Linking Education and Practice
Students have unrivaled access to agencies, municipalities, and local leaders for information, resources, and professional internships. Both the undergraduate and graduate programs stress seminar and studio education, and classes frequently study and work with communities throughout the binational region.
The Western New York and Upstate divisions of the American Planning Association—many members of which are alumni of our programs—offer regular educational and professional forums for planning students, faculty, and practitioners. The professional community annually awards the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Award to a graduating master’s student with high promise for professional excellence, and also provides assistance to planners seeking to take the AICP exam.
Alumni Paths
Graduates of the M.U.P. and dual degree programs are employed in positions of importance around the world.
M.U.P alumni within the region include:
- Director of Planning Analysis for the City of Buffalo
- Supervisor for Transportation and GIS at the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
- Executive Director of Great Lakes United
- Associate Director of the UB Center for Urban Studies
- Executive Director of World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara
- Executive Director of the Buffalo Housing Authority
- Associate Director of the UB Center for Integrated Waste Management
- Junior and senior planners at numerous private planning consultancies
- Junior and senior planners at numerous public agencies, including Genesee County, Niagara County, Wyoming County, Erie County Industrial Development Agency, and the cities of Niagara Falls and Buffalo
M.U.P. alumni working farther afield include:
- Project Manager for the U.S. Department of Transportation
- Director of Community Development for the City of Kissimmee, Florida
- Development Manager for Kansas City, Missouri
- Senior Planner for MTA Metro in New York City
- Director of Emerging Markets for United Guaranty Residential Insurance Company, Washington, D.C.
- Watershed Planner for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
- Project Planner at the World Bank
