Which Program is Right for You: MIPM or MUP?

A traditional planning degree typically 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 in the area in which the school is located.

The UW MIPM degree focuses on infrastructure systems — transportation, public health, food, energy, water, and communications and cyber infrastructure — and how these systems are interrelated. 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 may include courses on GIS, emergency management, finance, climate change and sustainability.

The UW Department of Urban Design and Planning offers two masters planning degrees: the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) degree and the Master of Infrastructure Planning & Management (MIPM) degree. The following table summarizes the key differences in format, tuition, accreditation and related professional credentials between the two degrees.