About
Engagement
URP Engagement
The Department is proud to offer a number of opportunities for students to engage in planning-related groups and events. The Department also offers a number of international and study abroad opportunities. After graduation, URP alumni enter the workforce prepared to change the world from all aspects: locally to globally, domestic to international, and all areas in between.
Mentorship Program
The UF Department of Urban and Regional Planning’s mentorship program is designed to foster a meaningful and purpose-driven mentorship experience. The program pairs graduate planning students with practicing professional planners as they prepare to graduate and exit their academic programs. It is a year-long commitment centered around relationship-building, networking, and professional development. Our mentorship program is part of a larger professional development program that includes workshops, internships, the AICP certification program, and experiences, such as attending at APA Florida and APA national conferences. Click here to read about our mentorship recap from the 2021-2022 academic year!
If you have specific questions about the program, please contact either Dr. Laura Dedenbach, AICP, Graduate Coordinator for on-campus programs, at laurajd@ufl.edu, or Kyle Dost, AICP, Associate Director for the MURP online program, at kyledost@ufl.edu.
Student Engagement
Students in the URP Program are involved in a multitude of different clubs and activities on campus. Further, the departments hosts events such as tailgates, symposiums, and anniversary celebrations that bring students, faculty, and alumni together. Please look at our DCP Events page for more information on current events going on.
Some of the clubs in which our students are involved include:
– The Student Planning Association (SPA)
– Alpha Rho Chi
– Students for New Urbanism
Our students also participate in study abroad programs such as:
– The Preservation Institute: Caribbean
– The Preservation Institute: Nantucket Summer Program
– Urban Planning and Design in Brazil
– Urban Planning and Design in China
– UF in Hispaniola
For more information on student involvement and study abroad programs, please contact URP administration.
URP Alumni
Where do Gators go after graduation?
URP graduates from the University of Florida are leaders in government, community organizations, development and real estate firms, and private consulting practices. Because our Department enjoys an excellent national and international reputation, employment opportunities are not limited to Florida; our graduates are employed throughout the U.S. and the world.
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our program and the ever-evolving role of the professional planner, our graduates can expect to perform a variety of activities in a diversity of locations throughout their careers.
The following offers but a small example of places where our graduates work:
– Bowyer-Singleton & Associates, Inc.
– California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
– City of Gainesville
– ESRI
– Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
– GIS Associates, Inc.
– LandDesign
– Littlejohn Engineering Associates
– Morris Architects
– National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
– North Central Florida Regional Planning Council
– RS&H
– Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc.
– Urban Design Solutions, Inc.
– US Fish & Wildlife Service
– WilsonMiller Stantec, Inc.
How do they get there?
Our program is challenging, and faculty consistently instruct our students in the most cutting-edge research, technology and planning practices. Due to the rigor of our training, our program’s excellent reputation, and a citizenry and legislature that recognize the need for planning, our graduates consequently enter a strong job market and find that their services are in considerable demand.
Our graduates also benefit from a strong network of distinguished alumni who provide contacts for new graduates as they seek employment. This network is further aided by the Department’s Professional Advisory Committee, which consists of accomplished professionals from public planning agencies, non-profit organizations, and private consulting firms.