The Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program is fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB).
MURP graduates are very well placed upon graduation as evidenced by the high employment rate.
2022-2023 Tuition & Fees
A complete breakdown of the Graduate Student Tuition and Fees can be downloaded here or viewed on the University’s Regular Tuition Schedule webpage.
Tuition & Fees (per Full Time Academic Year)
- In State Residents: $15,600
- Out of State Residents: $33,648
Note: Three 3-credit hour courses (or 8 credit hours, minimum) are considered full-time for graduate students.
Student Retention Rate
Percentage of students who began studies in Fall 2021 and continued into Fall 2022: 89%
Student Graduation Rate
Percentage of students graduating within 4 years, entering class of 2018: 83%
Number of MURP Degrees Awarded
2021-2022 Academic Year: 22
AICP Certification Rate
Percentage of master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, graduating class of 2018: 100%
Employment Rate
Percentage of all graduates obtaining professional planning, planning-related, or other positions within 12 months of graduation, graduating class of 2021: 85%
Results from an exit survey of 65 students who graduated between 2018-2022 indicate the employment sector.
Full-time graduates obtaining planning-related jobs in different sectors:
Government: 35%, Non-profit: 8%, Private firms: 37%, Other: 15% [pursuing doctoral degrees: 5%]
Full-time graduates obtaining planning-related jobs at different government levels:
Federal: 17%, State: 48%, City & County: 35%
Student Achievement
Employer Survey
In 2019, the DURP ʻOhana, a Chapter of the University of Hawaii Alumni Association, conducted a survey of local firms/organizations that employ Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) graduates. The survey, which was sent to 48 employers (public, private, and non-profit), had a 33% response rate. It assessed the skills and attributes of DURP graduates on a scale from outstanding (highest) to need to improve (lowest) to examine how well the master’s degree program is aligned with the needs of local firms/organizations. Some of the survey results are presented below:
Satisfaction with DURP graduates employed: 100% reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied”
Knowledge of general planning principles: 75% responded “good” or “very good” and 6% said “outstanding”
Ability to apply knowledge and skills to practice: 69% responded “good” or “very good” and 19% said “outstanding”
Writing and technical skills: 62% responded “good” or “very good” and 19% said “outstanding”
Communication skills: 81% responded “good” or “very good” and 19% said “outstanding”
Teamwork: 81% responded “good” or “very good” and 12% said “outstanding”
Motivation to seek professional development opportunities: 69% responded “good” or “very good” and 19% said “outstanding”
Client Assessment of Practicum Projects
The planning practicum has been a successful vehicle for engaging students in teamwork to provide services valued by community groups and organizations, policy-making bodies, and regulatory and planning agencies. It plays a key role in keeping faculty and students attuned to planning issues in Hawai‘i and the Asia-Pacific region. Five practicum projects completed between Fall 2018-Fall 2021 were assessed by their respective clients using a client assessment form. Clients rated their satisfaction on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest). On average, students received the following scores:
Professionalism: 4.75
Quality of final report and presentation: 4.5
Overall team performance, responsiveness to feedback, understanding of key issues: 4.5
Quality and feasibility of recommendations: 4.25
Technical aspects of the work undertaken: 4.0
Student Awards
P.E.O. Scholar Award 2022-23
The P.E.O. Scholar Awards was established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the U.S. and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university.
Recipient: Layla Kilolu, PhD Student. Layla was one of the 100 women out of 775 nominees selected to receive $20,000.
ACSP Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning designed this fellowship to foster diversity and inclusion amongst the next generation of urban planning scholars and researchers.
Recipient: Katia Polster, PhD Student (2021)
John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellows
This Fellowship provides educational and professional experience to graduate students interested in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources, and national policy affecting these. The fellows are placed in federal government offices in Washington, D.C. for one year.
Recepient: Roberto Porro, PhD Student (2022)
Peter J. Rappa Sustainable Coastal Development Fellowship at the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program
The Rappa Fellows further knowledge and understanding of sustainable coastal communities through research, extension, and community-based education in topics of coastal smart growth and community planning and their integration with hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation as well as cultural and traditional knowledge of Hawai‘i.
Recipient: Ryan Ringuette, MURP Candidate (2021)
Jagdish P. Sharma Memorial Scholarship, UHM
This annual scholarship supports graduate students in UHM’s College of Arts & Sciences who have an academic focus on South Asia. It awards each recipient up to $5,000.
Recipients: Sandy Kim, PhD Student (2020); Lakpa Sherpa, MURP Candidate (2019)
APA Hawai‘i Chapter Student Project Award (2019)
Finding Our Way Home: How Can Our Community Address Homelessness?
Student Team: John Canner, Jaeho Choi, Emily Clark, Sara Doermann, Colin Ford, Stephen Geib, Ruadhan Hughes, Kendrick Leong, Manu Mei-Singh, Katia Moraes, Lloyd Puckett, Selena Qiu, Amanda Rothschild, Carolyn Weygan-Hildebrand.
Faculty Advisors: Dolores Foley and Anne Marie Smoke
