Provide service to public agencies, communities, and others concerned with urban and regional planning.
Students normally take from two to three years to complete the MURP program. The program requires a minimum of 42 credit hours. Please refer to the Curriculum in Brief for a detailed review of the course requirements and the Course Streams.
Grades of B or better are required in PLAN 600, 601, and 603, and an average of B or better must be earned in all courses counted towards the MURP degree.
Both thesis (Plan A) and non-thesis (Plan B) programs are available. All students are required to pass a final examination, including successful defense of the thesis (Plan A) or the selected area of concentration (Plan B) and to meet the departmental standards for graduation (Plan A and B).
Students may subsequently change the designation of field of interest in consultation with his/her advisor. It is important that each student embark on a well planned course of study. Attention must be paid to the correct sequencing of courses.
By the end of the first semester of study, students should select a member of the Urban and Regional Planning faculty to serve as the student’s ongoing advisor.
As the student progresses, more emphasis will be laid on his/her interests, in particular as they are to be expressed through a thesis (Plan A) or work in a focus (Plan B, Capstone). The focus may either fall within one area or bridge interest across two or more areas of interest. At this later stage a committee is formed for each student at his/her invitation. The committee, consisting of at least three faculty members, two of whom must be from the Urban and Regional Planning Department, carries the primary responsibility for assuring that subsequent coursework is appropriate for the student.
The chairperson and committee ultimately certify that the student has met the standards for graduation. Committee formulation is a formal process, initiated by the student and approved by the Department chairperson and the Graduate Division.
Reflect upon the ethical implications of the choices planners make as professionals.