Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) FAQs

MURP accepts applications on a rolling basis, with the following deadlines: Fall Admission – August 1 and Spring Admission – January 1. However, applicants who want to be considered for financial aid must have their application completed by March 1 for Fall admission or October 1 for Spring admission. 

All applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Typically, review of Fall admission applications begins on March 1. Review of Spring admission applications begins September 1. All supporting documents, including all three letters of recommendation, must be submitted for the application to be reviewed. 

The Graduate School requires a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) for admission of 3.0 or better. Applicants with GPAs below this may be qualified depending on professional experience and other accomplishments. 

The MURP program requires applicants to submit an online application form, application fee, official transcripts of previous academic work, personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and resume. All international applicants whose first language is not English must submit TOEFL scores. 

International applicants must have taken the TOEFL, or IELTS and achieved at least:  • 90 (IBT) with a score of 20 or greater in Listening, Writing, Speaking and Reading Subsections for the TOEFL • 6.5 for the IELTS If you are an international applicant who has already received a degree from an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction the TOEFL/IELTS requirement is waived. 

Yes, graduate courses at other universities, taken after receiving an undergraduate degree can be transferred. The determination is made on a case-by-case basis with your advisor and topic-relevant faculty members. You should have received a grade of ‘B’ or better for the course and the course content has to be relevant to the MURP curriculum. The graduate school allows transfer of up to 50% of the degree requirements (24 credit hours). There is a separate process if courses were taken more than 5 years ago. 

MURP offers a limited number of graduate assistantships on a competitive basis. Applicants should indicate their interest in financial assistance via the online application. In addition, applicants and students may also apply for assistantships outside of MURP. A list of available assistantships across the University can be found on the VT Graduate School website. The Graduate school also has additional information about other types of assistance available to graduate students. 

Yes, you can participate in the MURP program as a part-time student. Part time students must enroll for at least 3-credits (one class). 

The MURP program is located in Blacksburg, VA, and Arlington, VA. 

On the Blacksburg campus courses are offered throughout the day and in the evenings. In Arlington, classes are offered in two time slots, 4:00 pm to 6:45 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:45 pm, Mondays through Thursdays. Required MURP core classes are typically offered in the 7:00 pm to 9:45 pm slot. One-credit weekend modules are offered Fridays from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 pm. Some courses may not follow the schedule listed above. These courses may meet multiple times, but not weekly, over the semester (e.g., three weekends). 

Throughout the program, UAP faculty members serve as advisors for MURP students. We strive to match advisors and students by area of interest (e.g. planning, transportation, economic development, etc.). Advisors work with students to identify a plan of study. Advisors also serve as a liaison with the Program Chair and the Graduate School. 

If you have questions about the application process, please email Kelly Crist at kcrist@vt.edu. Please also reference the MURP Handbook and visit the MURP Website. 

Yes, please email Kelly Crist at kcrist@vt.edu. They can assist in scheduling a visit/or call with a faculty member and/or the program chair.