The University of South Florida’s (USF) Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program has earned accreditation by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). PAB accredits urban planning programs in North American universities that meet value and quality standards developed by PAB in collaboration with the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Accreditation is effective January 1, 2021 and will be maintained for five years, at which point a reaccreditation process will occur.
PAB accreditation is critical for a professional degree program like MURP, as graduates from accredited planning programs are fast-tracked in eligibility to take the AICP exam and earn AICP certification—the only nationwide, independent verification of planners’ qualifications. In granting accreditation, PAB noted that USF’s program “has strong leadership with a dedicated, talented faculty” and has “earned a reputation for attracting motivated and energetic students who are highly sought after by many local governments and planning firms.” On the heels of accreditation, MURP welcomed its largest ever incoming class in Fall 2021.
In just over a decade since it launched in 2009, the MURP program has made a tremendous impact on Tampa Bay area communities, local public policy, planning education, and professional planning capacity in the region and beyond. The program provides training in land use and comprehensive planning, community development and engagement, economic development, environmental and natural resources planning, hazard mitigation and resiliency planning, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
“Because the program works closely with national, state, and local professional planning organizations and firms, students have the unique opportunity to gain access to a wide range of internship, mentorship, and employment opportunities while earning their degree. Once they have completed the program, graduates go on to make their communities better places to live, work, and play,” notes Eric Eisenberg, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at USF.
Alumnus Stephen Benson, AICP, Director of City Planning for the City of Tampa, shared his experience as a former student and graduate of MURP:
“The USF MRP program is unique because, in addition to receiving a core foundation in planning education, you also get hands-on professional training and real-world experience in one of the state's largest urban centers. You'll graduate plugged-in to the extensive Tampa Bay planning community, fully prepared to enter the professional world and make a difference.”
Some notable program milestones include:
- Establishment of fellowship opportunities that provide students with tuition support
and work experience with the City of Tampa, Plan Hillsborough, Hillsborough TPO, Forward
Pinellas, Tindale Oliver, and ESRP
- Funding of two dedicated MURP scholarships: the Mark R. Hafen MURP Diversity Scholarship
and the Mark Bentley American Planning Association Sun Coast Section Scholarship.
- Nationally-recognized Mentor-A-Planning Student program
- Distinguished faculty recognitions and grant awards including the USF Outstanding
Teacher Award, USF Outstanding Community Engaged Teaching Award, USF Distinguished
Service Award, Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
- Community-engaged student projects for partners including the City of Tampa, Tampa Downtown Partnership, Hernando County, the Florida Department of Transportation, Hillsborough County MPO, City of Palmetto, Manatee County, and Latino Coalition of Tampa Bay