University of the Philippines Diliman School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP) - Manila, The Philippines

The University of the Philippines (UP), as the country's national university, leads in the setting of academic standards and innovations in teaching, research, and public service. Guided by its longstanding tradition of honor, excellence, and service, UP remains a bastion of academic freedom and continuously upholds its mandate to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development. As a regional and global university, it continues to forge scholarly and professional associations in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world.

The SPRING Program is based in the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP SURP). Since its establishment in 1965, the UP SURP is committed to the delivery of quality-assured services responsive to its four-fold mandate: Graduate Education, Research, Training and Extension Services. With this, the School envisions itself to be a globally recognized institution that advocates innovative and inclusive learning in the pursuit of the global sustainable development and higher-level social, economic, and environmental thrusts. It is this commitment to quality assurance that thrusted the UP SURP to be the first degree-granting unit within the UP System to be conferred with the Philippine Quality Award Recognition for Commitment to Quality Management.

Pioneering urban and regional planning education in the Philippines, UP SURP offers innovative degree programs across four fields of specialization: Real Estate Estate Planning and Development, Environment and Natural Resource Planning, Transportation Planning, and Infrastructure Planning. The School’s offerings follow a ladder structure, wherein courses taken in the lower degree (e.g. Diploma) are credited in the next higher degree (e.g. Master’s). These programs are anchored on the School’s core courses, which provide the students a robust foundation in planning—from the necessary theoretical, historical, and contemporary planning knowledge, to practical learning opportunities through research and hands-on work.

Widening its reach and academic affiliations, UP SURP continues to reach out to its fellow planning institutions for academic, professional, and research collaborations. Its partnership with the Technical University of Dortmund (TUDo) in Germany brought forth joint academic offerings. The SPRING curriculum is assimilated into the Master of Science in Regional Development Planning (MSRDP) Program, which focuses on regional and district development planning, with particular emphasis on rural areas. The MSRDP Program covers the bases of planning as espoused by the core courses of UP SURP, along with its special academic expertise on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.

After finishing their Master’s degree, students are encouraged to pursue advanced learning in urban and regional planning through the School’s Doctorate programs. The Doctor of Philosophy (Urban and Regional Planning) program further hones the students’ planning expertise through advanced coursework and conduct of independent dissertation. It is designed to equip students with the knowledge and specialized skills appropriate for planning and planning-related positions in the academe, government, and private sector.

With the success of the SPRING program, UP SURP and TUDo entered a new partnership in 2023 for the International Dual Doctorate Program. Based on the existing Doctorate programs of the UP SURP and the School of Spatial Planning (SoSP) at TUDo, this program focuses on resilient urban development with special attention to informal settlers, disaster management, risks and hazards mitigation.