Core Courses

Of the 48 credits needed for graduation, the following classes are required for each student.* If the student pursues a Master's project, 27 credits are part of the core requirements. If the student does a Master's thesis, 30 credits are part of the core curriculum, and the three-course option requires 31 credits. The Concentration selected by each student requires an additional 9 credits.

• RP 625 Quantitative Methods in Planning (3 credits)
• RP 643 Economic and Social Planning Analysis (3 credits)
• RP 651 Planning History and Theory (3 credits)
• RP 656 Judicial Planning Law (3 credits)
• RP 675 Regional Planning Studio I (4 credits)
• RP 681 Regional Planning Studio II (5 credits)
• RP 693A Seminar in Research Methods (1 credit)
• RP 693S Planning with Multiple Publics (3 credits)

Either:

• RP 698 Master's Project (5 credits)
• RP 699 Master's Thesis (8 credits)

* Some of these requirements may be waived when students have had comparable graduate level courses or there is another compelling reason. Waivers must be approved by the Regional Planning Program faculty.

Note: A 3.0 average must be maintained for the Regional Planning program core, for the student's area of concentration and for all courses taken. A maximum of 2 C's are permitted during the students' entire residency.

Recommended Sequence for Core Courses

This schedule enables each student to take several elective courses in addition to the three required for their Concentration. In most cases, concentration requirements should be completed by the end of the third semester.

Regional Planning Studios

An important part of your planning education here is your participation in two regional planning studios. In the studios students break into teams of between 3-5 students each and work on a "real" project with a client. Contracts between the client and the studio team are signed as a means of providing a "real- life" studio experience.

The objective of the regional planning studio experience is to provide settings in which students can learn the skills required in the planning process. Through the studios, students will gain knowledge and expertise in the processes of planning, including: how to comprehend a planning problem, quantify and analyze its dimensions, formulate planning alternatives, and organize a work plan and planning process that can lead to solutions being implemented. Students also gain experience in working with a client and the public, and in the presenting of their work in oral, written and graphic form. Students will gain the "seasoning" that goes with experience in all these planning process skills.

The studio format has the following features:

1. Two 14-week studios (spring semester of the first year; fall semester of the second year).

2. Multiple and substantively diverse projects each semester (usually 4-6) providing for small student teams and additional student choice of studio topics.

3. Instruction by faculty and outside professionals on key topics needed to carry out studio projects, including work planning, public presentations, report preparation, etc.

4. Selection of "real" projects and clients, including the signing of a contract between client and studio group that sets out a "scope of services".

5. Selection of first year topics that are relatively simple and well-defined, and second year topics that are more complex. In the first year studio, tasks will involve mostly data collection, analysis, and development of plan alternatives. In the second year, tasks involve primarily plan development, public participation, and plan implementation.

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