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Urban design consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an urban design consultant. Urban design consultants usually study urban planning, architecture, or landscape architecture. 56% of urban design consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 41% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 194 real urban design consultant resumes to see exactly what urban design consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for urban design consultants are the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Berkeley.

There are also many online urban design consultant courses to help get the education required to be an urban design consultant.

What education do you need to become an urban design consultant?

What degree do you need to be an urban design consultant?

The most common degree for urban design consultants is bachelor's degree, with 56% of urban design consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 41% and master's degree degree at 1%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Master's, 41%
  • Associate, 1%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become an urban design consultant?

You should major in urban planning to become an urban design consultant. 31% of urban design consultants major in urban planning. Other common majors for an urban design consultant include architecture and landscape architecture.

Most common colleges for urban design consultants

Urban design consultants often get their degrees at University of California, Berkeley, Teachers College of Columbia University, and University of Washington. Here are the most common colleges for urban design consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Urban design consultant common collegePercentages
University of California, Berkeley8.51%
Teachers College of Columbia University8.51%
University of Washington6.38%
Harvard University6.38%
University of Pennsylvania6.38%

Best majors for urban design consultants

Best colleges for urban design consultants

The best colleges for urban design consultants are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Harvard University.

An urban design consultant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for urban design consultants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become urban design consultants.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

20 best online courses for urban design consultants

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Top 10 most affordable universities for urban design consultants

The most affordable schools for urban design consultants are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and city college of new york of the city university of new york, the.

If the best universities for urban design consultants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for urban design consultants.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

10. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,353

Cost of attendance

21,302

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for urban design consultants

The hardest universities for urban design consultants to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for urban design consultants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for urban design consultants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for urban design consultants

The easiest schools for urban design consultants to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an urban design consultant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for urban design consultants.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

6. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

7. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

8. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

Average urban design consultant salary by education level

According to our data, urban design consultants with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $64,983 annually. Urban design consultants with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $62,803.
Urban design consultant education levelUrban design consultant salary
Master's Degree$64,983
Bachelor's Degree$62,803

Urban design consultant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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