In 1946, universities in Turkey were reorganized under a modern administrative structure, and Istanbul Technical University adopted a chair-based academic system. Within the Faculty of Architecture, the Chair of Urbanism assumed a distinctive and important role in the architecture curriculum through both lecture- and studio-based instruction. In 1967, the Institute of Urbanism was established, and in 1974 graduate education began as the only urbanism program affiliated with ITU’s Institute of Science and Technology.

Established in 1982, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning emerged as an independent academic unit. The department awarded its first undergraduate degrees in 1987. In 1988, graduate education within the department expanded into four specialization fields: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Regional Planning, and Landscape Planning. In parallel with this diversification, applications began to be accepted from related disciplines beyond graduates of Urban and Regional Planning and Architecture.

In the 2001–2002 academic year, the master’s and doctoral programs affiliated with ITU’s Institute of Science and Technology were restructured. As part of this process, the four master’s programs within the Department of Urban and Regional Planning were consolidated into two programs: the Urban Planning Master’s Program and the Regional Planning Master’s Program. Following the establishment of the ITU Graduate School in 2020, graduate education within the department has continued under these two programs.

The wide range of expertise across the academic staff who teach courses and supervise theses in the Urban Planning Master’s Program enables students to engage with diverse, up-to-date topics in both theory and practice. The program’s main research areas include human settlements; urban economics and geography; urban policies; planning theory and philosophy; and quantitative and qualitative methods.

Applicants are expected to hold a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning, architecture, landscape architecture, geography, sociology, law, public administration, economics, business administration, statistics, psychology, geomatics engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, geological engineering, geophysical engineering, meteorological engineering, or other related fields.

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Urban Planning Master of Science Program Course Plan