Frequently Asked Questions

You don’t need a particular background to apply to the MIPM program. Our students come from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds and represent a diverse range of perspectives. This creates a rich, collaborative learning environment in which students benefit from one another’s expertise, real-world insights and professional networks.

A small yet meaningful number of our students enter the program from fields unrelated to infrastructure. If you’re admitted to the program, our curriculum will be a discovery process for you. We don’t expect you to enter the program with final answers about your career direction, but we do want you to be able to articulate what you see as possible paths.

If you’re applying to our program and don’t have direct professional infrastructure experience, please tell us in your statement of purpose why you’re interested in this UW degree and how you expect it will benefit your life and career.

No. GRE scores are not among our minimum admissions requirements.

We do have discretion to admit applicants with GPAs lower than 3.0, subject to approval from the UW Graduate School. If this situation applies to you, please address your GPA in your statement of purpose, as there may have been extenuating circumstances. This helps our application review committee gather a more complete picture of your experience.

We recommend that you line up your recommendations first. This allows your recommenders plenty of time to prepare and submit a letter of recommendation. Let them know approximately when you plan to submit your application, and that you’d like to list their names and email addresses as part of your application. Our application system will send your recommenders an automated email that invites them to respond to a few questions and upload a letter of recommendation.

Then, arrange for your transcripts. The process of ordering and receiving transcripts is faster and easier than it used to be, but it can still take some time, so it’s best to order them early in your process. We use unofficial transcripts in our admissions process. Check to make sure your transcripts include the awarding of your degree and the date it was conferred.

Who you request recommendations from really depends on where you are in your career. If you’re within a few years of having earned your undergraduate degree, you may wish to ask one or two of your former professors to serve as your recommenders. If you’re mid-career, you may not still be in touch with your professors, so your professional contacts may provide the most compelling recommendations. Or you might be somewhere in between. What’s most important is that your recommenders are able to speak to your readiness for graduate work and your likelihood of success.

All of your recommendations need to be in before we can review your application. If there is a timing issue that you can’t control, please Contact Us to understand your options.

The MIPM program begins in Autumn Quarter, with a sequenced curriculum. If you have a compelling reason to want to start in a different quarter, please Contact Us to discuss your options with our program coordinator. 

Yes! You can enroll in single courses as a Graduate Non-matriculated (GNM) student. This status allows you to earn up to 12 credits (four of our 3-credit classes) and apply them to the MIPM degree if you are later admitted as a degree student.

As a GNM student, you’d take courses in the same manner as matriculated students, so the experience may help you understand what it would be like to continue your education, apply to the degree program and earn the MIPM degree.

Admission to our degree program is not guaranteed if you are a GNM student. You’ll be required to submit a separate application to the degree program. If you think you might apply for degree status, keep your GNM application materials, as you will upload them into your degree application and add letters of recommendation.

If you are interested in GNM status, please Contact Us so our program coordinator can support you in the application process.

Note that GNM students pay course fees of $3,048 for each course, while matriculated degree students pay fees of $2,190 per course (2025 rates).

The program consists of 15 required courses. Most students take two courses each quarter and complete the degree in two years (eight consecutive quarters).

Yes. There are required courses that can only be taken during Summer Quarter. MIPM students attend class during two summers.

Yes. The program is designed for full-time professionals, and virtually all MIPM students are working full time. If you take the typical load of two courses per quarter, you can anticipate 18-20 hours of homework per week.

Yes. Due to work or personal commitments, some of our students choose to take one course per quarter throughout the program and earn their degree over four years. Students can also take one course when needed, and two courses when possible. Each course is offered once per year. After you’re enrolled in our program, your academic adviser can help map out your options for completing the program.

Yes. You can take time away from the program and retain your student status by paying a nominal fee and submitting a brief online form. This makes it possible for you to return to your program and requires no paperwork other than simply registering for classes again. We ask students who take leave to stay in touch with their academic adviser regarding their plans.

Yes! Every part of the program that counts toward a grade is online and is also asynchronous. That means that although you have deadlines for your homework, you’re not required to be online at any particular time. You can complete your assignments at midnight, 5 a.m., or whatever time works best for you.

Because our program is asynchronous, we don’t depend on real-time interactions when it comes to academic activities. Students post on discussion boards at times of their choosing, and reach out to professors via email. Some instructors create the occasional opportunity for the class to meet in real time over Zoom, such as when hosting a guest speaker. However, these sessions are always recorded so students who are unable to attend can view the session at their convenience.

Outside of the classroom, some cohorts form their own texting groups, and some arrange get-togethers so that students who live near each other can connect in real time.

Because the MIPM program is fully online, students may decide to collaborate through email or meet using Zoom, especially if members of the group live or work in different time zones. Groups may also choose to record Zoom meetings or use collaboration tools such as Google Docs to allow the group to work together while not requiring specific meeting times.

This approach to group work in our online courses provides a space for collaboration and often results in robust discussion about what students are learning. Our students also tell us they enjoy these opportunities to build professional and personal relationships with one another that can otherwise be challenging in an online format. In addition, group work has been shown to help learners retain what they learn, support critical thinking, and help improve problem-solving skills as participants discuss different angles or ways to approach a project. Working in groups also helps students hone their professional communication skills and practice project management techniques.

Your capstone project is a central opportunity to apply your academic training to real-world challenges. Through the capstone, our students refine their research, analytical and professional skills while working alongside colleagues, community partners and organizations aligned with their career goals.

Projects vary widely but may include interviewing key stakeholders, designing and analyzing surveys, conducting policy or program evaluations, and developing actionable recommendations that can meaningfully impact communities and organizations.

These applied experiences deepen learning, provide valuable networking and mentorship opportunities, and enable students to demonstrate their capabilities while building professional connections in their fields of interest.

A traditional planning degree includes courses on comprehensive planning, planning and law, zoning, and other related topic areas such as land use, housing, and transportation. The vast majority of planning degrees are in person and focus on case studies within the area the school is located.

The MIPM degree focuses on infrastructure systems — transportation, public health, food, energy, water, and communications and cyber infrastructure — and how these systems are inter-related. The program’s online, asynchronous format makes it possible for students to earn their graduate degree while working full-time and living anywhere in the world. Students apply the course material to their own locale and share their learnings with their fellow students, thereby enriching the experience of the entire cohort.

Both degree programs include courses on GIS, emergency management, finance, climate change and sustainability.

The MIPM program is not accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). However, the MIPM degree is located within the UW Department of Urban Design and Planning and, as such, is considered a planning degree.

This is an important consideration for MIPM students pursuing the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) credential. Once students successfully pass the AICP exam and become AICP candidates, MIPM students will need to have three years of relevant experience to achieve full certification, compared to students from PAB-certified master’s programs, who will need two years. We have had many MIPM graduates successfully achieve the AICP credential.

Our alumni go on to a wide range of careers in the infrastructure field, including growing opportunities in the public and private sectors.

We encourage everyone in our program to take full advantage of the career resources available to UW students, and to use their capstone project experience to connect with professionals in the field.

All MIPM students, regardless of location, have access to many university services and resources, including UW library access (which is available both online and in-person), mental health counseling, the college’s professional mentorship program, study abroad opportunities, and a no-cost American Planning Association membership. Those who live locally are also eligible for subsidized on-campus health services and access to the Intramural Athletics/UW Recreation facility.

Studying abroad can provide extraordinary learning experiences. If you receive a waiver for a MIPM course, a study abroad course might be approved as a substitute, depending on the relevance of its content to our program.

Please Contact Us to reach out to our program coordinator, Karen Fishler. We look forward to hearing from you!