legal and industry aspects of the real estate sector, an overview of real estate capital markets, an introduction to debt and equity financing for real estate, principles of real estate investment decision-making, underwriting real estate transactions, and an introduction to public and private real estate.
  • PAD 5473 Land Use Policy - A broad overview of the formulation and implementation of land use policies in the United States, with an emphasis on South Texas. Special attention is given to traditional local land use tools such as platting and zoning, as well as more contemporary and innovative strategies such as form-based zoning and regional planning bodies. Topics may also include: how our changing orientation to land functions as a key determinant of land use policy; environmental protection; the provision of affordable housing.

MSURP Capstone Requirements

The program capstone is a culminating experience and product that integrates a student's knowledge and skills. Students should decide between the thesis or non-thesis capstone option before their final year in the program. The capstone requirements are further described below, in addition to examples of theses and planning professional reports.

  • Thesis option is oriented towards a research question, and requires two semesters (6 hours) of URP 6983 Master’s Thesis, concluding with a thesis defense/seminar presentation.
  • Non-thesis option includes either URP 6943 Professional Internship, OR a second URP 5483 Planning Workshop section (one is required, and the topic varies), AND URP 6933 Planning Professional Report.
  • Degree candidates in the thesis option and non-thesis option are both required to pass a written comprehensive examination.

Professional Internship is an option initiated by the student. Students find internships through the UTSA Career Center, the URP program's Urban and Regional Planning Update e-newsletter, and through professional networking with support from the program's internship director (currently greg.griffin@utsa.edu). Contact the internship director to take internship for credit the semester before, and complete the Internship Agreement (download Word doc.) with the employer and internship director.

Comprehensive exams consist of two essay questions, completed over the course of a 5-day period to be defined by the student and Graduate Advisor of Record. The first question is intended to integrate learning objectives of URP core curriculum. The second question addresses learning objectives of the student’s elective courses, and may include a literature review pertinent to the student’s professional report or thesis. Student responses to each question should range from 1,000-2,000 words (approx. 2-4 pages double spaced).

The exam will be open book. If you would like to refresh your memory and prepare readings to reference in your essays, consider:

  • Readings from your required course syllabi—obviously just the main texts or key articles. Local Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice (Hack, Birch, Sedway and Silver, eds., 2009) is also a good overview and is available online from the UTSA Library [permalink].
  • Readings from your elective course syllabi—the ones that are most relevant to your professional report topic.

There are five steps in the Comprehensive Exam process:

  1. MSURP student requests comprehensive exam with URP Graduate Advisor of Record (GAR) no later than the 6th week of the final semester.
  2. GAR confirms an exam start date and finish date with the student within 2 days of request.
  3. GAR administers the exam via email for the student to complete within 5 working days (e.g. Monday-Friday). If the exam is sent on a day other than Monday, weekend days are not counted (e.g. exams sent Wednesday by 8 am are due the following Tuesday at 5 pm.
  4. GAR and the other faculty member grade the exam within 1 week of completion.
  5. GAR returns graded exam to student and submits passing report to the Graduate School, or coordinates revisions with student, if necessary.

Exams are graded using the following rubric to address two of the program's student learning objectives. Each of the following rubric components is scored between 1 (no discernable knowledge), and 10 (expert knowledge).

Comprehensive Exam Essay 1 (general planning knowledge) Rubric

Essay 1 addresses the program's student learning objective #1: Demonstrate planning discipline knowledge (such as history, legal principles, planning theory, factors and patterns of human settlement) at conceptual and application levels.

  • Planning history
  • Planning theory
  • Land use planning principles
  • Factors and patterns of human settlement
  • Composition and clarity

Comprehensive Exam Essay 2 (electives, specialization, and professional report or thesis topic) Rubric

Essay 2 addresses the program's student learning objective #4: Apply knowledge of their chosen specialized area(s) of planning practice to regional through international planning contexts, while recognizing the interconnectedness of place and interdisciplinary nature of planning.

  • Electives and specialization, if applicable
  • Regional Perspective
  • International Perspective
  • Interconnectedness and interdisciplinarity
  • Composition and clarity

Grades for each sub-section of the two essays are summed and averaged. Passing is considered a total score of 80%.

Dual Master of Architecture and MSURP Degree Program

This integrated professional track combining the MArch and MSURP degrees allows students to complete their degree program in architecture with urban and regional planning expertise. Completing this accredited professional degree that integrates physical building design with considerations of land use, public policy, economics, environment, and culture, graduates of the dual degree program will enter the workforce well-equipped to comprehensively lead multidisciplinary projects.

Applicants must submit all admission materials to each program independently and on time. Admission to the dual degree program may occur after a student has already matriculated in the M.Arch., M.S.URP, or both degree programs, as long as the student is still within the first half of each program.

Required Courses

Under this dual-degree program, up to 15 semester credit hours of either MArch 2 or MSURP coursework can be applied to the other degree requirements. These shared-credit courses substantially reduce the total time required for students to complete both programs when compared with taking each of the two degree programs separately. URP 5343 History and Theory of Urban and Regional Planning is a required course in this program, which substitutes for ARC 5813 History and Theory of Urban Form. Either the thesis option or non-thesis option is available for each program. No more than 6 credit hours of electives may be taken outside of the School of Architecture and Planning.

Students should refer to the School of Architecture and Planning catalog for MArch and MSURP program admission and degree requirements.

Financing your Graduate Program

MSURP applicants will automatically be considered for all available funding from the School of Architecture and Planning, including any available research assistantships or support from the Nungesser Family Graduate Research Endowed Fellowship. The full MSURP application is used for these awards—no other application is necessary.

Since most of our classes are in the evening, students can work part-time or full-time. However, students can also work on campus, seek scholarships and fellowships, and support their studies with grants or loans.

Research and On-campus Opportunities

Scholarships and Fellowships

Grants and Loans

UTSA Financial Aid & Scholarships strongly encourages you to apply for federal aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Check with UTSA Financial Aid to help maximize your benefits.

Urban and Regional Planning Student Life

Urban and regional planning students can leverage the downtown campus location for a wide range of academic, professional, and social opportunities. First on the list: join the Urban Planning Student Association.

Urban Planning Student Association (UPSA)

Joining UPSA is free, and it is open to all interested students at UTSA. Learn more and join from the UPSA website, and see what's new on the Facebook page. The photo of the Pearl is from a UPSA gathering in September 2021.

American Planning Association Student Membership

Join APA as a student member, and you will have immediate access to career resources including discounted conference registration.

Urban and Regional Planning Research Seminar

The URP Research Seminar showcases work bridging planning theory and practice. Most events are held noon-1 pm in Durango Building #2.304, but confirm with seminar coordinator Dr. Esteban López Ochoa at esteban.lopezochoa [at] utsa.edu.

  • Aug. 11, 2023: An overview of current and future Urban and Regional Planning research projects, Greg Griffin, RJ Lee, Wei Zhai, Esteban Lopez Ochoa
  • Sept. 8, 2023: Gentrification Index using Microlevel data, Esteban Lopez Ochoa & Allison Pineda
  • Oct. 13, 2023: The role of neighborhood perception on disaster preparedness, Ryun Jung Lee
  • Nov. 3, 2023: Measuring walkability in San Antonio using big data and GIS, Anamika Kumar MSArch
  • Dec. 8, 2023: Building community resilience on social media to help recover from hurricanes, Wei Zhai

Exploring San Antonio

UTSA Urban and Regional Planning Alumni & Students LinkedIn Group

Only open to enrolled students and alumni of the program, the UTSA Urban and Regional Planning Alumni & Students LinkedIn group is where you can find job postings, connect with other graduates, and learn about their career paths. Click the link above and send a request to join, which will be confirmed pending verification of your status.

Research and Writing Support

Diverse Student Resources

Professional Planning Reports and Theses

MSURP students choose a capstone involving either a professional planning report or a thesis. Professional planning reports may be a preliminary study for a plan or present a solution to a known planning problem. The Planning Professional Report Guide and Template (Word file) provides an optional template with advice for writing the professional report.

A thesis addresses a research question, building research skills to address planning challenges and prepare for additional research such as a doctoral program. The Graduate School provides Formatting Template & Requirements for thesis writing.

Following are some of the previous projects from MSURP students, providing examples for later students.

2022

Thesis: Winter Storm Uri and the Texas Energy Crisis: Implications for climate and energy justice in San Antonio, TX by Emmalyn Terracciano [permalink].

2021

Professional report: San Pedro Creek Culture Park, Planning and Sustainability from different perspectives/Arroyo San Pedro Parque Cultural Planeación urbana y Sustentabilidad desde diferentes perspectives by Margarita Saldaña V.

2020

Professional report: Vacant: An Analysis of San Antonio's Vacant Building Program and the Impacts on Surrounding Neighborhoods by Selina Angel [permalink].

Professional report: Does Location Matter? A Historical Analysis of Professional Sports Stadium Development in San Antonio, TX by David Robinson, Jr [link].

Professional report: Healthy Food Access: A Comparison Study by Veronica Escalera-Ibarra.

2019

Professional report: Revitalizing the Near Westside/UTSA Downtown Campus Area by Marco Hinojosa.

2018

Thesis: A Sustainable Focus on the San Antonio Comprehensive Plan With Resilient Development of the Brooks Regional Center by Melissa Bryant [permalink].

Thesis: The Urban Belonging of Public Housing Residents and the Form of Public Space: A Case Study of the Victoria Commons Development in San Antonio, Texas by Riley Metcalfe [permalink].

2016

Thesis: Room to grow: A case study of fresh-food access and urban agriculture's contribution in San Antonio, Texas by Melissa Federspill [permalink].

Thesis: Strengthening safe spaces for queer people of color in Chicago, Illinois by Nicole M. Thomas [permalink].

2014

Thesis: Encouraging the use of public transportation: A study of VIA metropolitan transit, San Antonio, Texas by Nishma Naina Proma [permalink].

Thesis: Balancing development with the need for green spaces: Spatial planning in San Antonio and İstanbul by Angela Hartsell [permalink].

2013

Thesis: Evaluation of the land use policy related to Planned Unit Developments [PUDs] in San Antonio, Texas by Shubhangi C. Jangam [permalink].

Thesis: Active living for a healthier community in San Antonio, Texas by Emily Ann Guerrero [permalink].

2012

Thesis: Sketch planning evaluation of mass transit technologies for a corridor in northeast San Antonio by Sergio E. Martinez [permalink].

Guidance on Artificial Intelligence in Student Assignments

While UTSA, the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and the School of Architecture and Planning have not formally adopted an AI policy, Urban and Regional Program faculty may choose to adapt the following language in specific syllabi:

The use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is permitted in the urban and regional planning program, with certain restrictions. Students can also choose to use AI tools to help brainstorm assignments or projects or to revise existing work they have written. When students submit an assignment, they are expected to clearly attribute the text generated by the AI tool (e.g., AI-generated text appears in a different colored font, quoted directly in the text, or use an in-text parenthetical citation).

Using an AI tool to generate content without proper will be considered a violation of the plagiarism standard of the UTSA Student Code of Conduct: Sec. 203. Academic Dishonesty. Violations could result in failure of the assignment or failure of the course and inclusion in university records.

Computing and GIS Resources for Urban and Regional Planning

  • URP Lab (Durango Building 0.216) includes GIS workstations for student use. Outside of class days, contact greg.griffin@utsa.edu for access.
  • Virtual Desktop MyAppsVDI - The virtual desktop allows most any computer to use high-performance software from a central server. We have a configuration for our school with Esri software and other key applications called "CACP_VDI." Note that once you start working on one of the applications, you will need to save your work on OneDrive or an external drive before logging out. Work will NOT BE SAVED if you log out before saving. If you have to use the UTSA VPN, please connect to MyAppsVDI first, and then connect to the UTSA VPN. Users cannot access both the UTSA VPN and MyAppsVDI at the same time. If you are already using the UTSA VPN, you have to disconnect first. (Some users find it easier to just reboot their computer).For more information visit http://utsa.edu/vdi.
  • Klesse College Laptop Requirement - Starting Fall 2022, the college requires students to have a laptop ready to tackle the work. Your computer should be upgradeable in order to meet technical spec requirements for the duration of your program.
  • Esri GIS software is available for downloading and online access for all students and faculty at UTSA. Sign up with V. Stuart Foote, Senior Systems Administrator (Vstuart.Foote@utsa.edu), or Greg Griffin, PhD, AICP, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning (greg.griffin@utsa.edu).​ Once you can log in, you will have access to the web-based mapping and analysis capabilities of ArcGIS Online, as well as premium applications that are relevant to planning, such as ArcGIS Urban, GeoPlanner and StoryMaps. You can also download and install ArcGIS Pro on your computer.
  • Adobe Creative Cloud is available to students, including visualization and design software like Photoshop, InDesign, and web publishing including this page's platform, Express. Get Started with Adobe Creative Cloud.

Data and Information Sources for Planning Projects

Data Resources

Information Resources

  • American Planning Association PAS Reports - APA’s Planning Advisory Service reports provide comprehensive guidance on current planning issues, and are valuable resources for AICP exam preparation. Log in using your APA student membership to download.
  • UTSA Library Guide on City Planning - Great starting place to find handbooks, journals, and datasets, or ask for help from the subject librarian.

Graduation and Beyond

All students must apply for graduation. Application deadlines for master's students in 2023 are:

  • Fall: apply by July 15
  • Spring: February 15
  • Summer: June 15

The urban and regional planning program audits student progress in cooperation with the Graduate School, including completion of the comprehensive exam and the professional report or thesis. In your final semester, check in the graduate advisor of record (currently Dr. Griffin) to check for any remaining issues. When you’re complete, it’s time to celebrate and plan your next steps!

Commencement schedules are typically posted at http://www.utsa.edu/commencement. Urban and Regional Planning graduates will be scheduled as part of the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design ceremonies.

Library access can be maintained after graduation by joining the UTSA Alumni Association.

Student members of the American Planning Association receive reduced membership rates for two years following your exit from the university.

AICP Certification is preferred or required for many planning jobs, and "certified planners earn more than noncertified planners, even when experience and responsibility are considered" (APA). Following are recommended steps to explore and complete AICP Certification:

  1. Participate in AICP exam preparation workshops. Texas APA offer several AICP workshops and links to free preparation materials.
  2. Take a diagnostic practice exam, use the results to evaluate your readiness to pass the exam, and focus your studying where you need the most preparation. One free exam resource is planningprep.com.
  3. Form a study group with the UTSA Urban and Regional Planning Alumni & Students LinkedIn group, using AICP Certification Exam Selected Resources. Ask UTSA faculty and peers with AICP certification for tips. Lead teaching your practice areas to the group, and everyone wins!
  4. When ready, register and schedule your AICP exam.