By Melissa Alonso | September 18, 2025

Just months after announcing the launch of the Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and Spatial Analytics (UPSA) — the first undergraduate degree of its kind in Georgia — Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning is already seeing strong interest from prospective students and support from industry partners.

Applications officially opened this fall, with the first students set to begin coursework in 2026. Early signals suggest that demand for this distinctive program is high.

Professor of the Practice Tony Giarrusso, director of the undergraduate program, says the level of interest has exceeded his expectations.

“A lot more than I expected,” said Giarrusso who has been meeting with students touring Georgia Tech. These are all new students coming in next year, but several people have also expressed interest in transferring.

Giarrusso added that the students showing interest are motivated by values as much as skills. “They’re very community driven, very idealistic, civic minded,” he said. “I think that seems to be what drawing students in — ‘I want to make a difference’ or ‘this is better than another program, if that’s what I want.’”

Employers, too, are taking notice. “The feedback I’ve gotten from people I work with in industry is that they think it’s a great idea. They’ve said, ‘It’d be great, Tony, if you’re training the next generation of planners — we need them.’ They’ve offered opportunities for internships, and they’ve said Atlanta needs this,” Giarrusso noted. 

The program is designed to give undergraduates both technical and civic foundations. While courses in GIS and spatial analytics begin in the later years of study, students will build toward them from the outset. Giarrusso believes this emphasis on technology will set Georgia Tech’s degree apart.

“If an employer has two applications and somebody includes the data analytics, they’re the ones they’re going to take,” he said. “It’s going to set them aside from somebody else.”

Dean Ellen Bassett of the College of Design highlighted how the degree responds to the needs of both communities and employers.

“The Urban Planning and Spatial Analytics program is the first of its kind in Georgia — a true fusion of public policy learning, GIS, and community-engaged instruction,” said Bassett. “It responds directly to a growing demand we’re seeing from local governments and the private sector for graduates who can connect data, design, and policy to solve pressing urban challenges. This degree reflects the College of Design’s commitment to preparing students to lead at the intersection of technology, planning, and community impact.”

The undergraduate program was developed under the leadership of Professor Bill Drummond, who emphasized its broad opportunities.

“This degree offers students excellent career prospects in occupations related to the well-established profession of city and regional planning, the high-technology field of geographic information systems, and the newly emerging field of urban data analytics,” Drummond said.

Drummond believes the setting makes the program especially powerful:

“Atlanta is the best place in the U.S. to study urban planning. We have terrible traffic, suburban sprawl, and increasingly unaffordable housing. However, we can also boast about some of the most innovative planning efforts in the country including the Beltline, Atlantic Station, and the midtown renaissance, all three of which were pioneered by the School’s student projects and studios.”

With applications open and students already signing on, the UPSA degree is on track to meet — and perhaps exceed — its first-year enrollment goals. As Giarrusso put it, “The demand and the allure of the program is pretty strong in this climate.”

School of City and Regional Planning Chair Gulsah Akar added: “We are thrilled to launch this new program. With urban planning education now offered at every level—undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D.—we’re bringing Georgia Tech’s expertise to a broader range of students. The curriculum offers unparalleled opportunities and will prepare undergraduates to shape more resilient and innovative cities.”

As Georgia Tech continues to expand its leadership in planning education, this undergraduate degree promises to shape not only the next generation of planners, but also the future of Georgia’s cities and beyond.