I. The Division of City and Regional Planning in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy offers the Master’s in City and Regional Planning (MCRP) degree. Planning uses a multidisciplinary approach to solve urban and regional problems. As such, planning is concerned with the spatial arrangement and interaction of human activity systems in urbanized areas and enables the arrangement of facilities and programs in an optimal and comprehensive way. As a professional practice, planning is concerned with guiding the growth and development of cities and regions toward desired objectives. Planning increases the effectiveness of public and private decision-making by giving careful consideration to goal formulation, the collection and organization of information and knowledge, and the design of policies and programs. The curriculum is intended to provide the basic knowledge and skills in theory, techniques, methods, and practice. The program is a full member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and its degree is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.

Program objectives are: (1) mastery of computing and written, oral , and graphical skills; (2) strong sense of professional ethical principles; (3) respect for and understanding of diverse viewpoints, needs, and ideologies, with particular attention to issues related to class, gender, race and ethnicity in urban society; (4) knowledge and skills for urban problem-solving including history and theory of planning processes and practices; administrative, legal, and political aspects of plan making and policy implementation; and synthesis and application of knowledge; (5) knowledge of the structure and function of urban settlements, and (6) knowledge and skills necessary for achieving status as a Certified Planner.

II. MCRP Degree Program

A. Program Admission

Applicants must satisfy admission standards of the Graduate School and receive favorable endorsement from the planning faculty. Admission will be based on applicable test scores (GRE or MAT); undergraduate grade point average; previous education and/or experience; and ability to articulate career and education objectives.

B. Program Prerequisite

Students are accepted from all undergraduate disciplines and professional areas; however, the department determines if students must do remedial work. Some credit may be granted by the department for remedial work if obtained at the graduate level after entering the program.

C. Program Requirements

The student is required to complete a minimum of 48 semester hours. Thirty (30) hours are taken in the core curriculum and 15 hours are electives that lead to a 3-hour Capstone Project. The fifteen (15) hours of electives allow the student to extend basic knowledge gained in the core curriculum and can include such subjects as economic development planning, urban design, land use and transportation planning, planning information systems, housing and community development planning, planning law, and environmental planning.

The 3-hour Capstone Project, submitted as a written report and orally defended, is required of all majors as a terminal experience designed to demonstrate a student’s mastery of planning process and substance.

The comprehensive examination must be successfully completed at the end of the semester in which the student expects to graduate.

D. Transfer of Credits

The Director may recommend to the Graduate School credit for planning course-work successfully completed at other institutions but not to exceed 12 semester hours. For those students formerly enrolled in graduate planning programs accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a maximum of 24 hours in planning course-work may be approved. Credit previously earned at another institution must be presented for evaluation not later than the end of the student’s second semester of enrollment.

Core Curriculum

6521. Quantitative Methods. (3). (Same as GEOG 6521). An introduction to quantitative methods in spatial analysis.

7000. Introduction to Planning. (3). Planning trends in United States and abroad, including land use planning, developmental planning, social planning, transportation planning, community facilities planning, and planning as a governmental activity at the local, state, and federal levels.

7002. City Planning Principles and Theory. (3). The fundamental principles and theory of urban and regional planning with emphasis on comprehensive planning processes and appropriate theoretical foundations.

7004. Land Use Controls. (3). Methods of regulating land use, including zoning, subdivision controls, and growth management techniques; legal framework for planning, including enabling legislation, local ordinances, and significant judicial decisions.

7006. Comprehensive Planning Studio. (3). Individual and group practice in collection, analysis, and presentation of field data on selected planning problems.

7007. Special Projects Studio. (3). Individual and group planning for development of major public and private projects.

7008. Site Planning. (3). Principles and methods of preparing site plan for development project, including techniques of determining suitability of site resources and compatibility of land uses, site impact analysis, and site plan review procedures.

7011. Financing Community Development. (3). Introduction to and principles of municipal finance with emphasis on preparation of capital improvements program; methods of forecasting public revenues and expenditures, project selection methods, and review of financing mechanisms.

7012. Methodology and Techniques in Planning. (3). Professional practice methodology used in assessment of existing socioeconomic conditions of communities, trend analysis, and forecasts of future population and employment for purpose of developing comprehensive plan.

7202. Land Use Planning. (3). Theory and practice of land use planning, with emphasis on methods of land use analysis and economic and social basis for land use decisions.

Electives

6201. Urbanization and Environment. (3). (Same as GEOG 6201). A study of the ways humans have changed the natural environment by urbanization and how physical features and processes influence the development and function of cities.

6231. Water Resources. (3). (Same as GEOG 6231). Study of hydrologic processes and their application to needs of cities, industry, agriculture, and recreation.

6443. Transportation Planning. (3). (Same as GEOG 6443). Planning for various transportation modes and networks and the impact they have on urban land use and contemporary development problems.

6502. Computer Mapping. (3). (Same as GEOG 6502). Instruction in use of computer mapping programs as effective techniques for visual presentation of a wide variety of data. Two lecture, two laboratory hours per week. PREREQUISITE: BASIC, FORTRAN, or other computer language.

6515. Geographic Information Science. (3). (Same as GEOG 6515). Introduction to the basic concepts, components, and functions of Geographic Information Science using ARC/INFO GIS; topics include concepts and structure of spatial data, database planning and design, data quality control, automating spatial data, attribute data management, spatial manipulation, and spatial analysis techniques. PREREQUISITE: GEOG 1010 or 1020 or 1301 or 3430 or 4201 or permission of instructor.

7101. Regional Planning. (3). Area and region delineation, regional planning organization, the various levels of planning, the functions and problems of regional plan preparation, and plan implementation.

7201. Community Facilities Planning. (3). Planning the location and design of community facilities in the light of changing concepts of public service and community organization.

7204. Urban Revitalization Planning. (3). Changing urban land uses, first in areas that must improve or rebuild obsolete patterns, functions, and forms; and second in areas with acceptable uses, structures, and institutions, which in the interest and welfare of all the people must have additional space for growth and expansion.

7205. Seminar in Urban Design. (3). History and theory of urban form and implications for the design of cities; survey of urban design techniques.

7206. Housing. (3). Survey of housing market characteristics, financing, development, preservation, and redevelopment from both public and private perspectives.

7302. Environmental Analysis Seminar. (3). (Same as GEOG 7201). Analytical and qualitative critique of the physical environment with emphasis on environmental quality, including air and water quality standards, soil erosion, solid waste management, and nuisance control.

7504. Seminar in Geographic Information Systems. (3). (Same as GEOG 7504). Implementation and management of GIS technology; design, automation, and applications to land use and natural resources inventories.

‡7701. Research Problems. (1-3). Independent investigation directed toward research problems in city and regional planning May be repeated for a maximum of 3 hours credit.

7708. Planning Practice. (3). Practical skills in operating a planning office in both public and private sectors. PREREQUISITE: Approved planning experience.

†7890. Planning Internship. (1). Experiential learning assignment to be achieved via an approved work assignment with a public or private planning organization or a member of the planning faculty. NOTE: Does not count toward degree requirements.

†7896. Capstone Project. (1-3). Preparation of a research paper that exhibits mastery of process and substantive area of planning. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 hours credit.

†Grades of S, U, or IP will be given.
‡Grades of A-F, or IP will be given