Online Degree Programs in Urban Affairs & Planning

Urban Affairs Online Degree Programs are for those who want a career in Urban Affairs and Planning where they can shape our world. One of the things that sets humans apart from most of the animal kingdom, beavers being the exception, is this way we manipulate and change our environment. We've certainly come a long way from the caves of yore and the little houses on the prairie to a vast and complex system of buildings, roads, and everything in between.

The art of shaping our world can begin with an Online Degree in Urban Affairs and Planning.

Cool Careers UAP Degrees - Urban Affairs Online Degree Programs

So what are urban affairs and planning program graduates actually qualified to do? Let's take a look at a few possible career choices.

Urban and Regional Plannersⁱ

What they do: Develop land use plans and programs to create communities, accommodate population growth, and revitalize physical facilities.ⁱⁱ

Balance Is the Bottom Line

One overarching benefit to this path is how nicely balanced a career like this can be. It's all about combinations because there's both field and office work, short and long term solutions planning, as well as government, corporate, and private clients. This career mixes a melting pot of possibilities.

Opportunities Abound

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, balanced lifestyles are only the beginning when it comes to perks for Urban and Regional Planners. They also have projected job growth opportunities that are faster than the average for all occupations.

If you check the chart below, it shows that Urban and Regional Planners have a projected job growth rate at 13% while the rate anticipated for all occupations sits at only 7%. That's nearly double and thus points to some increasing work opportunities on the horizon over the next 10 years or so.

Landscape Architectureⁱⁱⁱ

Another potential career path that may follow a degree in Urban Affairs and Planning lies with Landscape Architecture.  Landscape Architects design parks and outdoor areas such as campuses, recreational facilities, businesses, homes, or other open spaces like playgrounds.^iv The possibilities are a broad as the horizon, quite literally.

Just as buildings are updated, so are outdoor spaces. So Landscape Architects integrate today's technology and the environments they sustain and change for their clients. As there are many types of outdoor spaces, the variety of clients and industries for Landscape architects remains dynamic. In fact, their salaries often vary according to the industry and project type as well. The chart below from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows some examples of this.

As you can see from this chart, Landscape Architects sometimes make much more than the median annual wage for all occupations for the same period of time, $37,040.^v

There are still more types of career opportunities for those with an Online Degree in Urban Affairs and Planning. Another one that blends the balance of field and office work as well as substantial job growth is Surveyors.

Have you ever seen someone outside with a tripod, perhaps wearing a construction hat, and measuring the area with precision? That was likely a surveyor, just like in the picture below taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics intro page about Surveyors.

Surveyors^v

What they do: Determine property boundaries and provide data for engineering, mapmaking, and construction.

Source: U.S. BLS^vi

This career involves field and office work, so Surveyors get to enjoy the outdoors a bit and still get to rest their legs behind a desk some days as well.

Get Matched with Schools for Free

It's evident that an Online Degree in Urban Affairs and Planning may lead to many intriguing opportunities. Just click relevant links right here at eLearners.com to get matched with programs and start on your own path to opportunity right now.

[i] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/urban-and-regional-planners.htm [ii] bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/urban-and-regional-planners.htm#tab-2 [iii] bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/landscape-architects.htm#tab-5 [iv] bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/landscape-architects.htm#tab-2 [v] bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/surveyors.htm?view_full#tab-1 [vi] bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/surveyors.htm