PAB accreditation affirms UTSA’s excellence in urban and regional planning education

APRIL 15, 2025 — The UTSA Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning (MSURP) program has earned prestigious national accreditation from the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) through 2032. Only two other planning programs in the state of Texas share this level of distinction with seven years of accreditation, the highest accreditation level offered by the PAB. This milestone cements UTSA's position as a leader in shaping the future of planning professionals who drive real-world impact.

Multidisciplinary by design, UTSA’s master’s program covers diverse areas such as economic development, transportation, environmental planning, housing and urban design. Faculty and students collaborate on real-world projects, often partnering with local planning agencies. With a focus on quantitative and data-driven skills, the program provides students with a unique and robust training in data analytics and programming; no prior computer science background is required.

“The Urban and Regional Planning Program at UTSA has quickly been recognized as a strong and well-positioned program of choice for aspiring urban scientists and practitioners in San Antonio and the Southwest Texas region,” Esteban López Ochoa, UTSA assistant professor in Urban and Regional Planning and current program administrator, said. “This recognition makes us proud of our work but also quite aware of the responsibility of continuing providing quality education without forgetting our roots.”

UTSA students graduate the MSURP equipped with the skills to transform complex challenges into actionable solutions. Whether crafting a research thesis or tackling practical problems with a professional report, students leave UTSA ready to take on the world.

“This accreditation positions UTSA as the only nationally recognized planning program south of Austin in Texas, building planning expertise through our growing alumni who work as close as San Antonio, and as far away as the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” said Greg Griffin, previous program administrator, who started the work for this accreditation.

“This accreditation is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff to build an outstanding educational program and environment for our students.”

MSURP graduates have been successfully joining the labor force as professional planners contributing toward solving urban challenges within several key institutions in San Antonio and beyond. Government institutions such as the City of San Antonio, VIA, the San Antonio River Authority and the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, as well as private planning and engineering firms such as Stantec, Able City and MIG, are only a few examples of the places where UTSA Planning graduates are having big impact.

“This accreditation is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff to build an outstanding educational program and environment for our students,” said Eric Brey, dean of Klesse College at UTSA. “The Urban Planning Program sets the standard in Klesse College for community engagement and service to San Antonio. With our location in the heart of San Antonio and faculty who are innovative problem-solvers, this accreditation not only strengthens our university — it also supports our city and surrounding communities by preparing students to be active citizens ready to lead change.”

Since 2022, URP faculty have secured over $2 million in research funding, enriching student experiences through research assistantships while benefiting the local community with impactful projects.

This funding has boosted research collaborations and expenditures in key areas, such as a setting up a programable and participatory sensing testbed using scooters (ScooterLab), predicting demolition orders using machine learning intelligence, establishing community-engaged digital twins for housing repair in extreme heat conditions and quantifying the value of tree canopies in real estate transactions.

“There are a number of previous faculty that worked tirelessly to jumpstart this program and maintain it over the years, trailblazer faculty such as Dr. Richard Tangum, Dr. Maggie Valentine, Bert Moyer, Ernest Gerlach, Bill Barker, Dr. Francine Romero and more recently Dr. Albert Han, program administrator Dr. Greg Griffin and Professor Ian Caine have shown deep love and commitment to this program,” López Ochoa said.

Many students have co-authored journal articles and presented their research at national and international conferences, earning recognition for their achievements. Notable examples include Samuel Rueda ’24, who won first place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition at the 2023 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning conference, and other students such as Allison Pineda ’24 and Salomon Mendoza ’25, presenting at prestigious events such as the International Urban Affairs Conference and the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, respectively.

The MSURP program is also unique as it is supported by the Nungesser Family Graduate Endowment Fund, which funds key student research and retention initiatives. The Nungesser Family Endowment Fund provides competitive scholarships making the program accessible for local and out-of-state students as well as waiving application fees for prospective students.

“Urban philanthropist Lisa Nungesser and her family have made sure that our program continues its mission to prepare planners to meet known and emerging urban and regional challenges, inspired by our values of collaboration, innovation and inclusiveness. We look forward to continuing serving the city of San Antonio and beyond from our new upcoming location at One Riverwalk Plaza,” López Ochoa said.

Additionally, students interested in transportation careers have earned the esteemed Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship and have showcased their work at the TRB Annual Meeting.

The UTSA MSURP program emphasizes community engagement. Students have worked with local organizations, such as the Historic Westside Residents Association, to conduct housing condition surveys and environmental sensing campaigns, providing valuable insights into housing quality and environmental health.

PAB is the national accreditor for planning programs and assures standards following planning practice and academia, with input from stakeholders in the planning community alongside sponsoring organizations.

Admission for the M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning is now open for the fall of 2025. Interested students can visit the URP website, Student Handbook or enroll for any of the upcoming Informational Sessions on April 15 and May 5, 2025. Additionally, interested students can contact program administrator López Ochoa or Graduate Advisor of Record Xueyin Bai for questions or information about admissions.

— Ari Castañeda