A total of 56 credit hours are required for the MCRP degree. The two-year program contains a 35-credit core curriculum, including a 3-credit summer internship. The program also calls for 15-21 credits of elective courses in addition to 3-credits for a terminal project or 6-credits for a thesis. The core curriculum includes planning and substantive theory, analytical methods, implementation techniques and applications. Electives allow the student to develop further expertise in one of six specializations: development planning, environmental/land use planning, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), housing and community development, transportation planning, and urban design. A summer internship between the first and second year requires 10 weeks of supervised professional employment. Students also have the option to take a Maymester elective on campus or study abroad. Upon the completion of coursework, an oral examination is required to present and defend the results of their terminal project or thesis.
Dual Degree Options
The Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture offers a dual degree program with a Master of City and Regional Planning and a Master of Landscape Architecture. For students with an undergraduate degree in design, this may be completed in four to five years. Students without a design background will require additional coursework to gain the necessary design skills. Another dual degree option is being finalized to be taken in conjunction with the MS in Civil Engineering for those students pursuing transportation engineering and planning. Students would need an undergraduate degree in engineering or post-bachelor’s degree coursework. Candidates must be accepted independently by both departments. Typically, City and Regional Planning courses are taken for a full year and the remaining courses are interspersed through another two years.
Study Abroad
Graduate Students in City and Regional Planning have the opportunity to study abroad during the Fall semester of their second year in Genoa, Italy or Istanbul, Turkey. Those students wishing to embark on a shorter venture abroad have the option to spend their Maymester in Greece and Turkey. Studying abroad provides students with the opportunity to study historical development patterns and city form. All programs provide elective credits towards the Masters in City and Regional Planning. Check out study abroad options here.
Curriculum Overview
First Year Courses
FALL
CRP 602 Human Settlement (3)
CRP 803 Quantitative Methods (4)
CRP 805 Planning Theory & History (3)
CRP 806 Urban and Regional Analysis (3)
Fall Credits: 13
SPRING
CRP 801 Planning Process & Legal Foundations (3)
CRP 802 Site Planning & Infrastructure (3)
CRP 804 Land Use Analysis & Assessment (4)
Elective (3)
Spring Credits: 13
MAYMESTER
Elective Option – Field Trip or Class. (3*)
SUMMER
CRP 893 Planning Summer Internship (3)
Second Year Courses
FALL
CRP 894 Planning Internship Seminar (1)
CRP 807 Professional Studio (4)
CRP 858 Research Design (3)
Elective (3)
Elective (3)
Fall Credits: 14
SPRING
CRP 809 Contemporary Issues Seminar (1)
CRP 859/891 Final Terminal Project/Thesis (3/6)
Elective(s) (9/6)
Spring Credits: 13
Total Credits: 56
* Maymester offerings vary, usually field trip; is an elective
** Elective Courses—All Electives Must Be Approved by Advisory Committee
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