Master of Regional Planning Degree Program

The M.R.P. degree program prepares professionals to recognize and promote sustainable development as the balance of ecology, economy, and equity achieved through a participatory planning process. The curriculum integrates studies of the physical, environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political facets of planning at all scales and densities: urban, suburban, small town, and rural. A studio requirement in which students undertake projects for clients is a central part of the program. Assistantships, internships, and practica represent other opportunities for professional development.

There are no prerequisites for the program. Students come from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds, including the natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, design, and the humanities. The program is designed to balance core requirements and faculty research specialties with individual student interests.

The Curriculum

The M.R.P. is typically a two-year full-time 48-credit program. Students take a series of core courses, guided electives within their area of concentration, and additional electives of their choice. These are described below. The accelerated and dual degree programs require 36 credits, plus 12 credits shared with the other program.

Core Requirements

Core requirements prepare students for more advanced planning classes. They provide basic knowledge in the following areas:

1. Planning concepts, theories, philosophies and histories.
2. Techniques associated with planning; quantitative, qualitative, GIS, and other visualization methods.
3. The built environment: recognition of opportunities and challenges, and understanding the environmental consequences of land and resource use activities.
4. The political, legal, institutional, and administrative setting of planning.
5. The economic and fiscal implications of planning.
6. The social, cultural, and psychological implications of planning.
7. “Plan-making” through studio reports, theses, and terminal projects.
8. Sustainable development and participatory planning.

Specializations

In addition to the core courses, all students take at least three courses within one or more specialization(s) that are aligned with our departmental Areas of Excellence. This enables each student to gain greater knowledge and depth in an area of personal and professional interest. Students are also expected to develop a Master’s thesis or professional project within their specialization that demonstrates their capacity for independent thought and investigation. Students may take elective classes in other specializations or in related courses in other programs, or design their own independently design specialization in consultation with the program director. Our specializations are:

Technological Innovation and Regional Economy

This specialization focuses on understanding and anticipating the challenges facing communities as a result of the changing economy, workforce and societal needs. We train our students how to plan with communities to proactively address these challenges using community economic and demographic forecasting, participatory scenario planning and evaluation, impact assessment, development policy and finance, and spatial analysis. Faculty teaching in this specialization have particular interests in understanding the impact of emerging technologies on communities and the use of new communication tools for expanding and improving planning and local governance.

Community development and cultural preservation

Plans and designs gain meaning when they represent the needs, dreams, values, and goals of those who will use them. Courses within this specialization focus on social, political, and cultural analyses of the built environment, explore different social and cultural responses, analyze policy, planning, and design criteria for building more responsible urban forms, and intervening in discriminatory practices. Topics of study include domestic and international analyses of cultural heritage and diversity, housing policy, urban development and land use, urban form and design, and social change.

Climate resilience and green infrastructure

Communities need to support positive ecologies while being low-carbon and climate-resilient. The focus of this specialization is understanding the forces affecting the built environment, the interrelationships between land use, environment and social conditions, and ways to support and regulate development to best achieve community goals. It also addresses environmental policy and planning as it relates to preserving and protecting environmental quality and habitat. The Department has particular strength in greenway planning and green infrastructure, and in interpreting the role of open space and communities within their regional context in the US and internationally.

Independently designed specializations

Students who have interests that do not fall into the existing categories may, with the approval of the Graduate Program Director, develop their own specialization proposal.