Congratulations! We are thrilled that you are considering joining us next fall. This is the place to find answers to many of your questions about enrolling in Penn’s Department of City & Regional Planning. We're hosting a Virtual Admitted Students Open House on Friday, April 5th, and an in-person Admitted Students Open House on Monday, April 8th. We hope that you're able to attend one of those events to learn more about our program, curriculum, and community.
Summer Institutes
The department offers a variety of summer courses to prepare students for their first year in the MCP program. Below you’ll find a list of the summer courses and their start dates. Please take these dates into account when securing housing.
City Planning students will take the free, self-paced course, "The Penn Experience: Racism, Reconciliation and Engagement", from mid-July through mid-August. This course includes online readings and videos as well as TA-led discussions both online and in-person. This course is mandatory.
City Planning students will take a two-week graphic design course from August 5th - August 16th. The class will be remote and mandatory for incoming students who do not have experience in graphic design. The cost for this course is $100.
Students in the Urban Design concentration without a B.Arch will be considered for an urban design summer mini-studio from August 5th – August 21st. The class will be in person. Students will be contacted by the department if they need to take this class. The cost for this course is $500.
Department Orientation
City Planning students will participate in a mandatory orientation from August 19th – 21st. This is an excellent opportunity for students to get to know the cohort, faculty, and Weitzman facilities. Please take these dates into account when securing housing.
FAQs
Q: I didn’t get all the financial aid I was hoping for. Who do I talk to find out about additional financial aid?
A: Graduate financial aid at Weitzman School is extremely limited, but some small additional awards may be available after March 12th for students with financial hardships. E-mail Lisa Servon (servon@upenn.edu) for more details.
Q: What about loans?
A. Numerous loan programs are available at Penn, primarily for US citizens, if you have filed a FAFSA. Weitzman School’s Admission/Financial Aid Office (fin-aid@design.upenn.edu) can connect you with Penn’s Student Financial Services Office which can help you assemble the best loan package for your needs.
Q: I applied to another Weitzman School program besides City Planning but didn’t get in. Can I add another degree later?
A. Yes, this is common. Start your City Planning program in the Fall of 2024, and then apply to a second department when applications open in September. Note that admission to other Weitzman School departments is easier than admission to Wharton or the Law School.
Q: Can I defer admission for a year or two?
A. Deferrals are approved on a case-by-case basis and only offered for extraordinary personal or professional reasons. If you are considering deferring your admission, please reach out to Patrick Bransfield (pbrans@upenn.edu).
Q. I want to start preparing for fall courses. What books should I read?
A. Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2022 is a great place to start. Additionally, we recommend students familiarize themselves with recent editions of the Journal of the American Planning Association and the Journal of Planning Education and Research. We also encourage incoming students to read the Philadelphia Inquirer to familiarize themselves with current events and issues within the city. Philadelphia Inquirer issues can be accessed for free via Franklin Library by logging in with your PennKey.
If you’d like to get to know Philadelphia beyond the Inquirer, we suggest the web-based Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, WHYY news (Including Plan Philly), and Hidden City Philadelphia.
Please note that these are suggestions and not at all required readings.
Q. Can I start putting together my course program?
A. Information about registering for classes will be sent to your Penn email by June 1st. A Q&A session will be scheduled that week via zoom.
Q. Is it easy to find housing in Philadelphia? Within walking distance of Penn?
A. While it is not difficult to find housing in Philadelphia, you will need to give yourself a few days to look, familiarize yourself with nearby neighborhoods, and consider finding a roommate. Feel free to peruse Penn’s Off-Campus Housing Services page for assistance with your housing search.
There are also a limited number of opportunities for graduate students to serve as residence hall advisors for pay. Applications for these positions close on April 1. Please view the College Houses & Academic Services site to apply.
Q. Will I need a laptop if I don’t already have one?
A. Yes you will need a laptop. The Weitzman School IT department will be sending you information on minimum specifications and purchase opportunities in June. Please note, Weitzman IT strongly discourages using Apple Mac products in our program as applications like ArcGIS Pro are only available for Windows.
Q. Can I find out who my academic advisor will be? And can I contact him or her?
A. Advisor assignments are announced on August 1st, but feel free to e-mail any city planning faculty member about your program of study.
Q. What are certificates?
A. Certificates are like a second concentration but are offered on a cross-departmental basis. Taking a certificate means foregoing most of your electives, so you should probably wait until you come to Penn before deciding for sure if you would like to pursue a certificate. Weitzman School offers many certificates. To find out more about them, visit the Certificates web page.
Q. Can I contact current Weitzman students by e-mail to get their perspective on the program?
A. This is the time of the semester (March and April) when students are incredibly busy with their studies. Please reach out to Patrick Bransfield (pbrans@upenn.edu) and he’ll put you in touch with a student ambassador.
Q. I’m still undecided between Penn and another program. What else can you tell me that help me make up my mind?
A. Penn’s combination of core skills and knowledge, diverse and deep concentrations, dual degree programs, and multi-department certificates is unparalleled. Penn also provides an opportunity to work collaboratively with other intelligent, interesting, and engaged students, many of whom will become lifelong friends. Philadelphia is also a particularly interesting place to study city planning, with its unique history and complexities. Philadelphia is also still affordable compared to other major cities. And finally, even though a Penn education is expensive, past graduates tell us they can’t imagine not having come to Penn.
We hope we've answered all of your questions. If you have others, feel free to e-mail Patrick Bransfield (pbrans@upenn.edu). We hope to see you in August!