city planning phd programs

Sample Years Three – Four

Dissertation

Forming dissertation committee.

After completing the comprehensive exam and advancing to candidacy, the student must form a dissertation committee, in accordance with the Rackham Graduate School’s  “Guidelines for Dissertation Committee Service.”

The Dissertation Committee should be formed prior to defending the dissertation proposal, which should be formed several months before the student expects to defend their proposal URP. When prepared to do so, the student should send the Director of Doctoral Studies and Lisa Hauser the completed “Dissertation Committee Worksheet for Students to submit to Program”, which can be obtained from the link above. The Director of Doctoral Studies and Lisa Hauser will then submit the formal request to the Rackham Graduate School.

Dissertation Proposal

Dissertation proposals can be defended anytime after taking the Comprehensive Exam, but no later than the end of the fifth semester (i.e. December). It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the proposal defense attended by the dissertation committee.

The student must notify Lisa Hauser by email of the proposal defense date at least three weeks prior to the meeting, including the location of the defense meeting, a title, and an abstract. After gaining approval from the dissertation committee, the dissertation chair must send an email to the Director of Doctoral Studies that includes (a) the date of the proposal defense, (b) a list of all committee members present at the defense, (c) a title of the proposal, (d) an abstract of the proposal (250 – 350 words), and (e) a copy of the final dissertation proposal to be filed with URP records. Receipt of the email from the dissertation chair will constitute formal approval of the proposal by the committee and readiness to proceed with dissertation work.

Dissertation Process

The dissertation is prepared in accordance with the  Rackham Graduate School’s Doctoral Dissertation Requirements , and as outlined in the URP Ph.D. Program Overview Schedule and Policies document.

The student is responsible for several steps: (a) scheduling and reserving rooms (and/or a Zoom link if virtual or hybrid) for the URP pre-defense hearing (which ordinarily should occur at least six weeks and no less than three weeks prior to the dissertation defense) and the defense meeting, both in a timely manner; (b) notifying Lisa Hauser by email of the defense date at least three weeks prior to the meeting, including the location of the defense meeting, (and Zoom link, if relevant), a title, and an abstract; (c) providing a complete dissertation draft, including an abstract and bibliography, to committee members at least two weeks (longer is advised) before the defense date; and (d) registering for an eight-hour candidacy enrollment (995 Dissertation Research) for the term in which the defense is held.

A dissertation defense typically consists of two parts: the first is a formal, public presentation of the dissertation research, followed by questions and answers from both the dissertation committee and the audience. Defenses are advertised and open to the public, and other students and faculty are frequently in attendance. The second part is a closed session for the candidate and the dissertation committee. During the defense, the student may be asked to reconsider certain aspects of the work and to make changes or corrections in the dissertation. At the end of the session, the chair will discuss the oral defense with other members of the committee and inform the student of the outcome. The duration of a defense can vary, but the candidate should reserve the room for a three-hour period.

Formal approval of the dissertation (e.g., formatting of the final document) and applying for graduation are governed by the Rackham Graduate School.

School of City & Regional Planning

College of design.

Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning

Doctoral study in city and regional planning combines research and theory in an applied professional field. We link theory to practice, allowing students to explore the most important issues facing rapidly changing urban areas today.

We build socially, economically, and environmentally resilient communities through interdisciplinary study and research. Our doctoral students consistently graduate to top academic and other professional careers. We welcome your interest and inquiries.

Meet Us to Learn More!

Design your very own Open House experience by selecting the online and on-campus events that align best with your interests, questions, and availability. We have drafted a menu that allows you to engage with program directors, faculty, current students, and alumni, learn interactively about our programs, get insights into the application process and funding opportunities, and get a taste of our lecture series, signature events, and courses. All of our events allow for your unique individual questions to be answered. Click the link below to RSVP.

Extending the Horizon of Planning

Each year, the Ph.D. program seeks applicants with research interests that correspond closely to those of our faculty. Our faculty engage in research and teaching across the diverse spectrum of planning, including economic and community development, housing, land use, environment, transportation, planning theory, collaborative governance, and urban design.

Some of the cutting-edge issues they focus on include climate change, urban analytics, economic resilience, megaregions, disaster planning, and healthy cities. The three to five new Ph.D. students that we admit annually work closely with their faculty advisors to develop a course of study that will extend the horizons of knowledge available in our profession.

Besides their major area of focus in planning, students identify a minor area outside of planning to augment their intellectual foundation. Students are able to take courses in other degree programs at Georgia Tech, as well as at other research universities in Atlanta, including Emory University and Georgia State University.

If you apply to our program, we will want to know what motivates you to make the significant commitment to pursue a Ph.D. in the field of planning, as well as why you see Georgia Tech as an appropriate home to fulfill that commitment.  

Program Requirements

The doctoral program has three main components: the coursework (which includes the program core, a major field, and a minor field); the comprehensive exams; and the dissertation.

The program of study requires two years of residency minimum (no fewer than four semesters enrolled for at least six credit hours each, excluding summer) devoted to coursework and other preparation for advancement to candidacy. Successful students demonstrate mastery in these areas and are prepared to pursue upper-level careers in government, business, research, and academia. Full details can be found in the  Ph.D. Program Handbook .

Coursework involves a specialized program of study designed by the student and faculty focusing on a major field within city and regional planning, and on a minor field outside the College of Design.

Students complete at least 46 credit hours in their major field, minor field, and the Ph.D. program core requirements, and in various elective courses.

Students complete a minimum of 15 semester-hours of study in their major field, a minimum of 9 hours in their minor field, and a minimum of 19 hours in the program core.

Descriptions of courses offered in city and regional planning and other programs in the College of Design can be found in the  Institute’s course catalog .

Major Fields

Upon admission, each Ph.D. student chooses a major area of study. Any change to the major requires review and approval by the Ph.D. faculty.

To meet the major requirement, students must have satisfactory performance (B or better letter grade) in courses composing not fewer than 15 credit hours. The student’s Advisory Committee may require other courses within the College or other units within the University System of Georgia consistent with the student’s expressed interest in her selected field of concentration.

The composition of chosen courses should provide a full background and preparation in both the substance of the field of study, and appropriate methods of inquiry and analysis.

Examples of majors pursued by doctoral students in the School of City and Regional Planning include:

• Urban climate change management
• Built environment and transportation planning
• Equity and social justice planning

Minor Fields

Students choose a minor to demonstrate competence and inquiry in an area of study related to, but outside of, the School of City and Regional Planning.

To meet the minor requirement, students must have satisfactory performance (defined as a B or better letter grade) in courses composing not fewer than 9 credit hours.

Examples of minors outside the School of City and Regional Planning include:

• Regional economics
• Public health
• Water resources management

Program Core

The core course requirement provides students with a basic knowledge of planning theory, regional theory, and research design and methods.

The Ph.D. seminars acquaint students with questions, methods, and paradigms of research and with the modes of scholarship and pedagogy associated with the city and regional planning field.

Requirements include:

• Advanced Planning Theory (three credit hours)
• Advanced Urban and Regional Development Theory (three credit hours)
• Quantitative Research Design and Methods (three credit hours)
• Qualitative Research Design and Methods (three credit hours)
• Ph.D. Foundations Seminar (one credit hour)
• Ph.D. Planning Seminar (one credit hour each year)

Comprehensive Examination

Once students have completed their coursework, with the exception of on-going attendance in Seminar in Advanced Research Design and Methods, they are ready to take the comprehensive examinations.

Students are tested in five areas: the student’s major and minor fields, and three core area exams in planning theory, regional economic theory, and research design and methods. Core comprehensive exams can be waived by earning a letter grade of ‘A’ in a core course.

The examination process includes both written and oral testing of a student’s mastery of the subjects. Upon successful completion, the student moves on to the dissertation phase of the program.

Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is a written piece of original scholarship that represents a significant new perspective or contribution in the candidate’s chosen field of study. The dissertation must be relevant to the field of planning, and either an addition to the fundamental knowledge base in the field of study or a new and better interpretation of facts already known. It must demonstrate that the candidate possesses powers of original thought, talent for research, understanding of theory and methodology, and ability to organize and present findings.

Admission Details

All application materials are submitted using the Georgia Tech Graduate Studies and Admissions Online System. Applications for admission are due by December 2 . In most cases, students are accepted for and enter the program in the Fall semester. 

Applicants admitted to the PhD Program normally will have completed the requirements for the Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP), or a related Masters degree program. Students from allied fields are also encouraged to apply. In exceptional cases, students with a Bachelors degree only may be accepted directly into the PhD Program but will be required to complete the Masters in City and Regional Planning degree before advancing to candidacy for the PhD degree. PhD students are eligible for an accelerated MCRP curriculum, as outlined in the  Ph.D. Program Handbook

Application materials: 

Application Forms  

Application Fee.

Georgia Tech offers application fee waivers to qualifying applicants. Comprehensive information on whether you qualify for the Institute-sponsored application fee waiver program and how to request one if you do is available  here . The School of City and Regional Planning is additionally offering a limited number of department-sponsored application fee waivers to applicants who do not fall in the  waiver categories described ; If paying the application fee poses an undue financial burden to you and you do not qualify for an Institute-sponsored fee waiver, you may apply to be considered for a SCaRP departmental application fee waiver by completing  this form  before December 1st. 

Three Letters of Recommendation  

Examples of previous research and written works   

Official transcripts from all previously attended institutions of higher learning  

Statement of Purpose

Describe what you have done to prepare yourself for study in a PhD Program.

Why have you chosen to apply to the PhD program in City and Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology?

What area of planning research is of particular interest to you? How might you explore this interest as a doctoral student at Georgia Tech?

Detail your academic and research goals and career plans.

Personal Biography Form  

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores is required for admission of this program, with a minimum score of 150 (Verbal), 150 (Quantitative), and 4.0 (Analytical Writing). GRE waivers could be granted under special circumstances.

Proof of English proficiency for applicants whose first language is not English: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL scores of 620/261/102 or higher for the test (paper, computer, and internet tests respectively) are expected. Other evidence of English proficiency, such as provided in writing samples or oral interviews, may also be considered in determining language proficiency. Applicants having completed a Bachelors or Masters degree at a US University are not required to submit TOEFL scores. OR  International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 7.5. For complete outline of the English proficiency requirement and ways to get exemptions from testing, please see https://grad.gatech.edu/english-proficiency  

Cost, Funding and Financial Aid

The SCaRP PhD program typically makes fully funded offers for the first four years of the program. Students receive a  tuition waiver  and  monthly stipend  while working 15-20 hours per week as graduate research assistants, as co-op students with local partners, as TAs or instructors for our graduate and undergraduate offerings. The College of Design 2023-2024 stipend rates are:

• $2,235 working at 15 hours per week
• $2,689 working at 20 hours per week

The institution guidelines for stipends can be found here:  Stipends for Graduate Assistantships | Policy Library .

Recent Doctoral Student Work

Student Work: AeroATL Greenway Path

Xiaofan liang, ph.d..

This dissertation introduces an exploratory framework about network duality, delving into the nuanced yet often contradictory dynamics of urban networks. This framework argues that connectivity is a multifaceted urban phenomenon embedded in network infrastructure that can induce duality, such as connecting one population while excluding the other, exhibiting influence in one system yet causing inequality in another, or co-existing with other infrastructure in some places but not others. Mitigating this duality is important for an inclusive and equitable network society. The critical inquiries are two-fold. First, what types of connectivity are prioritized or supported by urban infrastructure, for whom, at where, and at what cost? Second, what are some strategies (e.g., approaches, toolbox, and practices) that planners can use to mitigate the harmful effects of network infrastructure duality (e.g., exclusion and inequality), especially on marginalized communities?

Towards a Politics of Human Flourishing

Meaghan mcsorley, ph.d..

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how planners can contribute to human flourishing. In the first chapter, a theoretical framework for community-level thriving is developed. The theory-building work of the first chapter bolsters several streams of planning thought by asserting that

interpersonal skills are themselves a critical method for planners to promote flourishing. The second chapter takes stock of practice around interpersonal skills by analyzing publications from the American Planning Association. Importantly, there appears to be an assumption that planners are gaining interpersonal skills during their education. The final chapter covers an exploratory, mixed methods intervention study to identify creative means of improving interpersonal skills during planning education. Ultimately, this research offers planning practitioners a framework to support community visioning conversation; identifies new pathways for scholarly research around interpersonal skills; and explores novel pedagogical methods to support students in gaining important interpersonal skills.

Student Work: Green Infrastructure

Jessica fisch.

Planners, policymakers, and elected officials increasingly view investments in green infrastructure, parks and other green development as opportunities for spurring economic growth, increasing environmental quality, and providing social and recreational amenities in urban areas. However, research has indicated that these projects do not adequately address equity concerns, such as access for low-income and marginalized groups, housing affordability, and displacement of existing residents. Consequently, green infrastructure projects can lead to ‘environmental gentrification.’

This dissertation work finds that green infrastructure planning may reinforce social capital, which in turn shapes green infrastructure projects and planning processes with regard to addressing housing affordability and community benefits concerns. It further finds that social capital has served as a catalyst for advocacy and the development of organizations, policies, and programs focused on housing affordability and workforce development.

Student Work: Shared Autonomous Vehicles

Wenwen zhang.

We are on the cusp of a new era in mobility given that the enabling technologies for autonomous vehicles (AVs) are almost ready for deployment. This promising technology together with the sharing economy will enable a new travel mode – Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAVs), a taxi service without drivers.

Recent studies have explored the feasibility, affordability, environmental benefits, and parking demand of the system in hypothetical grid-base cities. Despite these rapidly proliferating studies, it remains unclear how this affordable and environmentally friendly travel mode will influence residential and commercial location choices and potentially transform urban form. How much parking will we need and where will it be located when the SAV system is a popular mode of travel?

In this graphic, we see how the demand for parking fluctuates in response to three pricing scenarios: free parking, a flat rate, and a time-variable rate. The results of this dissertation work suggest the SAV system can reduce over 90% of parking demand for households who participate into the system and give up their private vehicles, potentially freeing substantial acreage of urban land for other critical needs. 

Student Work: Local Environment and Extreme Heat

Jason vargo, 2012.

This dissertation explores interactions between global trends in climate change with local influences tied to urban land covers. First, it examines temperatures during an extended period of extreme heat and asks whether changes in land surface temperatures during a heat wave are consistent in space and time across all land cover types.

Second, the influences of land covers on temperatures are considered for normal and extreme summer weather to find out which characteristics of the built environment most influence temperatures during periods of extreme heat.

Finally, the distribution of extreme heat health risks within cities are described and examined for spatial patterns. As illustrated in this graphic, the physical design of city blocks can yield very different patterns of heat exposure in cities, with direct implications for human health. The results of this dissertation are assisting cities in their development of climate change adaptation plans focused on rising levels of heat exposure.

Meet the Ph.D. Program Director

Elora raymond.

Elora Lee Raymond is an urban planner and Assistant Professor in the School of City and Regional Planning in the College of Design at Georgia Tech. She is interested in the financialization of housing and property in land, displacement and dispossession through housing systems, housing and disasters, housing justice, race, segregation, and the transnational Pacific Islander community.

We know the relationship between a Doctoral Student and their advisor is crucial to getting the most out of their degree. We are here to make the most out of your PhD education. We encourage those interested in the Ph.D. program to reach out to Elora Raymond with questions about pursuing a Ph.D. at Georgia Tech.

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City Planning, PhD

The University of Pennsylvania is an intellectually stimulating environment in which to study the serious problems that face our metropolitan areas today and the broad spectrum of responses to meet those challenges. Students enrolled in the City and Regional Planning Ph.D. program have easy access to a broad, multi-disciplinary faculty and all the resources of a first-rate urban research university.

The Ph.D. program in City and Regional Planning (CPLN), governed by the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning, is one of the oldest in the country, dating back to the 1950s. Penn’s faculty has guided more than 300 students though their graduate studies to the completion of the degree and aided them in assuming positions of leadership in both academia and the profession throughout the United States and across the world.

Penn's Ph.D. program in city and regional planning has a straightforward objective: to train thought-leaders and exceptional scholars. To this end, the Graduate Group aims to ensure acquisition of strong research and communication skills. It is also committed to cultivating enduring faculty/student mentoring relationships and collegial networking among a students' peers, including other Ph.D. students in urban-focused disciplines.

For more information: https://www.design.upenn.edu/city-regional-planning/phd/about

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

A total of 20 course units are required.

The Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning does not designate a formal list of required courses other than the Doctoral Seminar and research methods, but allows students to work with the Graduate Group Chair and their principal advisor to develop a study plan consistent with their research and future teaching interests.

The Graduate Group maintains a list of courses in quantitative and qualitative methods and spatial analytics offered in various schools of the University.

Additional Requirements

Additional elements of the program include:

• Preparatory Requirements (Writing and Presentation and Scholarly Preparation)
• Qualifying/Candidacy Examinations
• Dissertation

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2024 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

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City & Regional Planning PhD

The mission of the Department of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley is to improve equity, the economy and the environment in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and metropolitan regions by creating knowledge and engagement through our teaching, research, and service. We aim to design and create cities, infrastructure, and public services that are sustainable, affordable, enjoyable, and accessible to all.

Wisely and successfully intervening in the public realm, whether locally, nationally, or globally, is a challenge. Our urban future is complex and rapidly changing. Resource scarcity and conflict, technological innovation, retrofitting of existing built environments, and social empowerment will alter the ways in which planning has conventionally been carried out.

We believe the planning academy has a special responsibility to always address social justice, equity, and ethics; to teach and research means of public participation, collective decision making, and advocacy; and to focus on reforming institutions, urban governance, policy, and planning practices to make these goals possible.

Master of City Planning (M.C.P.)

The two-year Master of City Planning (M.C.P.) program comprises a solid core of knowledge in the field of city and regional planning, including history and theory, planning skills and methods, planning law, and urban economics. The program offers the opportunity to specialize in one to two of the four concentration areas: Environmental Planning and Healthy Cities (EPHC); Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED); Transportation Policy and Planning; and Urban Design.

Accreditation

The M.C.P. program at UC Berkeley is one of the oldest accredited planning programs in the country. The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) last reviewed the M.C.P. program in Fall 2022, and in Spring 2023 issued reaccreditation for five years. For more information about PAB, please visit http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/ .

Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) Designated Degree Program

The M.C.P. degree is an approved field of study within the U.S. governments official STEM fields list. For international students, practical work experience in your field of study, typically after completion of a degree for a maximum of 36 months (12 months of regular OPT with a 24-month extension possible). For further details regarding STEM extensions , contact the Berkeley International Office (BIO) .

Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning

The Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley provides training in urban and planning theory, advanced research, and the practice of planning. Established in 1968, the program has granted more than 170 doctorates. Alumni of the program have established national and international reputations as planning educators, social science researchers and theorists, policymakers and practitioners. Today the program is served by nearly 20 City and Regional Planning faculty with expertise in community and economic development, transportation planning, urban design, international development, environmental planning, and global urbanism. With close ties to numerous research centers and initiatives, the program encourages its students to develop specializations within the field of urban studies and planning and to expand their intellectual horizons through training in the related fields of architecture, landscape architecture and environmental planning, civil engineering, anthropology, geography, sociology, public policy, public health, and political science.

Contact Info

[email protected]

228 Bauer Wurster Hall

Berkeley, CA 94720

At a Glance

Department(s)

City & Regional Planning

Admit Term(s)

Application Deadline

December 3, 2024

Degree Type(s)

Doctoral / PhD

Degree Awarded

GRE Requirements

City and Regional Planning

About the Program

The mission of the Department of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley is to improve equity, the economy and the environment in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and metropolitan regions by creating knowledge and engagement through our teaching, research, and service. We aim to design and create cities, infrastructure, and public services that are sustainable, affordable, enjoyable, and accessible to all.

Wisely and successfully intervening in the public realm, whether locally, nationally, or globally, is a challenge. Our urban future is complex and rapidly changing. Resource scarcity and conflict, technological innovation, retrofitting of existing built environments, and social empowerment will alter the ways in which planning has conventionally been carried out.

We believe the planning academy has a special responsibility to always address social justice, equity, and ethics; to teach and research means of public participation, collective decision making, and advocacy; and to focus on reforming institutions, urban governance, policy, and planning practices to make these goals possible.

Master of City Planning (M.C.P.) 

The two-year Master of City Planning (M.C.P.) program comprises a solid core of knowledge in the field of city and regional planning, including history and theory, planning skills and methods, planning law,  and urban economics. The program offers the opportunity to specialize in one to two of the four concentration areas: Environmental Planning and Healthy Cities (EPHC); Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED); Transportation Policy and Planning; and Urban Design.

Accreditation

The M.C.P. program at UC Berkeley is one of the oldest accredited planning programs in the country. The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) last reviewed the M.C.P. program in Fall 2022, and in Spring 2023 issued reaccreditation for five years. For more information about PAB, please visit  http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/ .

Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) Designated Degree Program 

The M.C.P. degree is an approved field of study within the U.S. government’s official STEM fields list. For international students, practical work experience in your field of study, typically after completion of a degree for a maximum of 36 months (12 months of “regular” OPT with a 24-month extension possible). For further details regarding  STEM extensions , contact the  Berkeley International Office (BIO) .

Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning

The Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley provides training in urban and planning theory, advanced research, and the practice of planning. Established in 1968, the program has granted more than 170 doctorates. Alumni of the program have established national and international reputations as planning educators, social science researchers and theorists, policymakers and practitioners. Today the program is served by nearly 20 City and Regional Planning faculty with expertise in community and economic development, transportation planning, urban design, international development, environmental planning, and global urbanism. With close ties to numerous research centers and initiatives, the program encourages its students to develop specializations within the field of urban studies and planning and to expand their intellectual horizons through training in the related fields of architecture, landscape architecture and environmental planning, civil engineering, anthropology, geography, sociology, public policy, public health, and political science.

Visit Department Website

Admission to the University

Applying for graduate admission.

Thank you for considering UC Berkeley for graduate study! UC Berkeley offers more than 120 graduate programs representing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary scholarship. The Graduate Division hosts a complete list of graduate academic programs, departments, degrees offered, and application deadlines can be found on the Graduate Division website.

Prospective students must submit an online application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental materials specific to the program for which they are applying. The online application and steps to take to apply can be found on the Graduate Division website .

Admission Requirements

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;

A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and

Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.

For a list of requirements to complete your graduate application, please see the Graduate Division’s Admissions Requirements page . It is also important to check with the program or department of interest, as they may have additional requirements specific to their program of study and degree. Department contact information can be found here .

Where to apply?

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page .

Admission to the Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning Program  

The principal admission requirements to the doctoral program in City and Regional Planning are overall excellence in past academic work and research, demonstrated creativity and intellectual leadership in professional activity, and the strong promise of sustained intellectual achievement, originality, and scholarship. The emphasis in the doctoral program is upon scholarship and research. At the same time, because the doctorate is offered in the context of a professional school, doctoral students are challenged to undertake applied research relevant to city and regional planning and policy problems. If you do not want to teach in planning or a related field, or to do advanced research, please reconsider applying to this program. Most doctoral students enter the program with a master's degree in planning or a related field. The Master of City Planning is regarded as a terminal professional degree, and is not comparable to mid-study Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees offered in anticipation of the doctorate.

Admission to the doctoral program is very competitive. Only six to eight students are admitted each year, sometimes from a pool of as many as 80 applicants. All applicants to the doctoral program (even those required to take an English-language competency exam—TOEFL, TOEFL CBT, iBT TOEFL, or IELTS) must take the Graduate Record Examination; tests should be taken before December to ensure timely receipt of scores. Applicants must also secure at least three letters of recommendation that can explicitly evaluate their intellectual capability and past research and academic work.

PhD in City Planning Program Statement

UC Berkeley Graduate Application to the PhD in City Planning Program

Admission to the Master of City Planning (M.C.P.) Program

The M.C.P. Program Committee seeks applicants with keen interests in social justice, equity and ethics; innovative means of public participation, collective decision making, and advocacy; and ways to reform institutions, urban governance, policy and planning practices. We look for applicants with intellectual curiosity, preparation, maturity, and desire to delve into an intense program of study in one of the top-rated professional planning programs in the country. We look at what you have undertaken as an undergraduate, both inside and outside the classroom, and whether you have focused your efforts around planning or related field. Admitted students are drawn from a broad range of undergraduate majors, including social sciences, environmental majors, engineering, geography, economics, and so on. M.C.P. students possess broad perspectives on society and culture, while focusing and grounding their studies in a particular planning concentration. The M.C.P. Program Committee gives particular weight to letters of recommendation, the Statement of Purpose (SOP) and the Personal History Statement (PHS). The two statements, as a unit, should clearly present why you are interested in a planning career, your goals and the reasons for them, and what you hope to achieve in a Berkeley professional program.

Master of City Planning Program Statement

Admission Requirements 

Admission Statistics 

Public Information 

UC Berkeley Graduate Application to the Master of City Planning Program

Doctoral Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning program has the following goals:

• To provide critical understanding of the history of thought in city and regional planning and urban studies, and to train students to contribute to theoretical advances in these fields;
• To enable students to develop their individual specializations within city and regional planning;
• To prepare students to undertake original research through the formulation of research questions, use of research methods, and application of research design;
• To encourage students to disseminate their research such that it has an impact in the worlds of social science scholarship, planning education, and national and international policy; and
• To create and nurture an intellectual community committed to promoting research in city and regional planning.

With these goals in mind, all students must complete the following requirements:

• Completion of courses in Planning and Urban Theory;
• Completion of courses in Research Methods;
• Preparation and completion of inside and outside field courses, statements, and examinations;
• Completion of the oral qualifying examination; and
• Completion of written dissertation, which reflects original research, approved by the dissertation committee.

Students must also meet the university’s minimum residency requirement of two years and complete 48 units of coursework. Note that DCRP requires doctoral students to complete several of these requirements through letter-graded courses. In keeping with Graduate Division guidelines, doctoral students must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on the basis of all upper division and graduate courses taken in graduate standing.

Planning and Urban Theory

Planning and urban theory are the hallmarks of the PhD program. All students are required to demonstrate competence in this body of scholarship by completing at least two theory courses. It is required that you take both courses during your first year; if one of the theory courses is not offered in the first year, then students will be expected to take it during the second year. Students are also encouraged to pursue further training in theory in sub-fields that are relevant to their interests.

Students who have taken any of these courses during their MCP studies at the University of California, Berkeley, may choose another course from the list, or petition the PhD Program Committee to substitute a course.

Research Methods

All students in the Ph.D. program are expected to demonstrate competence in research design, data‐gathering methods, and data analysis and interpretation. To complete the methods requirement, doctoral students must complete at least three methods courses prior to taking their oral qualifying examination. Note that advancement to candidacy is contingent upon approval of the student’s methods program by the primary advisor. It is recommended that students start taking their methods courses during their first year of study.

Students must take the following courses for a letter grade: 

• Take CY PLAN 280A : Research Design for the PhD, which addresses a variety of research methodologies and assists students in preparing a research prospectus. This course may be taken more than once. It must be taken at least once for a letter grade.
• Take TWO advanced methods courses to be decided in consultation with the student’s primary adviser. These courses, which can be taken though DCRP or another department on campus, prepare students for doctoral research. They must be taken for letter grades.

Colloquium 

Students are required to take CYPLAN 280C: Ph.D. Research Colloquium, for at least two semesters prior to advancing to candidacy. Doctoral students are encouraged to regularly attend when they are in residence. The colloquium is a central part of the intellectual life of the department. It is a venue in which students and faculty can share and comment on their work, and hold discussions about current topics in city planning.

Dissertation Writing

After advancement to candidacy, students must take CYPLAN 280B: Doctoral Writing Seminar, at least once. This intensive writing course should be taken during the process of writing the dissertation. It may also be taken to support students in writing articles for publication. This course may be taken more than once. It must be taken at least once for a letter grade.

Field Requirements

In addition to general training in planning and urban theory and in research methods, the PhD program in DCRP encourages students to gain depth of knowledge in at least two fields of their choosing. Completed under the supervision of a faculty committee usually chaired by the student’s primary adviser, the inside field statement and examination is a self-defined specialization of study within city and regional planning. Completed under the supervision of an outside field advisor (a faculty member outside the department), the outside field is a set of courses and assignments that build expertise in an area of study related to city and regional planning.

Inside Field

The inside field is a self-defined specialization of study within city and regional planning. Such a specialization can be a sub-field of city and regional planning (e.g. community development, regional planning, housing, international development, urban design, transportation planning, land use, environmental planning) or it can be a unique field defined by the student in consultation with faculty advisers. Note that the intent of the inside field is not to make a theoretical contribution to the field but instead to demonstrate mastery of existing paradigms and debates within a field of inquiry.

Mastery is defined as:

• Demonstrating knowledge of key foundational texts within the inside field subject of study;
• Understanding how the history of thought within that area has developed (including epistemologies and methodologies, critiques and points of contention), and
• Engaging analytically with the current state of research and recent work in the field.

To undertake the inside field requirement, each student must constitute an inside field committee of three Academic Senate faculty from the department. This committee is usually chaired by the student’s primary adviser.

Inside Field Statement

Working closely with their inside field committee, the student must prepare an inside field statement, which explains the scope of the field and provides a bibliography encompassing the key conceptual frameworks that make up this field. Typically an inside field statement is 10-20 double-spaced pages in length with a bibliography of at least 50-60 academic books and peer-reviewed journal articles. Note that the length and scope of the inside field will vary depending on the expectations of the inside field committee and the nature of the inside field topic. What is important for doctoral students to keep in mind is that the inside field statement is not the Inside field examination but rather an analytical exercise meant to set the stage for the examination. With this in mind, the inside field statement should generate the analytic categories and concepts that will then be used by the inside field committee to structure the inside field examination.

• Inside Field Examination

Once the statement has been approved by the inside field committee, the student may proceed to the inside field examination, a three-day take-home written examination. Students with accommodations approved by the Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) may be granted additional time for the examination.

In DCRP, the inside field examination consists of three sections related to the categories and concepts outlined in the inside field statement. Each section contains 2-3 questions and students answer one question in each section, with a limit of 10 double-spaced pages per answer. All sections of the examination are graded by all members of the inside field committee.

The examination is administered by DCRP’s student affairs officer. Students are responsible for arranging the examination date and coordinating the logistics of the examination with the student affairs officer. Students with disabilities should consult with the student affairs officer for campus-approved accommodations. A copy of the inside field statement must be filed with the student affairs officer; this will also be archived in the Environmental Design Library.

Students must successfully complete the inside field requirement before proceeding to the oral qualifying examination. DCRP requires a six-week minimum gap between the inside field examination and the oral qualifying examination, to allow for adequate time for faculty feedback and revision. Grading of the examination is coordinated by the chair of the inside field committee. Possible grades include: distinction, pass, and fail. If one of the three essays receives a failing grade, the student will be asked to rewrite this essay within a time period determined by the committee. If two or more essays receive a failing grade, the committee will ask the student to retake the entire examination. Students who fail the examination twice will be asked to withdraw from the PhD program.

Outside Field

The outside field is a set of courses and assignments meant to build expertise in an area of study related to city and regional planning. Such a specialization can be a discipline relevant to planning (e.g. geography, anthropology, public health, economics, sociology) or it can be a unique field defined by the student in consultation with the outside field adviser. Note that the intent of the outside field is not to make a theoretical contribution to the field but instead to demonstrate mastery of existing paradigms and debates. Students must successfully complete the outside field requirement before proceeding to the oral qualifying examination.

To undertake the outside field requirement, a student must select an outside field adviser, a member of the Academic Senate faculty in a department other than city and regional planning. The outside field adviser usually serves as the outside member of the oral qualifying examination committee and as the outside member of the dissertation committee. The content of the outside field is determined by the outside field adviser but must include at least two letter-graded courses supplemented by an additional reading list and writing assignments. These specific requirements must be listed by the outside field adviser on a form, which is filed with DCRP’s Students Affairs Office and which serves as a declaration of the outside field. On successful completion of the outside field, the adviser signs a second form, which is also filed with the Student Affairs Office.

Oral Qualifying Examination

The oral qualifying examination marks advancement to candidacy. The examination is governed by policies set by the Graduate Division. In addition, DCRP has requirements for the examination.

Eligibility to take the Oral Qualifying Examination

 To be eligible to take the exam, a student must:

• Be registered and enrolled for the semester in which the exam is taken or, if it is taken during the winter or summer sessions, be registered in either the preceding or the following semester;
• Have completed at least one semester of academic residence;
• Have at least a B average in all work undertaken in graduate standing;
• Have no more than two courses graded Incomplete;
• Have satisfactorily completed departmental preliminary exam requirements (Planning and Urban Theory; Research Methods; Inside and Outside Fields).

Applying to take the Qualifying Examination

Graduate Division approval is required to take the oral qualifying examination. In order to allow Graduate Division sufficient time to review and approve the application, students must apply to take the qualifying examination and file the necessary paperwork with DCRP’s Student Affairs Office no later than one month before the examination date. The application for Qualifying Examination is part of the Higher Degree Committee eForm in CalCentral. The completed application must be received by the Graduate Division at least three weeks before the proposed examination date.

Note that students must list on their applications at least three subject areas to be covered during the examination. These three areas are: Planning and Urban Theory, Inside Field topic, and Outside Field topic.

Also note that in keeping with Graduate Division guidelines, DCRP’s head graduate adviser (chair of the PhD program committee) must also be certain that students who are non-native speakers possess the English skills necessary for participating in an oral exam since the qualifying examination must be conducted in English.

The Oral Qualifying Examination Committee

The oral qualifying exam committee in DCRP is composed of four Academic Senate faculty members (see section F4.9 of the Guide to Graduate Policy ). The chair of the qualifying examination committee must be an Academic Senate faculty from City and Regional Planning; the OQE chair cannot also serve as chair of the student’s dissertation committee. The committee must include at least one outside member, i.e., an Academic Senate faculty from a department other than City and Regional Planning. Typically three of the four OQE members will serve on the student’s dissertation committee.

Scheduling the Examination

Scheduling the oral qualifying examination is the responsibility of the student. Students are urged to begin the process of finding an examination date several months ahead of their preferred window of time. The OQE must be scheduled for three hours and all members of the oral qualifying examination committee must be present for the entire duration of the examination.

If the student’s health or personal situation makes it impossible to take the examination as scheduled, or if accommodation for a disability is necessary, the student is required to make this known before the examination so the chair can arrange for a postponement or appropriate accommodation.

The Examination

The oral qualifying examination (OQE) starts with the committee asking the student to leave the room so that the student’s performance and expectations for the exam can be discussed. After returning, the student gives a brief introduction (around 10 minutes). Although the contents of this introduction vary, students usually choose to describe the background of their research interests and to relate these interests to the contents of the inside and outside fields. During the main part of the examination, the student is responsible for responding to questions relevant to the Inside Field and Outside Field. Committee members ask questions in sequence, usually with 20 minutes allocated per faculty, in an order determined by the student. In general, members of the Inside Field Committee cover the Inside Field Statement (and written exam), and the advisor on the Outside Field covers the Outside Field Statement. In general, a short break is scheduled after the second set of questions. At the end of the exam, the student leaves the room so that the committee can deliberate on the results. The student is asked to return to the room and the results of the examination are communicated to them.

Examination Material

As prerequisites to the oral qualifying examination, DCRP requires the following completed documents to be disseminated to all members of the oral qualifying examination committee at least two weeks prior to the date of the examination. Four hard copies of this material, organized in spiral-bound format, must be submitted to DCRP’s Student Affairs Office, by this deadline. An electronic copy must also be submitted to the Student Affairs Office. Both hard copies and electronic copies will be sent out by the Student Affairs Office to the members of the oral qualifying examination committee.

• Inside Field Statement and Bibliography
• Outside Field List of Requirements + Reading List

Oral Qualifying Examination Outcomes

The Graduate Division policy regarding grading, reporting, and re-administering oral qualifying exams is as follows:

Pass . The qualifying examination committee unanimously votes that the student passed the examination with scholarship that is at least acceptable.

Failure . A total failure occurs if the qualifying examination committee votes unanimously that the student failed the entire examination. The committee either: 

• Recommends that the student take a second and final examination on all examination topics; or
• Does not recommend reexamination, the consequence of which will be the student’s dismissal from the program.

If a second and final examination is recommended, the following procedures apply:

• The committee must submit its “Report to the Graduate Division on the Qualifying Examination” with its recommendation;
• Committee membership for the student’s retake must be the same as for the first exam;
• The student may not retake the exam until three months after the first exam unless an exception is approved by the Graduate Division; and
• A third examination is not permitted. If the committee wishes to suggest preparation for the second examination through additional course work or special tutoring, this must be communicated to the student in writing with a copy to the Graduate Division.

If the committee does not recommend a reexamination, a written explanation by the committee chair must accompany the completed “Report to the Graduate Division on the Qualifying Examination” and sent to the Graduate Division. If the Graduate Division concurs with the chair’s explanation, the student is sent a letter of dismissal from the program by the graduate dean, with a copy to the department.

A partial failure. A partial failure occurs if the qualifying examination committee votes unanimously that the student passed some topics but failed others. In this instance, the following apply:

• A second and final examination is required;
• The chair of the committee must write a letter to the student, with a copy to the Graduate Division, conveying information about his or her performance (pass, partial fail, or fail) on each of the three subject areas covered during the examination;
• The committee may choose to examine the student on all topics or only on those failed during the first exam, but must communicate its decision in the letter regarding the student’s performance; and
• The retake must be scheduled no earlier than three months after the first examination unless an exception is approved by Graduate Division. A third attempt to pass the qualifying examination is not permitted.

A split vote . If the Qualifying Examination Committee cannot reach a unanimous decision concerning a pass, total failure, or partial failure, the chair should:

• Determine the areas of disagreement; and
• Request that each committee member write, as required, a detailed assessment of the student’s performance for submission to the Administrative Committee of the Graduate Council.

The chair’s letter should outline the progress of the examination itself, the efforts made by the committee to reach a unanimous agreement, the remaining areas of disagreement, and the chair’s own assessment of the student’s performance. Such letters may be released to the student under provisions of the 1972 Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), current Department of Health and Human Services regulations, and California public records legislation.

If the exam results in a split vote, the committee will only inform the student that the matter was sent to the Administrative Committee for a final decision. The student has neither passed nor failed the exam until the Administrative Committee decides the results.

Student Appeals

Student appeals of an oral qualifying examination outcome must be directed, in writing, to the PhD Program Committee. The committee will convene to discuss the appeal and may refer the matter to Graduate Division. If a student is not satisfied with the result of the appeals decision made by the department, the student is permitted to bring the complaint to the Graduate Division under the Formal Appeal Procedure .

The Dissertation Prospectus

Following advancement to candidacy, the student works on a prospectus for the proposed dissertation research. The prospectus is focused on the student’s dissertation research, and should clearly outline: (1) the motivation of the proposed research; (2) the literature with which the dissertation research will engage, and the anticipated contributions to the literature; (3) the methods to be employed in the conduct of research, and the specific research design that connects research methods to specific findings and research outcomes; (4) a proposed timeline for the research and write-up. To complete the Prospectus requirement the student must complete all three courses of the Research Methods Requirement. If any methods courses are taken in the same semester in which the prospectus is approved, the committee will issue a provisional approval pending the completion of these courses.

All students are required to present their prospectus in a public presentation that is generally scheduled as part of the PhD colloquium. The prospectus presentation is an opportunity to share work with other members of the DCRP community and to receive feedback from colleagues. It is not required that the prospectus be presented prior to the prospectus submission, meeting, and approval process.

Prospectus Submission, Meeting, and Approval Process

The Prospectus is discussed and approved in a meeting between the student and the dissertation committee. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule the meeting at a time that all members of the dissertation committee can be present. The meeting should be scheduled for no less than 1.5 hours. The student submits the Prospectus to the dissertation committee for review at least six weeks prior to the meeting.

The Prospectus meeting is conducted according to the following format:

● The student leaves the meeting room for an initial faculty discussion (roughly ten minutes) about the overall state of the Prospectus. ● The student returns to the meeting room and may offer introductory remarks about and a summary of the prospectus and plans for dissertation research. ● The faculty and the student engage in a conversation about specific issues or challenges with the Prospectus and proposed research. The discussion will be moderated by the Chair of the dissertation committee. ● At the conclusion of this conversation, the student leaves the room and the faculty deliberate about the approval of the prospectus. ● The student returns to learn of the results.

The Prospectus Meeting may have three outcomes: (1) Prospectus is Approved; (2) Prospectus is Approved Subject to Minor Revisions; (3) Prospectus Requires Significant Revisions. The result is entered by the Chair of the dissertation committee on a Prospectus Approval Form, along with any provisions for Conditional Approval or explanation for Non-Approval.

Prospectus is Approved means that the student has satisfied the Prospectus Requirement and may proceed to work on the dissertation. Upon receiving an approval, the GSAO confirms that the student has completed courses for the Research Methods requirement.

Prospectus is Approved Subject to Minor Revisions indicates that the Prospectus is approved subject to certain specific changes that are identified by the committee. In the case of Conditional Approval, the student should agree with the Committee on a timeframe for resubmission of the Prospectus, which can then be reviewed and approved without an additional meeting by all members of the Dissertation Committee. Upon written confirmation of approval by other members of the dissertation committee, the Chair submits a new Prospectus Approval Form.

If the Committee decides that Prospectus Requires Significant Revisions , the Prospectus must be re-submitted and another meeting of the Dissertation Committee must be held, as described above. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee should indicate on the Prospectus Approval Meeting Form the reasons for non-approval and committee expectations for a resubmitted prospectus.

Presentation of Prospectus

The dissertation.

The final requirement of the PhD program is the completion of a written dissertation, which presents original research, and which has been approved by the dissertation committee. On completion of the oral qualifying examination, a student advances to candidacy (see the following section) and is allowed to establish a dissertation committee. The committee is composed of three Academic Senate faculty: Chair (DCRP Faculty; cannot be OQE chair), Academic Senate representative (DCRP or non-DCRP Faculty),  Additional Member (DCRP or non-DCRP Faculty). Of the two inside members, one serves as chair of the dissertation. Note that in keeping with Graduate Division guidelines, the dissertation chair cannot be the faculty member who served as chair of the student’s oral qualifying examination committee. In some cases, a dissertation is chaired by more than one faculty. At least one of the co-chairs is a member of the department. The dissertation committee must be approved by the Graduate Division.

During the fieldwork and data analysis phase of the dissertation, students are urged to stay in close touch with their dissertation committees. The department expects students to be in residence during the dissertation writing phase of their study, a practice that has proven successful in ensuring that students finish their dissertations in a timely manner.

Note that all students are expected to complete a final research methods requirement, the doctoral writing seminar, during the post-candidacy phase of their doctoral training.

In Absentia Status

In absentia registration is available to graduate students undertaking coursework or research related to their dissertation outside of California . Students registered in absentia are only assessed full health insurance fees, and 15 percent of the combined University educational and registration fees. Students in absentia must be enrolled in 12 units (usually 299 independent study units with their dissertation adviser). The student’s dissertation advisor's signature is required on the form.

Students may hold University fellowships and GSR appointments but may not hold GSI, Reader, or Tutor appointments during the in absentia period.

International Students planning on registering in absentia . Those students in F and J status who plan to be outside California must register in absentia and also inform the Berkeley International Office (2299 Piedmont Avenue, 510-642-2818) of their plans.

The filing fee is a reduced fee, one-half of the student services fee, for doctoral students who have completed all requirements for the degree except for filing the dissertation. The filing fee may only be used once during a student’s career, and the student must have the approval of their dissertation adviser.

To use the filing fee the student must be registered the semester (or summer session) prior to the semester they plan to use filing fee. If a student does not complete the dissertation during the semester for which the filing fee is approved, the student must pay regular registration fees during the semester in which the requirements are completed, unless they file during summer session while registered for a minimum of three units. Additional information is located on the graduate division website.

Filing Fee status and international students. Filing fee status can satisfy the SEVIS requirement for international students only if the student has obtained the signature of the BIO student adviser (contact the Berkeley International Office, located in International House, 2299 Piedmont Avenue; 510-642-2818).

Health insurance for students on Filing Fee: US resident students may purchase Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) coverage for the semester they are on approved filing fee status if they have not already purchased SHIP during a period of withdrawal beyond one semester. UHS allows the purchase of SHIP if a student is in a non-registered status for two semesters only, which pertains to both filing fee and withdrawal. For eligibility information and enrollment details, refer to the UHS website

Residency and Unit Requirements

The university requires a minimum of two years of residence and 48 units of coursework (or equivalent) for the PhD degree. Full-time students are expected to take a minimum equivalent of four courses or twelve units per semester. The University limits credit for pre-candidacy examination preparation ( CY PLAN 602 ) to 16 units total, and 8 units per semester. Units in CY PLAN 299 , independent study, may also be taken by arrangement with a faculty instructor.

Professional Development

The PhD program encourages its students to build an intellectual community and to participate in national and international venues of scholarship. Doctoral candidates regularly present their research at the annual conferences of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Association of American Geographers, Association of European Schools of Planning, World Planning Schools Congress, Urban Affairs Association, and American Anthropological Association. They organize and participate in a weekly research colloquium and manage the Berkeley Planning Journal , a peer-reviewed academic publication. Such activities utilize the vast intellectual resources available to doctoral students at the University of California, Berkeley, both within their departments and across the campus.

PhD students are encouraged to seek appointments as Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) or Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) during their residency. The GSI Teaching & Resource Center offers classes in pedagogy, and all students are expected to finish a departmental pedagogy course.

Master's Degree Requirements

Unit requirements.

The Master of City Planning (M.C.P.) Degree Requirements:

• 48 units of coursework within two consecutive years of residence, or 36 units in concurrent degree programs; 
• The core curriculum; 
• A concentration curriculum; and
• A capstone project consisting of a Client Report, a Professional Report, or a master’s Thesis. 

Core Curriculum

For days/times offered, check the Class Schedule .

Concentrations

M.C.P. Students declare one or two of the four concentrations by the end of their first semester of study. Each concentration provides an opportunity for students to develop deeper knowledge and skills in a particular sub-area of planning. ( Note: The same course may not be used to satisfy core and concentration requirements.)

Concentration in Environmental Planning and Healthy Cities (EPHC)

Faculty Advisers: Charisma Acey, Stephen Collier, Jason Corburn, Zoé Hamstead

The concentration in environmental planning and healthy cities is designed to give M.C.P. students the broad knowledge necessary to analyze pressing urban environmental and health challenges, such as climate change, natural resource depletion, access to basic services and infrastructure, as well as ecologic and human health risks. The concentration emphasizes the theory and practice behind the related ideas of urban sustainability, environmental risk and justice, political ecology and human health. Students will study urban and regional environmental and human health issues in a comparative perspective, with a focus on both US and international settings. The concentration introduces students to the relationships between natural, built and social environments in cities, as well as the local, regional and global impacts of urban ecosystems and the political institutions that aim to manage these environments. The emphasis on healthy cities engages in the practices of urban public health, recognizing that planners are increasingly required to analyze and act upon how the urban environment influences human well-being.

Joint degree programs with the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (M.C.P. & M.L.A.) and the School of Public Health (M.C.P. and Masters in Public Health, M.P.H.) are available for interested students. For further information about concurrent M.C.P./M.L.A. degree requirements, contact Professor Elizabeth Macdonald. For further information about concurrent M.C.P./M.P.H. degree requirements, contact Professor Jason Corburn. 

Concentration in Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED)

Faculty Advisers: Sai Balakrishnan, Teresa Caldeira, Daniel Chatman, Zachary Lamb, Ben Metcalf, Carolina Reid 

The Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED) concentration focuses on the equitable development of neighborhoods, cities and regions. From “housing as a human right” to addressing the systemic inequalities that produce segregated landscapes of poverty and wealth, this concentration is distinguished by its attention to issues of racial, social and economic justice. It seeks to expose the linkages between land use, governance, capitalism, and inequality, and explore how communities chart varied development pathways. Berkeley’s program is distinguished by two strong strands of expertise among its faculty: a theoretically informed understanding of private property and land tenure, segregation, and the right to housing, and a practice-oriented approach to housing policy, affordable housing development, and inclusionary forms of land organization, both in the context of the United States and the Global South. 

Faculty in this concentration work on topics such as:

• Housing and real estate development, including access to credit, the financing and construction of affordable housing, and housing policy
• Spatial segregation and social discrimination in both the United States and the Global South
• The politics of land ownership, tenure, and property rights
• Gentrification and displacement
• Forms of political participation and resistance
• International development, including the provision of housing, water and sanitation in informal settlements
• Community development and community organizing, including programs and policies designed to address longstanding patterns of residential segregation 
• Planning for sustainability, including issues related to regional governance, resilience, affordability, and the linkages between land use and climate change

Faculty within the HCED concentration draw on multidisciplinary perspectives including anthropology, economics, history, planning, and sociology, and incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methods in their research. 

Graduates in the HCED concentration go on to work in a wide variety of positions, including nonprofit and public sector agencies Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmBH, Living Cities, Metropolitan Transportation Commission/MTC, PolicyLink, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the City of Richmond, the Association of Bay Area Governments/ABAG, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), affordable housing developers (e.g., BRIDGE Housing, Eden Housing, Mercy Housing, and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation/TNDC, as well as community-based organizations (e.g., East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation/EBALDC, East Bay Housing Organizations/EBHO, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. Local Initiatives Support Corporation/LISC and Mission Economic Development Agency/MEDA). 

Concentration in Transportation Policy and Planning

Faculty Advisers: Daniel Chatman, Marta González, Daniel Rodríguez, Karen Trapenberg-Frick

The transportation planning concentration focuses on planning for urban transportation and land use systems, and interactions of transportation and land use with the built, natural, and social environments. In presenting the social, economic, and environmental implications of transportation and land use plans and policies, and promoting economic efficiency, green transport, resource conservation, and environmental protection, the courses in the concentration are focused around themes of equity, environmental justice, and social welfare. We emphasize the planning and policy challenges encountered by attempting to increase the use of environmentally sustainable travel modes such as walking, cycling and public transit, and the creation of environmentally sustainable land use patterns such as compact growth and transitoriented development. Topics covered in the core courses include the impacts of transit and highways on urban form and economic development; the impacts of urban form, transit-oriented development and new urbanism on travel behavior; governance, finance, and implementation challenges in making sustainable transport investments; the importance of highway and transit finance, municipal finance, and development finance; the promises and pitfalls of innovative sustainability solutions such as congestion pricing, parking pricing, and master development plans; streets and pedestrian- oriented designs; transportation and land use planning in the developing world; and comparative international transportation and land use policies.

As concerns heighten over regional mobility, air quality, global climate change, energy, and equality of access, it is increasingly important that transportation and land use planners apply a multi-disciplinary approach to the field. Accordingly, students in the concentration are encouraged to augment the department’s transportation course offerings by designing a study program, in consultation with their advisor that involves course work in other fields and departments.

Students in the transportation planning concentration may seek to pursue the concurrent degree program in transportation planning and engineering. This option confers both the M.C.P. and the M.S. upon students who complete 60 units of course work, normally over five semesters. For further information about concurrent M.C.P./M.S. degree requirements, contact Professor Daniel Chatman. 

Concentration in Urban Design

Faculty Advisers: Zachary Lamb, Elizabeth Macdonald 

Urban designers are concerned with how places look, how they feel, how they relate to natural processes, and how they work for the people who use them. The Urban Design concentration is structured to give M.C.P. students the knowledge necessary to design urban built form in relation to social, environmental, and economic concerns. “Design” is a key, operative word: urban designers shape built and natural environments both directly through their proposals for specific interventions and indirectly through their contributions to policies and plans that shape the actions of other city making actors. Urban design work ranges in scale from small public spaces and streets to neighborhoods, citywide systems, and regional strategies. The emphasis of much urban design work is on the public realm of cities, with central concerns being livability, identity, place-making, equity, environmental performance, the interface between the public and private realms, and the quality of everyday life. The concentration is equally concerned with conceptions of the “urban” and it draws on approaches from the disciplines of city planning, architecture, landscape architecture, as well as theories and methods from the social sciences with the intent of analyzing the urban condition and designing the urban realm. The studio experience is central to the urban design concentration. Working in teams and individually, students explore planning and design possibilities for urban places and learn to articulate and present their ideas through visual and verbal communication. Learning from local and global contexts, and how cities have been designed and inhabited in the past, students envision possibilities for the future. Graduates in urban design work for public agencies across scales, advocacy organizations, and private architectural, landscape, city planning, and community development firms whose clients are both public and private.

Students concentrating in urban design often have some prior design training or experience, typically in architecture, landscape architecture, environmental design, or urban planning with a design emphasis, but a design background is NOT required.

A three- or four-year joint degree program in urban design is available with the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, where students receive both the M.C.P. and the M.L.A. degree. For further information about concurrent M.C.P./M.L.A. degree requirements, contact Professor Elizabeth Macdonald. A joint degree is also available with the Department of Architecture, where students receive both M.C.P. and M.Arch degrees. For further information about concurrent M.C.P./M.Arch degree requirements, contact Professor Elizabeth Macdonald. 

Self-Defined Concentration

Students are strongly encouraged to complete one of the defined M.C.P. concentrations. Self- defined concentrations that are NOT substantively focused on city and regional planning topics and related fields of study will NOT be approved. To develop a defined concentration, select one of the existing concentrations and select courses to develop a concentration with crosscutting expertise.

Requirements

Students who develop a self-defined concentration must satisfy the M.C.P. common core curriculum and identify a willing faculty advisor who can provide substantive guidance. The self-defined concentration must include three courses, including a studio, which ordinarily should be drawn from DCRP courses. However, one course may be drawn from another department if its inclusion in the concentration is justified. If a non-DCRP course is proposed, the student must supply a syllabus, and explain what compelling substantive material the course provides that DCRP courses cannot fulfill, and why the course can’t be taken as an elective.

Approach the faculty advisor to discuss. Prepare a one- to two-page proposal, including a justification and an explanation about how the concentration has been conceptualized and its content. Fill out a Self-Defined Concentration Declaration form. If a non-DCRP course is proposed, the syllabus and explanation (see above) must be included as a separate attachment. Submit these materials to the faculty advisor.

The student’s faculty advisor must review the proposal and indicate approval by signing the form. After approval by the advisor, submit the packet to the GSAO. All submissions must be submitted to the GSAO two weeks before the deadline to declare a concentration, at the end of the first semester of study. The M.C.P. Program Committee will review the proposal and inform the student of its decision.

The Thesis or Capstone Project 

To fulfill the capstone requirement, M.C.P. students must complete a Thesis, Client Report (CR), or Professional Report (PR), typically during the final year of their coursework. The goal of the thesis/capstone project is to support a student’s professional development by completing a significant body of work representing advanced subject and methodological expertise . Students are encouraged to review and follow the deadlines stated in the CR PR Thesis Handbook .

Master’s Thesis - Plan I

The Thesis is an academic publication that undertakes original research on a topic related to planning. It is most often chosen by students who are considering a Ph.D. degree, and/or students who wish to immerse themselves in an academic research project. Theses follow standard academic research paper conventions, including a literature review, an original research question, and the development and execution of data collection and analysis. 

Thesis requirements are set by the Graduate Division, and students must comply with the University requirement for the Plan I degree option. Thesis committees are composed of three ladder-rank faculty members, two of whom must be from DCRP (including the thesis committee chair). The third committee member must be a faculty member in another department. Theses are filed with the Graduate Degrees Office by the deadlines posted on their website. The Thesis must also satisfy style guidelines set by the Graduate Division.

Students pursuing the thesis option, and who are collecting data from human subjects, MUST receive clearance from UC Berkeley’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for their research project. The Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) serves as the IRB at UC Berkeley, and reviews and approves the use of human subjects in research. The IRB process is designed to ensure that the rights and welfare of human subjects are protected throughout their participation in research projects. Note that if thesis research includes data collection from vulnerable populations (e.g., children, unhoused individuals or families), the thesis research will NOT be eligible for expedited review and the full IRB review process can take 4-6 months to complete. 

Client Report (CR) - Plan II 

The Client Report (CR) is undertaken for an outside client or agency and aims to satisfy the needs of the sponsoring organization. It provides an opportunity for students to study a real-world planning issue by selecting appropriate analytic methods, evaluating alternative approaches, and recommending an approach or solution. The CR is carried out in a manner demonstrating high professional judgment and competence.

The CR is written under the supervision of a three-person committee. This committee must be chaired by a ladder-rank DCRP faculty member. The second reader can be a ladder rank faculty member, adjunct faculty member, or lecturer from DCRP. For dual degree students, one of the two readers can be from the joint degree department, as long as at least one committee member is ladder-rank faculty. The third member is generally the Client for whom the report was written. Final CRs are submitted electronically (with Title Page and Sign Off Form) to the GSAO and will be catalogued in the College of Environmental Design Library.

The format of the CR is determined in collaboration with the Client, and can include non-traditional options (e.g., memos, presentations, web sites, software applications, or podcasts/videos), provided that there is a short memo accompanying the final product that describes 1) the motivation and context for the project, 2) the relevance to planning, and 3) how the project contributed to the student’s professional development.

Professional Research Report (PR) - Plan II

The Professional Research Report (PR) is undertaken by the student independent of an external client sponsor, but is still focused on an applied policy or planning issue. The objective is to allow a student to explore in-depth an issue of interest to them, and to build additional substantive and analytical skills.

The PR is written under the supervision of a two-person committee. Only ladder-rank faculty (Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor) can serve as Chair of PR committees. The second reader can be a ladder rank faculty member, adjunct faculty member, or lecturer from DCRP. For dual degree students, one of the two readers can be from the joint degree department, as long as the Chair is ladder rank faculty. Final PRs are submitted are submitted electronically (with Title Page and Sign Off Form) to the GSAO and will be catalogued in the College of Environmental Design Library.

The format of the PR is determined in collaboration with the student’s committee chair. Possible options for the PR include:

• A report the student produced for their internship but, for various reasons, is not a client report.
• An issue the student would like to learn more about, but wasn’t covered in-depth in their coursework.
• A project a student worked on in another class (e.g., one of the concentration courses or a studio) that they would like to extend. The student must do additional work – it cannot just be a paper or project turned in for a class.
• A project the student worked on as a GSR.

PR’s can include non-traditional options (e.g., memos, presentations, web sites, software applications, or podcasts/videos), provided that there is a short memo accompanying the final product that describes 1) the motivation and context for the project, 2) the relevance to planning, and 3) how it contributed to the student’s professional development. 

Additional Information regarding Client Reports and Professional Reports

Group Projects

Students may collaborate on a PR. However, each student’s work must be presented in a way that it can be evaluated individually. PR’s can include non-traditional options (e.g., memos, presentations, web sites, software applications, or podcasts/videos), provided that there is a short memo accompanying the final product that describes 1) the motivation and context for the project, 2) the relevance to planning, and 3) how it contributed to the student’s professional development. 

Human Research Protection

The Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) serves as the institutional review board (IRB) at UC Berkeley. The IRB must review and approve the use of human subjects in research. The process is designed to ensure that the rights and welfare of human subjects are protected throughout their participation in research projects. UC Berkeley operates within the regulations and guidelines set forth by federal authorities, primarily the Office for Human Research Protections and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as other bodies. The Office for the Protection of Human Subjects (OPHS) provides operational and staffing support to the CPHS and administers all human subjects research performed on behalf of UC Berkeley.

To determine if your project requires CPHS/OPHS review, we suggest that you start with the links below. In addition, please consult with the chair of your committee who is required to be a ladder rank DCRP faculty member.

What Needs CPHS/OPHS Review

Where to Start: Decision Tree

CPHS Guidelines on Exempt Research

Advancing to Candidacy

Students advance to candidacy during their final semester of study. GSAOs will contact students at the end of the next-to-final semester of study with instructions to fill out and submit the M.C.P. Degree Checklist Form (concentration-specific). This form is submitted to the GSAOs no later than the first week of study in the last semester, and reviewed with the GSAOs in a degree check-in meeting.

The M.C.P. Degree Checklist Form lists all courses and units taken for completion of the M.C.P. degree, for a minimum of 48 units (36 units for concurrent degree students). As noted above, no more than a maximum of six units of 299 independent study, and a combined total of three units of 295 and 297, may be applied towards the degree. Lower division undergraduate courses (numbered 1-99) do NOT count towards the 48-unit M.C.P. requirement, nor does CYPLAN 375: Supervised Teaching in City and Regional Planning. Two-thirds of all course work must be letter-graded. For letter-graded courses, only those graded C- or better will count toward the degree. For S/U courses, only those graded Satisfactory will count toward the degree.

Graduate Program Outcomes

• To provide critical understanding of the history of thought in city and regional planning and urban studies, and to train students to contribute to theoretical advances in these fields
• To enable students to develop their individual specializations within city and regional planning
• To prepare students to undertake original research through the formulation of research questions, use of research methods, and application of research design
• To encourage students to disseminate their research such that it has an impact in the worlds of social science scholarship, planning education, and national and international policy
• To create and nurture an intellectual community committed to promoting research in city and regional planning

The Master of City Planning (M.C.P.) program provides its many successful graduates with:

• Lifelong analytical, research, and communication skills;
• The knowledge and skill sets to successfully practice planning in a variety of urban, metropolitan, and regional settings;
• An understanding of the history and theory of planning and of cities and urban regions;
• Expertise in various fields and sub-fields of city and regional planning;
• Sensitivity to the human impacts of planning decisions, with particular attention to equity, diversity, and social justice.

Public Information  

Professional Development Activities

DCRP Students are encouraged to start career and professional development activities as soon as they enter the degree program. The department hosts an annual alumni gathering, and students meet with professionals and academic advisers in national and international conferences such as ACSP and APA throughout the year. In addition, DCRP students connect with faculty and local professionals who visit classes as guest speakers and give lectures.

Internships for M.C.P. Students

Master of City Planning students complete a two- to three-month internship in a planning-related position usually between their first and second years of study, unless exempted by previous work experience. Frequently, the work completed during a summer internship forms the basis for the Client Report, Professional Report or Thesis. International students who hold an F-1 or J-1 visa must complete an internship during their two years of study.

The College of Environmental Design offers comprehensive career services to all students.

The Department of City and Regional Planning hosts a planning jobs website and maintains an email list for planning and planning-related jobs.

Professional Development of Ph.D. Students

Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning students are encouraged to pursue a Certificate in Teaching program, offered by UC Berkeley's GSI Teaching and Resource Center .  All PhD students are awarded an opportunity to serve as graduate student instructors (GSI) during their studies. Many do research with faculty and serve as graduate student researchers (GSR). UC Berkeley Graduate Division provides information on academic student appointments and other professional development opportunities.

CY PLAN 200 Planning Histories and Practice: Frameworks, Opportunities and Dilemmas 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 A survey of key historical moments in the emergence of modern city planning, framed within the context of social equity and ethics. While the focus is on planning in the United States, the course also pays attention to global connections that exert influence on the theory and practice of planning in the US context. Planning Histories and Practice: Frameworks, Opportunities and Dilemmas: Read More [+]

Objectives & Outcomes

Course Objectives: The course introduces students to key paradigms of planning thought. The course is organized around the principle that histories of city planning are also about theories of planning. In addition to writing instruction, the course provides an opportunity for further professional development through students conducting interviews for their core paper assignment and drafting a resume and professional development plan outlining their academic and career goals. Students also will be exposed to practitioners in planning and related fields through guest speakers in class during the second half of the course on contemporary topics. The course Introduces students to city and regional planning ideas, history and practices and how they have shaped and responded to urban development. As histories of city planning are rooted in the quest for spatial order, the course seeks to enable students to have a deeper understanding of how space functions in tandem with history, practice and policy implementation. The course will provide instruction on writing – professional quality deliverables for master’s students and scholarly level text and orientation for doctoral students. We will discuss the power and limits of planning, planning and social change, the multiple roles in which planners find themselves, and the relationship between planning and built and natural environments. We will consider views of key stakeholders and members of the public from across the political spectrum. We will examine current pressing planning and policy issues in the context of their historical underpinnings.

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Graduate

Grading: Letter grade.

Instructor: Frick

Planning Histories and Practice: Frameworks, Opportunities and Dilemmas: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 201A Planning Methods Gateway: Part I 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This class introduces first-year students in the Master of City Planning (MCP) program to a suite of data collection, data analysis, problem solving, and presentation methods that are essential for practicing planners. It focuses on supporting integrated problem solving, using a case-based approach to introduce methods in sequenced building-blocks. Planning Methods Gateway: Part I: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: The course is designed to introduce students to problem identification in the planning realm, and to the data collection and analysis skills relevant to addressing those problems. Students will learn how to define planning problems; identify the information needed to better understand and develop solutions to those problems; collect data and conduct analysis to provide that information; and understand the mechanics, promises and pitfalls of those methods. Practical skills include downloading and using secondary data, conducting statistical tests of difference, observation, making maps from secondary data, interviewing, and conducting financial analyses. Through lectures, case studies, group assignments, and individual assignments, students will achieve the following learning objectives:

Student Learning Outcomes: • Identify planning problems and questions • Design and implement a research project in response to a planning problem or question • Become a critical consumer of statistics, methods, and evidence/arguments in the press and in policy, planning and advocacy publications • Think critically about research problems and research design, learn what kinds of problems planners address in day-to-day life, and recognize the role of theory in shaping both questions and research design • Prepare clear, accurate and compelling text, graphics and maps for use in documents and presentations • Build public presentation skills, and have an opportunity to practice and receive feedback on presentations of various lengths • Learn how to write for different audiences, and effectively include data/evidence in writing • Be introduced to the faculty in DCRP and their research methods and approaches

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one and one-half hours of laboratory per week.

Instructor: Reid

Planning Methods Gateway: Part I: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 201B Planning Methods Gateway: Part II 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 Second course in two-semester course sequence that introduces first-year students in the Master of City Planning (MCP) program to a suite of data collection, data analysis, problem solving, and presentation methods that are essential for practicing planners. 201B prepares MCP students for more advanced courses in statistics, GIS, observation, qualitative methods, survey methods, and public participation. Planning Methods Gateway: Part II: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: The two-semester course is designed to introduce students to problem identification in the planning realm, and to the data collection and analysis skills relevant to addressing those problems. Students will learn how to define planning problems; identify the information needed to better understand and develop solutions to those problems; collect data and conduct analysis to provide that information; and understand the mechanics, promises and pitfalls of those methods. Practical skills include downloading and using secondary data, conducting statistical tests of difference, observation, making maps from secondary data, interviewing, and conducting financial analyses. Through lectures, case studies, group assignments, and individual assignments, students will achieve the following learning objectives:

Rules & Requirements

Prerequisites: City and Regional Planning 201A; exceptions made with instructor approval

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of laboratory per week.

Instructors: Chatman, Reid

Planning Methods Gateway: Part II: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 204B Qualitative Research Methods 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2016, Fall 2015 The interest in qualitative research and especially in ethnography has been growing in the planning and design professions. This interest has not always been matched by in- depth and critical examination of qualitative methodology. This course explores common practices of qualitative research in the social sciences. Students are expected to do field research. The class is designed around an experimental research project in which all students will participate and apply various techniques of data collection and analysis. These include observation, interviewing, mapping, coding, and use of images. Classes, readings, and exercises will approach qualitative methods and techniques critically and interrogate their epistemological assumptions. Qualitative Research Methods: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week.

Instructor: Caldeira

Qualitative Research Methods: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 204C Analytic and Research Methods for Planners: Introduction to GIS and City Planning 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2022 Introduction to the principles and practical uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This course is intended for graduate students with exposure to using spreadsheets and database programs for urban and natural resource analysis, and who wish to expand their knowledge to include basic GIS concepts and applications. Prior GIS or desktop mapping experience not required. Analytic and Research Methods for Planners: Introduction to GIS and City Planning: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Four hours of lecture/laboratory per week. Ten hours of lecture/laboratory per week for six weeks. Seven and one-half hours of lecture/laboratory per week for eight weeks.

Instructor: Hamstead

Analytic and Research Methods for Planners: Introduction to GIS and City Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 204D Multivariate Analysis in Planning 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2016, Spring 2013 Theory and application of advanced multivariate methods in planning. Emphasis on causal modeling of cross-sectional data. Topics include: multiple regression analysis; residual analysis; weighted least squares; non-linear models; path analysis; log-linear models; logit and probit analysis; principal components; factor and cluster analysis. Completion of two computer assignments, using several microcomputer statistical packages, is requir ed. Multivariate Analysis in Planning: Read More [+]

Multivariate Analysis in Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 205 Introduction to Planning and Environmental Law 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 An introduction to the American legal process and legal framework within which public policy and planning problems are addressed. The course stresses legal methodology, the basics of legal research, and the common-law decisional method. Statutory analysis, administrative law, and constitutional interpretation are also covered. Case topics focus on the law of planning, property rights, land use regulation, and access to housing. Introduction to Planning and Environmental Law: Read More [+]

Instructor: Bigelow

Introduction to Planning and Environmental Law: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 207 Land and Housing Market Economics 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2022 Using microeconomics as its platform, course explores the process and pattern of land utilization from a variety of perspectives: the neighborhood, the city, and the metropolis. The approach blends real estate, descriptive urban geography, and urban history with economics. Land and Housing Market Economics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 113A or equivalent

Formerly known as: Educational Administration 261B

Land and Housing Market Economics: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 208 Plan Preparation Studio 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2020 An introductory laboratory experience in urban plan preparation, including the use of graphic communication techniques appropriate to city planning and invoking individual effort and that of collaborative student groups in formulating planning policies and programs for an urban area. Occasional Friday meetings are required. Plan Preparation Studio: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar and 5 hours of studio per week

Summer: 8 weeks - 4 hours of seminar and 16 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Seminar and Five hours of Studio per week for 15 weeks. Four hours of Seminar and Sixteen hours of Studio per week for 8 weeks.

Instructor: Macdonald

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CY PLAN 208A Virtual Collaborative Plan Preparation Studio 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This studio provides an intensive experience in urban plan preparation via virtual collaborative methods, including the use of graphic communication techniques appropriate to city planning and urban design, and involves individual effort and collaborative group effort to analyze an urban area and formulate planning policies, spatial designs, and programs for it that are responsive to existing contexts and community needs. Virtual Collaborative Plan Preparation Studio: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for CY PLAN 208A after completing CY PLAN 208 .

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar and five hours of studio per week.

Virtual Collaborative Plan Preparation Studio: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C213 Transportation and Land Use Planning 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Examination of the interactions between transportation and land use systems; historical perspectives on transportation; characteristics of travel and demand estimation; evaluation of system performance; location theory; models of transportation and urban structure; empirical evidence of transportation-land use impacts; case study examinations. Transportation and Land Use Planning: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture/discussion per week.

Instructor: Chatman

Also listed as: CIV ENG C290U

Transportation and Land Use Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 214 Infrastructure Planning and Policy: Climate Change Planning and Urban Systems 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 Survey of basic knowledge and technology of physical infrastructure systems: transportation, water supply, wastewater, storm water, solid waste management, community energy facilities, and urban public facilities. Environmental and energy impacts of infrastructure development; centralized vs. decentralized systems; case studies. Infrastructure Planning and Policy: Climate Change Planning and Urban Systems: Read More [+]

Instructor: Collier

Infrastructure Planning and Policy: Climate Change Planning and Urban Systems: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C215 Global Urban Inequalities 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 This course is animated by the question: what is global and urban about inequalities? It has two aims. First, it focuses on the historical-geographies of globalization and cities, and unpacks how cities are embedded within wider networks of capitalism. Second, it explores the many meanings and political projects around decolonizing the city, and looks at at unlearning, anti-imperialism, abolition, epistemic justice as concrete actions to combat global urban inequalities. Global Urban Inequalities: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar per week.

Instructor: Balakrishnan

Also listed as: GMS C215

Global Urban Inequalities: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 216 Active Transportation 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2020 Covers pedestrian and bicycle transportation planning including benefits of active transportation, importance of urban design and network connectivity, and facility design. Examines policies and programs to support active transportation and the processes to create, implement, and evaluate bicycle and pedestrian plans. Active Transportation: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor

Instructor: Rodriguez

Active Transportation: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C217 Transportation Policy and Planning 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Policy issues in urban transportation planning; measuring the performance of transportation systems; the transportation policy formulation process; transportation finance, pricing, and subsidy issues; energy and air quality in transportation; specialized transportation for elderly and disabled people; innovations in transportation policy. Transportation Policy and Planning: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: CIV ENG 213

Also listed as: CIV ENG C250N

Transportation Policy and Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 218 Transportation Planning Studio 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Studio on applying skills of urban transportation planning. Topics vary, focusing on specific urban sites and multi-modal issues, including those related to planning for mass transit and other alternatives to the private automobile. Recent emphasis given to planning and designing for transit villages and transit-based housing. Transportation Planning Studio: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 213 or 217 or consent of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Four hours of studio per week.

Transportation Planning Studio: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 220 The Urban and Regional Economy 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2021 Analysis of the urban, metropolitan, and regional economy for planning. Economic base and other macro models; impact analysis and projection of changing labor force and industrial structure; economic-demographic interaction; issues in growth, income distribution, planning controls; interregional growth and population distribution issues. The Urban and Regional Economy: Read More [+]

The Urban and Regional Economy: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 228 Research Workshop on Metropolitan Regional Planning 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020 Field problem in major phases of metropolitan or regional planning work. A collaborative student-group effort in formulating policy or plan recommendations within specific governmental framework. Research Workshop on Metropolitan Regional Planning: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Relevant past coursework and consent of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio and 2 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Four hours of Studio and Two hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.

Research Workshop on Metropolitan Regional Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 230 U.S. Housing, Planning, and Policy 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course engages with housing markets in the context of current and historic local, state, and federal policy and planning practice. Taking into account issues of equity and implications on climate, students will engage with emerging policy and market trends in housing affordability and supply. U.S. Housing, Planning, and Policy: Read More [+]

Instructor: Metcalf

U.S. Housing, Planning, and Policy: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 235 Affordable Housing Finance and Development 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Using case studies, this course acquaints students with the techniques of project feasibility; analysis of project proposals and overall project compatibility assessment. Case studies will be based on a variety of public and private sector developments, in central city and suburb locations. Affordable Housing Finance and Development: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 207 or equivalent

Instructor: Silverberg

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CY PLAN 238 Development--Design Studio 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Studio experience in analysis, policy advising, and project design or general plan preparation for urban communities undergoing development, with a focus on site development and project planning. Development--Design Studio: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: City and Regional Planning 235

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 8 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Eight hours of studio per week.

Development--Design Studio: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C240 Theories of Urban Form and Design 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Theories and patterns of urban form throughout history are studied with emphasis on the role of planning and design in shaping cities and the relationship between urban form and social, economic, and geographic factors. Using a case study approach, cities are evaluated in terms of various theories and performance dimensions. Theories of Urban Form and Design: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor

Also listed as: LD ARCH C250

Theories of Urban Form and Design: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C241 Research Methods in Environmental Design 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 The components, structure, and meaning of the urban environment. Environmental problems, attitudes, and criteria. Environmental survey, analysis, and interview techniques. Methods of addressing environmental quality. Environmental simulation. Research Methods in Environmental Design: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week.

Instructor: Lamb

Formerly known as: Interdepartmental Studies 241

Also listed as: LD ARCH C241

Research Methods in Environmental Design: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C243 Shaping the Public Realm 5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This interdisciplinary studio focuses on the public realm of cities and explores opportunities for creating more humane and delightful public places. Problems will be at multiple scales in both existing urban centers and in areas of new growth. Skills in analyzing, designing, and communicating urban design problems will be developed. Studio work will be supplemented with lectures, discussions, and field trips. Visiting professionals will present case studies and will serve on reviews. Shaping the Public Realm: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Previous design studio or consent of instrutor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 6 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and six hours of studio per week.

Instructor: Brand

Formerly known as: 203

Also listed as: LD ARCH C203

Shaping the Public Realm: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 248 Advanced Studio: Urban Design/Environmental Planning 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Advanced problems in urban design and land use, and in environmental planning. Occasional Friday meetings are required. Advanced Studio: Urban Design/Environmental Planning: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 208 or 240

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar and 6 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar and six hours of studio per week.

Advanced Studio: Urban Design/Environmental Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 249 Urban Design in Planning 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2009, Fall 2007 This seminar will focus on urban design in the planning process, the role of environmental surveys, methods of community involvement, problem identification, goal formulation and alternatives generation, environmental media and presentation, design guidelines and review, environmental evaluation and impact assessment. Case studies. Urban Design in Planning: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar/discussion per week.

Formerly known as: Interdepartmental Studies 249

Urban Design in Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 250 The Spatial Politics of Land: A Transnational Perspective 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2010 This course focuses on the deeply contested and political nature of land-use. It uses the spatial lens to situate land-use planning within wider processes of globalization. A central premise is to link land-use planning to property rights, and to ask: how is land, a spatially fixed resource with unique characteristics in each location, transformed into an asset for private ownership, an instrument of finance, a fungible asset; and what are the distributive conflicts that arise from private property? The course is also committed to an exploration of how planners can move towards more emancipatory land-use practices. The Spatial Politics of Land: A Transnational Perspective: Read More [+]

Instructor: Sai Balakrishnan

The Spatial Politics of Land: A Transnational Perspective: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C251 Environmental Planning and Regulation 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2020, Fall 2019 This course will examine emerging trends in environmental planning and policy and the basic regulatory framework for environmental planning encountered in the U.S. We will also relate the institutional and policy framework of California and the United States to other nations and emerging international institutions. The emphasis of the course will be on regulating "residuals" as they affect three media: air, water, and land. Environmental Planning and Regulation: Read More [+]

Instructor: Acey

Also listed as: LD ARCH C231

Environmental Planning and Regulation: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 252 Land Use Controls 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2018, Spring 2017 An advanced course in implementation of land use and environmental controls. The theory, practice and impacts of zoning, growth management, land banking, development systems, and other techniques of land use control. Objective is to acquaint student with a range of regulatory techniques and the legal, administrative-political equity aspects of their implementation. Land Use Controls: Read More [+]

Land Use Controls: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 253 Climate Justice Seminar 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024 This course engages with the historical contexts, governance processes, theories, scientific understandings, and politics of urban climate and environmental justice. Climate Justice Seminar: Read More [+]

Climate Justice Seminar: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 254 Sustainable Communities 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021 This course examines and explores the concept of sustainable development at the community level. The course has three sections: (1) an introduction to the discourse on sustainable development; (2) an exploration of several leading attempts to incorporate sustainability principles into plans, planning, and urban design; (3) a comparative examination of several attempts to modify urban form and address the multiple goals (social, economic, environmental) of sustainable urbanism. Sustainable Communities: Read More [+]

Sustainable Communities: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 255 Urban Informatics and Visualization 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Fall 2020 A hands-on data visualization course that trains students to analyze urban data, develop indicators, and create visualizations and maps using programming languages, open source tools, and public data. Urban Informatics and Visualization: Read More [+]

Urban Informatics and Visualization: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C256 Healthy Cities 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021 Exploration of common origins of urban planning and public health, from why and how the fields separated and strategies to reconnect them, to addressing urban health inequities in the 21st century. Inquiry to influences of urban population health, analysis of determinants, and roles that city planning and public health agencies - at local and international level - have in research, and action aimed at improving urban health. Measures, analysis , and design of policy strategies are explored. Healthy Cities: Read More [+]

Instructor: Corburn

Formerly known as: City and Regional Planning 256

Also listed as: PB HLTH C233

Healthy Cities: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 257 Data Science for Human Mobility and Socio-technical Systems 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020 Techniques for analyzing individual daily activities and travels both at urban and at global scale. The course is designed for graduate students interested in methods to analyze human dynamics, and their interactions with the built and the natural environment. Course covers five units each of which is centered in a seminal research paper. Students learn to reproduce the results of the selected paper in the classroom via computer labs, and through a related data analysis and modeling assignments. Data Science for Human Mobility and Socio-technical Systems: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: The course reviews basic concepts of data analysis, modeling, and visualization. Methods include principal component analysis to identify the structure inherent in daily behavior, spatial clustering, introduction to fractals, random walks and parsing of spatial trajectories. Ending with models and methods to represent various socio technical systems as networks, such as: daily commuting, air travels, and roads.

Prerequisites: An undergraduate-level understanding of probability, statistics, algorithms, and linear algebra is required

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of laboratory and 1 hour of discussion per week

Additional Format: One hour of discussion and three hours of laboratory per week.

Instructor: Gonzalez

Data Science for Human Mobility and Socio-technical Systems: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C257H Human Mobility and Network Science 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023 Techniques for analyzing individual daily activities and travels both at urban and at global scale. The course is designed for graduate students interested in methods to analyze human dynamics, and their interactions with the built and the natural environment. Course covers five units each of which is centered in a seminal research paper. Students learn to reproduce the results of the selected paper in the classroom via computer labs, and through a related data analysis and modeling assignments. Human Mobility and Network Science: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: The course reviews basic concepts of data analysis, modeling, and visualization. Methods include principal component analysis to identify the structure inherent in daily behavior, spatial clustering, introduction to trip distribution models and parsing of spatial trajectories. Ending with models and methods to represent various socio-technical systems as networks, such as: daily commuting, air travels, and roads.

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for CY PLAN C257H after completing CY PLAN 257 .

Also listed as: CIV ENG C263H

Human Mobility and Network Science: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 260 The Origins and Practice of Community Development 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2019 Community development, broadly defined as efforts to improve the quality of life in low-income communities, has existed in multiple forms for centuries. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, the United States witnessed the development of a professionalized field of community development, encompassing a wide range of institutions, policies, and programs. This course provides students with an overview of the origins of the community development field and the key theories that motivate both practice and policy. Throughout the course, case studies will provide a real-world perspective on community development and how practitioners are working to create healthy and economically vibrant communities for all. The Origins and Practice of Community Development: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: 268

The Origins and Practice of Community Development: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN C261 Community Engagement and Public Participation in Planning Processes 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course examines the theories, practices, and ethics of undertaking community engagement and public participation relative to planning processes. Students will learn about traditional forms of engagement and participation, while also testing newer theories and practices in the field. Community Engagement and Public Participation in Planning Processes: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: Interdepartmental Studies 223

Also listed as: LD ARCH C242

Community Engagement and Public Participation in Planning Processes: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 264 Blackness and the Politics of Space and Place 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024 What can we learn about how places are made and un-made when we focus on the lives and experiences of the Black people who live within them? Using insights from cultural anthropology, Black cultural studies, and geography, this course critically explores “Black geographies'' in an effort to understand the ways that race and space are mutually constituted in our modern world. Exploring both the joys and the pains of Black social and cultural life, living under regimes of gentrification, displacement, environmental degradation, and white supremacy. Throughout the course, students will be given structured opportunities to apply their critical lenses to the intersections of race, space, and place in the Bay Area. Blackness and the Politics of Space and Place: Read More [+]

Instructor: Hosbey

Blackness and the Politics of Space and Place: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 268 Community Development Studio/Workshop 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Studio experience in analysis, policy advising, and implementation in an urban setting. Students will engage in group work for real clients (e.g., community-based organizations or local government agencies), culminating in a final report or proposal. Community Development Studio/Workshop: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 208 or 235

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 4 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture and four hours of studio per week.

Instructor: McKoy

Community Development Studio/Workshop: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 280A Doctoral Seminars: Research Design for the Ph.D 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 This course is designed for students working on their dissertation research plan and prospectus. Weekly writing assignments designed to work through each step of writing the prospectus from problem framing and theoretical framework to methodology. At least one oral presentation to the class is required of all students. Doctoral Seminars: Research Design for the Ph.D: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Ph.D. standing

Formerly known as: 280

Doctoral Seminars: Research Design for the Ph.D: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 280B Doctoral Research and Writing Seminar 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Post-candidacy research and writing seminar, focused on completion of a dissertation. Doctoral Research and Writing Seminar: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Ph.D. students in post-candidacy in city planning or related field

Doctoral Research and Writing Seminar: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 280C Doctoral Seminars: Doctoral Colloquium 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Presentation and discussion of research by Ph.D. students and faculty. Doctoral Seminars: Doctoral Colloquium: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Two hours of seminar per week.

Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.

Doctoral Seminars: Doctoral Colloquium: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 281 Planning Theory 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 Overview of planning theory that reviews the evolution of ideas about planning as a form of specialized knowledge, placed in historical context. Compares a range of different views of planning knowledge (positivist, interpretive, design, critical theory) with an emphasis on the relationship between planning and democratic politics. Planning Theory: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Ph.D. level course

Additional Format: Three hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.

Planning Theory: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 284 Urban Theory 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 The investigation of modern cities has presented great challenges for social theory. For over a century, scholars have debated about how to read and explain the modern industrial city. This course traces the main ways in which these debates have unfolded since the middle of the nineteenth century to the present. To follow these debates is to understand how scholars have struggled to make cities legible, to fix them as objects of analysis, and simultaneously to capture their processes of transformation. Urban Theory: Read More [+]

Urban Theory: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 290 Topics in City and Metropolitan Planning 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 Analysis of selected topics in city and metropolitan planning with emphasis on implications for planning practice and urban policy formation. In some semesters, optional five-week, 1-unit modules may be offered, taking advantage of guest visitors. Check department for modules at start of semester. Topics in City and Metropolitan Planning: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0-4 hours of seminar per week

Summer: 8 weeks - 1-5 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture/discussion per week per unit for eight weeks. Three hours of lecture and discussion per week per module.

Topics in City and Metropolitan Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 291 Special Projects Studio in Planning 4 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 Studio on special projects in planning. Topics vary by semester. Special Projects Studio in Planning: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-3 hours of lecture and 6-9 hours of studio per week

Additional Format: Six to nine hours of studio and two to three hours of lecture per week.

Special Projects Studio in Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 293 Capstone Writing Workshop 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2024 This workshop is designed for Masters students in the Department of City & Regional Planning who are working on their professional report, client report, or thesis. Capstone Writing Workshop: Read More [+]

Capstone Writing Workshop: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 295 Supervised Research in City and Regional Planning 1 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2008 Supervised experience on a research project in urban or regional planning. Any combination of 295, 297 courses may be taken for a total of 6 units maximum towards the M.C.P. degree. Supervised Research in City and Regional Planning: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing in department and consent of adviser and sponsor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Regular meeting to be arranged with faculty sponsor.

Supervised Research in City and Regional Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 297 Supervised Field Study in City and Regional Planning 1 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2007, Spring 2007 Supervised experience relative to specific aspects of practice in city or regional planning. Any combination of 295, 297 courses may be taken for a total of 6 units maximum toward the M.C.P. degree. A maximum of 3 units of 297 can be used for degree requirements. Supervised Field Study in City and Regional Planning: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of fieldwork per week

Summer: 8 weeks - 1.5-3.5 hours of fieldwork per week

Supervised Field Study in City and Regional Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 298 Group Studies 1 - 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2022 Topics to be announced at beginning of each semester. No more than 3 units may be taken in one section. Group Studies: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: One to Three hour of Independent study per week for 15 weeks.

Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.

Group Studies: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 299 Individual Study or Research 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2015, Spring 2015 Individual study or research program; must be worked out with instructor in advance of signing up for credits. Maximum number of individual study units (295, 297, 299) counted toward the M.C.P. degree credits is 9. Individual Study or Research: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and graduate standing

Individual Study or Research: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN N299 Individual Study or Research 1 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2015 10 Week Session, Summer 2009 10 Week Session, Summer 2007 10 Week Session Individual study or research program; must be worked out with instructor in advance of signing up for credits. Maximum number of individual study credits counted toward the MCP degree is 9. Individual Study or Research: Read More [+]

Summer: 8 weeks - 1-6 hours of independent study per week

CY PLAN 375 Supervised Teaching in City and Regional Planning 1 - 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2019 Supervised teaching experience in courses related to planning. Course may not be applied toward the M.C.P. degree. Supervised Teaching in City and Regional Planning: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing in department and appointment as a graduate student instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-2 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: One to two hours of independent study per week.

Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers

Formerly known as: City and Regional Planning 300

Supervised Teaching in City and Regional Planning: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 399 Supervised Teaching 1 or 3 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Professional courses for prospective teachers Supervised Teaching: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Appointment as graduate student instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Two to four hours of independent study per week.

Supervised Teaching: Read Less [-]

CY PLAN 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students 1 - 8 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2019, Fall 2015 Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D. May not be used for unit or residence requirements for the doctoral degree. Students may earn 1-8 units of 602 per semester or 1-4 units per summer session. No student may accumulate more than a total of 16 units of 602. Individual Study for Doctoral Students: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Ph.D. students only

Additional Format: Regular meeting to be arranged.

Subject/Course Level: City and Regional Planning/Graduate examination preparation

Individual Study for Doctoral Students: Read Less [-]

Contact Information

Department of city and regional planning.

228 Bauer Wurster Hall, MC #1850, Berkeley, CA 94720-1850

Phone: 510-642-3256

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Popular pages, for prospective students:, for current students:, phd in city and regional planning.

The Doctor of Philosophy in City and Regional Planning Program provides advanced study of cities and regions and systems and processes that produce places and sustain communities.

Program Overview

The doctoral program in City and Regional Planning program combines intensive seminars with individualized programs of study. Only a small number of PhD students are accepted each year, most of whom have a master's degree in city and regional planning or a related discipline (like geography or policy). City and Regional Planning makes four Knowlton PhD Awards to incoming doctoral students every year. 

The PhD program generally counts 20 students in residence working closely with faculty on the delivery of the BSCRP and MCRP programs as well as on research projects. The program trains doctoral students to conduct independent and original planning research and pedagogical approaches to teaching planning.

PhD students participate in the CRP Colloquium which meets weekly during the academic year and provides a forum for students to present research, learn about faculty research, meet alumni, listen to the work of both planning professors from other departments and Ohio State faculty in cognate disciplines, and discuss publication strategies and contemporary topics in academia. City and Regional Planning also hosts several well-known planning professors each year as part of the Knowlton School’s Baumer Lecture Series .

The City and Regional Planning section is very active in planning research and publication. The  section is home  to the Journal of Planning Literature and the faculty includes current editors of the Journal of Urban Affairs and Regional Studies .

During their course of study, PhD students develop two areas of specialization, one from the program designated topics and the other designed and developed independently in consultation with their doctoral advisor tailored to their area of study.

Graduates of Knowlton's PhD program go on to careers in academia or research organizations in government, industry, and nonprofit organizations.

Doctoral students begin the program with coursework on planning theory, analysis, and in their core specializations. Once coursework is complete, students take the candidacy examination. The core areas of specialization in the program are economic development, community development and housing, transportation and mobility, environmental planning and sustainability, and urban design and physical planning.

Learn more about our  doctoral students' background and research areas .

PhD Funding and Support

City and Regional Planning makes four Knowlton PhD Awards to incoming doctoral students every year. The Knowlton PhD Awards include a four-year commitment of financial support (a stipend and a tuition waiver) through a combination of fellowships and graduate research and teaching assistantships. 

Learn more about additional funding opportunities for current and prospective PhD students

The program also provides support for conference travel and assists students as they pursue university and external travel fellowships and exchange opportunities.

CTA Links: Request Info / Visit / Apply (PhD CRP)

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Because of the nature of independent research, the PhD program curriculum is very flexible. The curriculum allows students to develop a research program through their academic interests and in concert with their advisor. Doctoral students must take a minimum of 50 credits in specific areas of focus.

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Learn more about Knowlton Courses & Curriculum

Areas of Focus

Students must complete course work in two fields of specialization for at least 24 credit hours (a minimum of 15 credit hours in the Major Field of Specialization, and 9 credit hours in the Minor). The Major Field of Specialization must be centered in City and Regional Planning, and be selected from those listed below. The Minor field of specialization may be within or outside of City and Regional Planning. Students may specialize on topics from a variety of disciplines such as Geography, Public Policy, Civil Engineering, etc. Some examples of minor fields include: econometrics, cultural anthropology, statistics, public health planning, etc.

The student and the advisor decide together on the courses that support their doctoral study. The courses may be taken within the CRP program or from other departments consistent with student interest and field requirements. Independent study courses may also qualify for the requirements. The courses are expected to cover the theory and evolution of the field, current debates, and analysis methods.

Economic Development

Why do some cities and regions grow while others decline? Is all growth good? Under what conditions does economic development support sustainable and equitable growth? How does the built environment and the systems that operate within it (e.g., transportation, energy, land use) affect regional economic development?

The answers to these questions are crucial because economic development priorities and practices frame much of what is defined as profitable, desirable, and possible across all the domains of urban and regional planning. For example, whether to make infrastructure investments in high-speed rail or where to locate new affordable housing or a linear park.

Our approach at Ohio State is multidisciplinary by design, as the challenges that cities and regions face are complex ones that do not respect disciplinary boundaries or benefit from only one approach. City and regional planning is uniquely situated to tackle these complex, multidisciplinary challenges by integrating research from both planning and its cognate disciplines including economics, business administration and management, geography, public policy, sociology, and political science. With a PhD concentration in economic development, your research will contribute to the discovery of long-term development strategies for communities and regions that balance economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, social equity, and resilience to external shocks.

Community Development and Housing

Our cities and towns are comprised of a network of neighborhoods and districts that provide amenities and resources such as housing, education, places of worship, access to food and nourishment, and connect communities of individually socially for improved quality of life. By understanding the strengths and strains of this ‘togetherness’, planners work to guide community or neighborhood development in ways that are inclusive, sustainable, and equitable. The specialization in community development and housing has a long tradition in city and regional planning. Community development research can focus on urban, suburban, or rural environments and includes issues such as leadership development, social capital formation, community economic development, infrastructure, or modification to the built environment or efforts to support community improvement in education, health, or employment.

Historically, many social issues in community development have had a housing dimension, including problems associated with racial segregation, slum development, poverty, and unemployment. Housing policy has traditionally been central to community development practice and is one of the most influential policy interventions to impact neighborhoods. Housing policies such as zoning laws, building codes, rent control, urban renewal, public housing, and fair housing regulations all impact the built and social environment. Housing includes the delivery of land, shelter, community facilities, and physical infrastructure. Research might deal with such topics as increasing the supply of affordable housing, expanding homeownership among low-income groups, understanding the effectiveness of various incentives and constraints to encourage the development of safe and affordable housing, the relationship between socio‐demographic characteristics of people and their housing and neighborhood choices, or the effect of housing and neighborhoods characteristics on quality of life.

Urban Design and Physical Planning

The urban design and physical planning specialization aims to plan and design places that are environmentally, socially, and culturally sustainable, and are conducive to accommodate new people, new uses, and new buildings. It also includes the exploration of how urban sprawl and growth management can and do inform urban design and contribute to more resilient urban environments. This field covers scales from neighborhoods to metropolitan areas and addresses interrelationships between the physical environment, the built environment, and the social, economic, and political institutions and processes that shape urban areas. Students will learn methods, theory including environmental programming and research, geographic information systems, health impact assessments, social/cultural factors in environmental design, and application of information to the resolution of environmental design problems.

Environmental Planning and Sustainability

The Environmental Planning & Sustainability specialty allows students to pursue planning questions relating to the conservation, development, and restoration of socio-ecological systems, particularly (but not exclusively) in cities and regions. From the creation of green infrastructure to the preparation for natural hazards, individuals and communities interact with their environments in ways that include planning. Research in this area ranges from questions of the incorporation of sustainable development principles in plans and policies, the resilience of built and natural environments and their connections, the social, economic and environmental impacts of various activities, and questions related to the processes that produce plans for socio-ecological systems and their health consequences. It might also address energy conservation, generation, and infrastructure.

Transportation and Mobility

Transportation or movement across space is an integral part of the planning process. As new transportation technologies emerge in the 21st century, there is potential for significant changes in mode choice, travel behavior, goods movement, land use patterns, and infrastructure. The transportation specialization in the PhD program addresses these concerns through a variety of possible topics, ranging from measuring and providing access and equity, sustainable mobility, new mobility technologies and cities, understanding and projecting travel behavior, transportation policy making, mobility management, and system resilience. Our faculty has expertise studying mobility at diverse geographical scales (local, regional, and international) and with various travel modes (active modes, rail, air, transit, and autos).

Explore Planning

Autumn 2024 City and Regional Planning Colloquium

• Student Work
• Student Experience
• Faculty Work

Chen, Li, and Cheng Publish on the Impact of Climate Change on Inland Waterway Transportation

Two papers seek to assess the impact of climate change on the Upper Mississippi—Illinois River Region.

• Climate Futures
• Transportation

Regional Studies Journal Receives High CiteScore

The journal edited by Planning Section Head Jennifer Clark increased its citation score from the previous year.

• Publication

Manuel Santana Palacios Named Provost’s Early Career Scholar

Peng Chen Featured by Ohio State’s Sustainability Institute

• Sustainability

Motoyama and van Maasakkers Publish “Reflections on higher growth firms”

The paper investigates the disproportionate effect of a small number of firms.

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Master of City Planning

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Since its founding in 1948, Berkeley’s Department of City and Regional Planning has grown into one of the largest and most respected graduate city and regional planning programs in the United States.

About the Program

The MCP is a two-year nationally accredited professional-degree STEM program. We aim to provide our students with:

• Lifelong analytical, research, and communication skills
• The knowledge and skill sets to successfully practice planning in a variety of urban, metropolitan, and regional settings
• An understanding of the history and theory of planning and of cities and urban regions
• Expertise in various fields and sub-fields of city and regional planning
• Sensitivity to the human impacts of planning decisions, with particular attention to equity, diversity, and social justice

The Master of City Planning (MCP) degree combines a common core curriculum with the opportunity to specialize in one or more of the following concentration areas:

• Environmental Planning and Healthy Cities
• Housing, Community, and Economic Development
• Transportation Policy and Planning
• Urban Design
• Program Statements & Capstone Handbooks
• 2023-24 MCP Program Statement (PDF)
• 2022-23 MCP Program Statement (PDF)
• 2021-22 MCP Program Statement (PDF)
• 2020-21 MCP Program Statement (PDF)
• 2023-24 CR PR Thesis Handbook (PDF)
• 2022-23 CR PR Thesis Handbook (PDF)

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Requirements
• Additional Significant Application Elements
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• Admissions Statistics (Fall 2022 Admitted Class)
• Bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution
• Advanced Grade Point Average (AGPA) of 3.0 or B or better (on a 4-point scale) for all coursework AFTER the first two years of UNDERGRADUATE study.
• If your undergraduate institution used a 4-point grading scale, please calculate your AGPA using our calculator: Download the Excel or Google Sheets version to your computer and enter your grades to determine your AGPA.
• Please enter your university’s GPA into the Other Scale GPA box.
• For all other GPA boxes (Advanced, Major, Courses Related to Field of Graduate Study), enter “N/A.”
• All applicants (domestic and international) who have completed a basic degree IN a country or political entity in which the official language is NOT English are required to submit official evidence of English Language Proficiency.
• This requirement applies to institutions from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, Israel, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asian countries, most European countries, and countries in Africa in which English is not the official language.
• Applicants may email DCRP Graduate Student Services: [email protected] to confirm testing requirement.
• Please discuss (with clarity and focus) why you want to study urban planning, why you want to study at UC Berkeley, and how our program can help you achieve your academic and professional goals.
• The Present: What brought you to pursue graduate study in planning?
• The Past: What academic, employment experiences (professional work experience and/or internships) or activities (research, co-curricular activities, leadership roles, etc.) bear on your qualifications for this planning program? How do these experiences relate to your decision to study planning?
• The Future: What are your long-term career goals? In following the completion of your graduate degree in planning, what kinds of work and professional activities would you like to engage?
• Concurrent degree applicants (MArch, MS, MLA, JD, MPH) will submit ONE comprehensive statement that addresses your interest in and fit with both programs.
• Please describe any experiences that give the faculty a sense of who you are as a unique individual and how you would contribute to the department’s mission to create a community of students with diverse perspectives, life experiences, and intellectual interests.
• If you have faced any obstacles or barriers in your education, sharing those experiences serves both for the admission recommendation process, and for your potential nomination for certain diversity-based fellowships.
• If one part of your academic record is not ideal, due to challenges you faced in that particular area, this is where you can explain that, and direct reviewers’ attention to the evidence of your promise for graduate education.
• Evidence of how you have overcome barriers to achieve academic excellence
• Evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others by your own life experiences and educational background
• Evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women and racial minorities in fields where they are underrepresented
• Evidence of your leadership experience among students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education
• Evidence of your interests, work and/or research focusing on understanding issues of equity, diversity or sustainability in urban planning;
• Evidence of who you are as an individual and how that may impact who you would like to be as a planner
• To view additional tips please visit Writing the Personal Statement .
• The most helpful and strongest letters are from individuals who have supervised your work in either an academic, employment (professional work experience and/or internships) or community service capacity.
• Your recommenders are encouraged to describe SPECIFIC EXAMPLES of your work that demonstrate your intellectual ability, creativity, initiative, leadership potential, and promise for graduate study in planning.
• Enter the recommender’s contact information
• Select your answer for the “access waiver” question
• Provide your signature
• Click “send”
• Thereafter, you should notify your recommenders that they will receive an email from UC Berkeley’s Graduate Admissions Office: [email protected] . The email’s subject line will be “Recommendation request from [Applicant Name] for the University of California, Berkeley” and the body of the email will outline the steps required to upload their letter to the application system.
• If your recommender has NOT received the email or they CANNOT upload their letter, have your recommender email their letter to DCRP Graduate Student Services: [email protected] and we will upload it for them.
• You may submit your application BEFORE your recommendations are in the application system.
• Please note that beyond 12 pages, your portfolio will NOT be reviewed.
• Title page and/or table of contents may be submitted, and will NOT count toward the 12 pages of content.
• The portfolio should showcase recent, high-quality work, and will be assessed on both content and overall design.
• Applicants to the MCP – Urban Design track are NOT required to have intensive design training before admission.
• Shows evidence of visual creativity (studio art, photography, drawing, painting, graphic design, GIS mapping, construction/renovation, web-based projects, etc.) and demonstrates interest in and aptitude for urban design
• Demonstrates the range of analog and digital methods and media that the applicant has worked with
• Highlights work that is related to the scales, questions, and methods of urban design
• Highlight how their work in visual/spatial media is related to broader questions of intellectual and social concern
• Any material that is NOT entirely the applicant’s own work must be clearly identified (e.g. include information describing your individual contributions to a group project).
• The portfolio must be saved as a single file in PDF format.
• If your portfolio exceeds 10MB, try compressing it in Adobe Acrobat.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend a virtual information session to hear more about the MCP program and ask questions of faculty and graduate advisors. If you have specific questions not answered by the Admissions FAQs , please email [email protected] . We are not currently scheduling 1-on-1 meetings due to a staffing shortage, but hope to offer them later this fall.

You are also welcome to contact our faculty directly to discuss the program (refer to the faculty directory section of our website for contact information). Faculty are available for fall-semester appointments during the months of September, October and November, and for spring-semester appointments during the months of February, March and April. Please note that faculty manage their own calendars and must be contacted directly for virtual appointments. Graduate advisors cannot set up meetings with faculty on behalf of applicants.

ADMISSIONS INFORMATION SESSIONS TBD

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All students are expected to complete a three-month internship in a planning-related position, usually between their first and second years of study unless exempted by previous work experience. Frequently, the work completed during a summer internship forms the basis for the the Professional Report, Client Report or Thesis. International students who hold an F-1 or J-1 visa must complete an internship during their two years of study.

DCRP and UC Berkeley offer multiple types of financial support to its graduate students. Details are available here .

The ASJC is a NEW fellowship program at the College of Environmental Design that offers significant debt-relief to select graduate students (current and new) who intend to do social justice work after graduation. Details are available here .

The MCP degree is an approved field of study within the U.S. government’s official STEM fields list. Practical work experience in your field of study, typically after completion of a degree for a maximum of 36 months (12 months of “regular” OPT with a 24-month extension possible). For further details regarding STEM extensions , contact the Berkeley International Office (BIO) .

Concentrations

Charisma Acey, Stephen Collier, Jason Corburn, John Radke

The concentration in Environmental Planning and Healthy Cities (EPHC) is designed to give M.C.P. students the broad knowledge and skills necessary to analyze and plan for pressing urban environmental and health challenges, such as climate change, natural resource depletion, access to basic services and infrastructure, as well as ecologic and human health risks and mitigation, especially as they impact socially vulnerable people and communities. The concentration emphasizes the theory and practice behind the related ideas of urban sustainability, resilience, environmental justice and risk, political ecology and human health. Students will study urban and regional environmental and human health issues in a comparative perspective, with a focus on both US and international settings. The concentration introduces students to the relationships between natural, built and social environments in cities, as well as the local, regional and global impacts of urban ecosystems and the political institutions that aim to manage these environments. The emphasis on healthy cities engages in the practices of urban public health and inclusive community engagement recognizing that planners are increasingly required to work together with communities to analyze and act upon how the urban environment influences human well-being.

Concurrent degree programs with the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning  (M.C.P. & M.L.A.) and the  School of Public Health  (M.C.P. and Masters in Public Health, M.P.H.) are available for interested students.

Sai Balakrishnan,Teresa Caldeira, Daniel Chatman, Carol Galante, Zachary Lamb, Ben Metcalf, Carolina Reid

The Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED) concentration focuses on the equitable development of neighborhoods, cities and regions.  From “housing as a human right” to addressing the systemic inequalities that produce segregated landscapes of poverty and wealth, this concentration is distinguished by its attention to issues of racial, social and economic justice.  It seeks to expose the linkages between land use, governance, capitalism, and inequality, and explore how communities chart varied development pathways. Berkeley’s program is distinguished by two strong strands of expertise among its faculty: a theoretically informed understanding of private property and land tenure, segregation, and the right to housing, and a practice-oriented approach to housing policy, affordable housing development, and inclusionary forms of land organization, both in the context of the United States and the Global South.

Faculty in this concentration work on topics such as:

• Housing and real estate development, including access to credit, the financing and construction of affordable housing, and housing policy
• Spatial segregation and social discrimination in both the United States and the Global South
• The politics of land ownership, tenure, and property rights
• Gentrification and displacement
• Forms of political participation and resistance
• International development, including the provision of housing, water and sanitation in informal settlements
• Community development and community organizing, including programs and policies designed to address longstanding patterns of residential segregation
• Planning for sustainability, including issues related to regional governance, resilience, affordability, and the linkages between land use and climate change

Faculty within the HCED concentration draw on multidisciplinary perspectives including anthropology, economics, history, planning, and sociology, and incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methods in their research.

Graduates in the HCED concentration go on to work in a wide variety of positions, including nonprofit and public sector agencies Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmBH, Living Cities, Metropolitan Transportation Commission/MTC, PolicyLink, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the City of Richmond, the Association of Bay Area Governments/ABAG, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), affordable housing developers (e.g., BRIDGE Housing, Eden Housing, Mercy Housing, and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation/TNDC, as well as community-based organizations (e.g., East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation/EBALDC, East Bay Housing Organizations/EBHO,  Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. Local Initiatives Support Corporation/LISC and Mission Economic Development Agency/MEDA).

Daniel Chatman, Marta González, Daniel Rodríguez, Karen Trapenberg-Frick

The transportation planning concentration focuses on planning for urban transportation and land use systems, and interactions of transportation and land use with the built, natural, and social environments. In presenting the social, economic, and environmental implications of transportation and land use plans and policies, and promoting economic efficiency, green transport, resource conservation, and environmental protection, the courses in the concentration are focused around themes of equity, environmental justice, and social welfare. We emphasize the planning and policy challenges encountered by attempting to increase the use of environmentally sustainable travel modes such as walking, cycling and public transit, and the creation of environmentally sustainable land use patterns such as compact growth and transit-oriented development. Topics covered in the core courses include the impacts of transit and highways on urban form and economic development; the impacts of urban form, transit-oriented development and new urbanism on travel behavior; governance, finance, and implementation challenges in making sustainable transport investments; the importance of highway and transit finance, municipal finance, and development finance; the promises and pitfalls of innovative sustainability solutions such as congestion pricing, parking pricing, and master development plans; streets and pedestrian- oriented designs; transportation and land use planning in the developing world; and comparative international transportation and land use policies.

As concerns heighten over regional mobility, air quality, global climate change, energy, and equality of access, it is increasingly important that transportation and land use planners apply a multi-disciplinary approach to the field. Accordingly, students in the concentration are encouraged to augment the department’s transportation course offerings by designing a study program, in consultation with their advisor that involves course work in other fields and departments.

Students in the transportation planning concentration may seek to pursue the concurrent degree program in transportation planning and engineering (M.C.P. & M.S.). This option confers both the M.C.P. and the M.S. ( with Civil and Environmental Engineering ) upon students who complete 60 units of course work, normally over five semesters.

Zachary Lamb, Elizabeth Macdonald

Urban designers are concerned with how places look, how they feel, how they relate to natural processes, and how they work for the people who use them. The Urban Design concentration is structured to give M.C.P. students the knowledge necessary to design urban built form in relation to social, environmental, and economic concerns. “Design” is a key, operative word: urban designers shape built and natural environments both directly through their proposals for specific interventions and indirectly through their contributions to policies and plans that shape the actions of other city making actors. Urban design work ranges in scale from small public spaces and streets to neighborhoods, citywide systems, and regional strategies. The emphasis of much urban design work is on the public realm of cities, with central concerns being livability, identity, place-making, equity, environmental performance, the interface between the public and private realms, and the quality of everyday life. The concentration is equally concerned with conceptions of the “urban” and it draws on approaches from the disciplines of city planning, architecture, landscape architecture, as well as theories and methods from the social sciences with the intent of analyzing the urban condition and designing the urban realm. The studio experience is central to the urban design concentration. Working in teams and individually, students explore planning and design possibilities for urban places and learn to articulate and present their ideas through visual and verbal communication. Learning from local and global contexts, and how cities have been designed and inhabited in the past, students envision possibilities for the future. Graduates in urban design work for public agencies across scales, advocacy organizations, and private architectural, landscape, city planning, and community development firms whose clients are both public and private.

Students concentrating in urban design often have some prior design training or experience, typically in architecture, landscape architecture, environmental design, or urban planning with a design emphasis, but a design background is NOT required.

A three- or four-year joint degree program in urban design is available with the  Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning , where students receive both the M.C.P. and the M.L.A. degree. A joint degree is also available with the  Department of Architecture , where students receive both M.C.P. and M.Arch degrees.

To earn the MCP degree, a student must complete:

• 48 units of in-residence coursework or 36 units in concurrent/dual degree programs
• Successful completion of the core curriculum
• Courses in at least one concentration area
• A capstone project consisting of either a client report, a professional report, or a master’s thesis

Review possible MCP+ Concurrent Degree options here . To apply for a concurrent degree, select the desired concurrent degree from the drop-down options in the UC Berkeley Graduate Application .

DCRP 2 Year Course Calendar

Students plan their individual programs with the help of their faculty advisor. All new graduate students are paired with an advisor, whose role is to help students structure their first-semester program. First-year students set up an initial meeting with their assigned advisors during the first three weeks of the fall semester.

Students declare a concentration at the end of the first semester by completing a Concentration Declaration Form and submitting it to the Graduate Student Affairs Officer (GSAO) . Advisors are chosen within the area of concentration.

Public Information

Student achievement.

The Department of City and Regional Planning administered a survey for 2022–2023 Master in City Planning (MCP) program graduates one year post graduation, which included the questions below.

2023–2024 TUITION AND FEES

*This is an estimated amount based on the current tuition and fees. An increase of 3–5% should be expected each year. For a complete breakdown of student tuition, fees, and charges, please see the College of Environmental Design fee schedule on the Office of the Registrar's website .

For an estimated graduate student budget, which includes tuition and fees as well as personal expenses (housing/utilities, food, books/supplies, and transportation), please visit the Berkeley Financial Aid & Scholarships website .

The Department of Urban Planning and Design

"Terra Fluxus" by Shizheng Geng (MAUD '21) and Youngju Kim (MAUD '21)

It was at Harvard University that the first formal North American programs in city and regional planning (1923) and urban design (1960) were established. Since then, Harvard has played a leading role in the education of urban planners and urban designers. The Department of Urban Planning and Design is home to both professions, offering a professional degree in urban planning and a post-professional degree in urban design. It is also home to the new Master in Real Estate degree.

Degree Programs

Maud / mlaud master of architecture in urban design / master of landscape architecture in urban design.

The program leading to the Master of Architecture in Urban Design and the Master of Landscape in Urban Design is intended for individuals who have completed a professional program in Architecture or Landscape Architecture and who have a strong interest in engaging the practice and theory of contemporary urbanism.

MUP Master in Urban Planning

Accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board and open to students with an undergraduate degree, the two-year professional Master in Urban Planning degree program emphasizes planning to develop, preserve, and enhance the built environment. Students learn how to understand, analyze, and influence the variety of forces-social, economic, cultural, legal, political, ecological, and aesthetic, among others-shaping the built environment.

MRE Master in Real Estate

The Master in Real Estate (MRE) is a 12-month degree program for individuals seeking to acquire or sharpen traditional real estate skills while learning how real estate can advance beneficial spatial, social, and environmental outcomes in cities and metropolitan areas worldwide.

MUP and MLA/MArch/MDES/MPA/MPP/JD/MPH Concurrent and Joint Degrees

Students in the Master in Urban Planning (MUP) program can undertake concurrent degrees with other departments at the GSD and joint degrees with certain schools outside the GSD. Concurrent and joint degree students must be in full-time residence for at least one additional year beyond the longer of the two degree programs.

Inside Urban Planning and Design

Composed of internationally experienced scholars and practitioners, the Department’s faculty explores the built environment from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and points of view. The Department’s pedagogically innovative combination of interdisciplinary studios, lecture courses, seminars, and independent study, coupled with a relatively small student size of roughly 180 individuals drawn from around the world, creates an intimate, engaged educational atmosphere in which students thrive and learn.

Students take full advantage of the curricular and extracurricular offerings of the GSD’s Department of Architecture and Department of Landscape Architecture. The Department of Urban Planning and Design also draws upon the significant resources of Harvard University as a whole. The Urban Planning program administers joint degree programs with the Kennedy School, the Law School, and the School of Public Health. Students often cross-register in courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Business School, the Kennedy School, the Law School, and the School of Public Health. Students also cross-register in courses offered by the neighboring Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ann Forsyth , Chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design

Please visit the official Department of Urban Planning and Design Facebook page.

“H.U.D., Sweat, and Tears” team is runner-up in affordable housing competition

Harvard Graduate School of Design student Avanti Krovi (MUP ’21) and teammates from the University…

May 3, 2021

Announcements

I decided that I needed to serve my neighbors and harness the skills I had learned in my first year as a transportation and public realm–focused master in urban planning student for a truly just cause.

David Bemporad

Apr 21, 2021

Stephen Gray talks “Shaping Equitable Cities” in Harvard magazine cover story

Back in his hometown: Stephen Gray in downtown Cincinnati. Photo: Aaron Conway/aaconn studio. Courtesy of…

Mar 11, 2021

Students, Faculty Receive 2021 Harvard Mellon Initiative Awards for Urban-Focused Research

The Harvard Mellon Urban Initiative recently awarded 29 grants for urban-focused…

Mar 29, 2021

Power and Justice in the Lone Grid State: Abby Spinak and Sarah Stanford-McIntyre on the crisis in Texas

Newspapers this week are swamped with headlines like, “What Went Wrong…

Feb 19, 2021

The African American Design Nexus’ Harlem StoryMap traces the neighborhood’s Black-designed places

Black Harlem, storied and resilient, has been chronicled from many perspectives. Missing until now has…

Feb 17, 2021

We can no longer continue to rebuild in the same way we always have. We have to take and learn from the failures of our infrastructures and begin to develop those in new ways now.

Toni Griffin

Dec 2, 2020

GSD students collaborate with Kabul University in Afghanistan to confront the most extreme conditions of urbanization

Design paradigms are best tested in extreme conditions, as Rahul Mehrotra…

Jan 29, 2021

Land for a City on a Hill: Alex Krieger’s iconic tour of Boston

  Watch as Alex Krieger, professor and former chair of the Department of Urban…

Dec 4, 2020

Urban Planning students win grand prize in affordable housing hackathon

A team of Master in Urban Planning students consisting of Zoe Iacovino (MUP/MPP ’23), Ryan…

This Land Is Your Land : Students interrogate why “urban” and “Indigenous” are cast as opposing identities

Until the last decade, Native American, First Nations, and other Indigenous architecture has been a…

Nov 27, 2020

There is a raison d’etre for cities not so easily dislodged. The human thirst for live engagement with people and place is not easily quenched. In the past, in crisis after crisis, urban resilience has proved the skeptics wrong.

Jerold Kayden

Nov 19, 2020

Hidden Territories: Uncovering the racist legacy of the American landscape

The term “landscape” historically referred to pictures of the world—vistas or views—and so it is…

Nov 20, 2020

With student advocates’ help, Cambridge set to build more affordable housing

Last month, the city council in Cambridge, Massachusetts, voted to…

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Master of city planning.

• PAB Public Information

Master of City Planning (MCP) Requirements

The Master of City Planning degree requires completion of 18 course units, including course requirements from the core curriculum and one of six concentration areas.  Of those 18 credits, 15 credits must be from City Planning (CPLN) classes. In addition, all students must complete a non-credit planning internship between the first and second years of study.

THE MCP CORE CURRICULUM

The MCP core curriculum encompasses the basic skills and knowledge required of all planners regardless of their specialization, and is a hallmark of our cutting-edge and practical approach to educating city planners. Students who complete the core will understand the legal and historical basis of city planning; they will know how to use a wide variety of population and economic data to understand local communities; and they will understand the form and arrangement of cities and metropolitan areas around the world. Most important, they will understand which planning approaches work best in which contexts and circumstances.

The core includes two hands-on opportunities for students to engage real planning problems in real communities for real clients. The first of these, CPLN 6000 (600) Workshop (Spring), offered to first-year students and is organized around producing a community plan for a Philadelphia-area city, town, or neighborhood. CPLN 7000 (700) Planning Studio (Fall), offered to second-year students, centers on a more advanced and specific planning challenge. It gives students the opportunity to scope out a planning problem for themselves, design the appropriate planning process, and then, pursue that process to its conclusion. Studio topics vary year to year, but at least one studio usually has an international or comparative focus.

Required Core Courses

Year 1 Fall

CPLN 5000 (500) Introduction to Planning History and Theory

CPLN 5010 (501) Quantitative Planning Analysis Methods

CPLN 5030 (503) Modeling Geographic Objects

Year 1 Spring

CPLN 6000 (600) Workshop

Year 2 Fall

CPLN 7000 (700) Planning Studio

Year 2 Fall or Spring

CPLN 5020 (502) Urban and Infrastructure Finance (Spring) -or--

CPLN 5090 (509) Law and Urban Development (Fall)

THE INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENT

Because a planning education extends beyond the classroom, all MCP students are required to complete a planning internship, usually between their first and second years. Internships may be paid or unpaid, but they must involve full-time work. Internships can be completed at any government agency or commission, private consulting firm, or non-profit or advocacy organization involved in planning practice, policy, or research.

Students may intern at a Philadelphia-based organization, such as the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Reinvestment Fund, or Interface Studios.

Internships outside the Philadelphia region have included Nikken Sekkei in Tokyo; the New York City Department of Planning; or the Chicago Mayor's Fellowship.

CONCENTRATIONS

The essence of good planning is making connections. To facilitate this, the Department of City & Regional Planning offers six concentrations which integrate knowledge across related specializations: (1) Housing, Community & Economic Development (2) Land Use-Environmental Planning (3) Public Private Development (4) Smart Cities (5) Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning and (6) Urban Design. Students are free to sample different concentrations during their first year, with the goal of selecting their final concentration/specialization before the start of their third semester. Although students may petition the faculty for individual course substitutions, all MCP students must complete coursework in one of our six concentrations. Click  here  to learn more about each concentration.

MCP Concentrations

Housing, community and economic development (hced).

The Housing, Community and Economic Development concentration focuses on how planners and policy leaders influence the social and economic factors shaping metropolitan economies and urban neighborhoods, particularly low-wealth communities and communities of color.   It prepares graduates for positions in housing, community and economic development finance, neighborhood revitalization, workforce development, center city re-development, and public sector management of urban and regional economic development. Housing, Community and Economic Development is a 4 credit concentration.

Faculty Advisors:

Francesca Ammon , Akira Drake Rodriguez ,  Lance Freeman , Jamaal Green ,   Vincent Reina , Lisa Servon ,  Domenic Vitiello

Required Courses

• CPLN 5200 (520): Introduction to Housing, Community & Economic Development (Fall, First Year)
• CPLN 7200 (720) HCED Practicum (Spring, Second Year)

Theory/Method Courses (students are required to take at least one, if a student takes more than one, the second course will fulfill an elective requirement below)

• Community Development focus: CPLN 6270 (627): Social Impact in Practice
• Economic Development focus: CPLN 6200 (620): Economic Development Techniques
• Housing focus: CPLN 5400 (540): Introduction to Property Development

 Concentration Electives (take at least one)

• CPLN 6210 (621): Metropolitan Food Systems 
• CPLN 6240 (624): Readings in Race, Place and Poverty
• CPLN 6280 (628): Migration and Development
• CPLN 6420 (642): Downtown Development
• CPLN 6440 (644): Housing Policy
• CPLN 6870 (687): Photography & the City
• A related special topics courses (needs approval of advisor)

Land Use-Environmental Planning (LU-EP)

Land use and environmental planning are at the core of city planning, With the U.S. forecast to add 80+ million new residents over the next forty years (and the world forecast to add 3 billion), land use and environmental planners will have to figure out new ways to accommodate population and economic growth while strengthening existing cities and towns; preserving precious and irreplaceable farm and resource lands; promoting new urban forms such as transit-oriented and mixed-use development; taking advantage of new water, land, telecom, and transportation infrastructure systems; promoting clean air and water, and robust ecologies; and reducing the carbon footprint of cities and suburbs alike. Students who complete the Land Use and Environmental Planning concentration work for local and municipal governments, for land use and environmental planning consultants, for and regional growth management agencies, and for smart growth, land conservation, and sustainable development policy and advocacy organizations.  Land Use and Environmental Planning is a 4 credit concentration.

Tom Daniels , Allison Lassiter

• CPLN 5300 (530): Introduction to Land Use (Fall, First Year)
• CPLN 5310 (531): Introduction to Environmental Planning (Spring, First Year)

Concentration electives (take at least two)

• CPLN 5040 (504): Site Planning (non-urban designer version)
• CPLN 6300 (630): Innovations in Growth Management
• CPLN 6310 (631): Planning for Land Conservation
• CPLN 6340 (634):  Climate Change
• CPLN 6350 (635): Water Policy
• CPLN 6750 (675): Land Use and Environmental Modeling
• CPLN 7300 (730): Sustainable Cities

Public Private Development (PPD)

Students in the Public & Private Development Concentration will learn the planning, design, entrepreneurial, and financing principles of developing for-profit and community-oriented housing and commercial development projects; how to put together development proposals and plans that meet the needs of tenants, the marketplace, and the community; how to develop projects that are economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable; and how private developers can work in partnership with cities and towns, redevelopment agencies, non-profits, and community groups to create affordable housing and public-private development partnerships. These same skills and abilities will be widely valued outside the United States, especially in growing areas of Asia and South America.  Public Private Development is a 4 credit concentration.

Faculty Advisor:

  Vincent Reina

• CPLN 5400 (540): Introduction to Property Development (Fall, First Year)
• CPLN 6410 (641): Progressive Development (Spring, First Year)
• CPLN 6420 (642): Downtown Development (Fall, Second Year)

Concentration Electives (take at least one)

• CPLN 5040 (504): Site Planning (non-urban designer version)*
• CPLN 6430 (643): Design & Development
• CPLN 6440 (644): Housing Policy 
• CPLN 6200 (620): Techniques of Urban Economic Development

Smart Cities

Today's combination of portable-yet-powerful computing and communication devices and Internet-accessible "big data" are democratizing all manner of urban planning and decision-making.  And in the process, transforming planners from central information gatekeepers into bottom-up enablers who are helping city dwellers take better advantage of the opportunities and richness of urban life.  By giving everyday people quick access to usable information, these new technologies are connecting planners, residents, businesses, and non-profits; and making them smarter and more productive.  The purpose of this concentration is to give MCP students the skills and abilities they will need to develop this new generation of planning applications that seamlessly combine user-friendly data retrieval and modeling procedures with individual and collaborative urban planning and design tools.  Smart Cities is a 4 credit concentration.

Allison Lassiter , Jamaal Green

• CPLN 5920 (592):  Public Policy Analytics (Fall, First Year, depending on GIS experience) *
• CPLN 5910 (591):  Introduction to Smart Cities (Fall, First Year)
• CPLN 5050 (505):  Planning by Numbers (Spring, First Year) or CPLN 6710 (671):  Spatial Statistics & Data Analysis (Fall, Second Year)

Electives (take at least one)

• CPLN 5710 (571): Sensing the City
• CPLN 6920 (692): Java Programming for Planning and Urban Management
• CPLN 6720 (672): Geospatial Data Science
• CPLN 6750 (675):  Land Use & Environmental Modeling 

*Smart Cities students who take this course in place of CPLN 5030 (503) in the core must take an additional Smart Cities elective.

Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning (STIP)

This concentration explores the roles of transportation and other capital infrastructure systems in shaping urban and metropolitan development patterns in the U.S. and around the world. It focuses foremost on urban highway, public transit, and non-motorized transportation systems and their connections to sustainable, livable and economically-productive development forms; and secondly on water, energy, and communications infrastructure. It covers initial planning and development topics (such as right-of-way and system planning issues), linkages to urban and economic development issues (such as those surrounding high-speed rail), and ongoing finance and management topics such as pricing, equity-of-access, and value-creation. Students who complete the Sustainable Transportation & Infrastructure Planning Concentration work for local and municipal governments, for state highway departments and metropolitan transit operators, for transportation and infrastructure planning consultants, for system developers and utilities, and for policy and planning organizations advocating more sustainable transportation and development choices.  Sustainable Transportation & Infrastructure Planning is a 4 credit concentration.

Xiaoxia Dong ,  Erick Guerra ,  Megan Ryerson

• CPLN 5500 (550): Introduction to Transportation Planning (Fall, First Year)
• CPLN 5050 (505): Planning by Numbers (Spring, First Year)
• CPLN 6500 (605): Transportation Planning Methods (Fall, Second Year)
• CPLN 6550 (655): Multi-modal Transportation
• CPLN 6540 (654): The Practice of Transportation Planning
• CPLN 7500 (750): Airport Systems Planning

Urban Design (UD)

Urban Design focuses on understanding the links between the physical form and structure of cities and regions and the economic, social and political forces that shape them. It provides knowledge about the alternative theories and methods for the physical improvement of urban places and includes courses in graphic communication, the history and theory of design, the context and operation of development incentives and controls. Graduates from the urban design specialization typically work in local government or for private design firms developing urban design plans, neighborhood and district plans, public space and street plans, and increasingly, plans for new communities.  Urban Design is a 5 credit concentration.

Faculty Advisors: 

Zhongjie Lin

• CPLN 6600 (660): Fundamentals of Urban Design Studio (Fall, First Year, 2cus)
• CPLN 5040 (504): Site Planning (Spring, First Year)
• CPLN 7600 (760): Public Realm Studio (Spring, Second Year, 2 CUs)

Self-Designed Concentration

All students in the MCP program must choose a concentration.  In addition to selecting one of the six we offer, students may elect to design their own concentration with departmental approval.  If a student is interested in pursuing this option, they must submit a short proposal that:

1) Describes the course of study they are proposing, explaining:

• the rationale for designing their own concentration, rather than selecting one of the ones we offer;
• how their interests are better served by the concentration they are proposing than by one of those we offer; and
• the logic of how the proposed concentration coheres.

2) Includes the name of a standing faculty member who has agreed to advise them (standing faculty members are professors (assistant, associate, or full) or professors of practice (associate or full))

3) Lays out the sequence of courses for the proposed concentration.  All self-designed concentrations must include:

• At least one introductory course from an existing concentration 
• At least one methods course
• At least 2 electives (a maximum of one elective may be an independent study)

Proposals must be submitted to the Department Chair before the end of the first week of classes in the student’s third semester. NOTE: All other requirements for the degree must be completed.

Dual Degrees

Within weitzman.

Master of City Planning and Master of Architecture Master of City Planning and Master of Fine Arts Master of City Planning and Master of Landscape Architecture Master of City Planning and Master of Science in Historic Preservation Master of City Planning and Master of Urban Spatial Analytics  

With Other Schools at Penn

Master of City Planning/Master of Social Work Master of City Planning/Juris Doctor Master of City Planning/Master of Public Administration Master of City Planning/Master of Public Health Master of City Planning/Master of Systems Engineering Master of City Planning/Master of Environmental Studies Master of City Planning/Master of Business Administration

Learn more about the MCP dual degree requirements .

• MCP requirements for students entering F21 (2).pdf

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Department of Urban Studies and Planning

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) offers four degree programs: a Bachelor of Science in Planning; a two-year professional Master in City Planning (MCP); a one-year Master of Science in Urban Studies and Planning (reserved for mid-career students); and a PhD in Urban Studies and Planning. In addition, DUSP has other, nondegree programs and affiliations: the Special Program in Urban and Regional Studies (for mid-career professionals from developing countries); the Community Innovators Lab ; the Center for Advanced Urbanism ; and the SENSEable City Lab . Once students are admitted and enrolled at MIT, it is possible to apply for certificate programs in urban design (offered jointly with the Department of Architecture) or environmental planning.

City and regional planners in the United States and other parts of the world are involved not only in physical and economic development, but also in management of the environmental, social, and design consequences of development. They engage in a variety of activities aimed at shaping the forms and patterns of human settlements, and at providing people with housing, public services, employment opportunities, and other crucial support systems that comprise a decent living environment. Planning encompasses not just a concern for the structure and experience of the built environment, but also a desire to harness the social, economic, political, and technological forces that give meaning to the everyday lives of men and women in residential, work, and recreational settings. Planners operate at the neighborhood, metropolitan, state, national, or international level, in both the public and the private sectors. Their tasks are the same: to help frame the issues and problems that receive attention; to formulate and implement projects, programs, and policies responsive to individual and group needs; and to work with and for various communities in allocating economic and physical resources most efficiently and most equitably.

Planners are often described as "generalists with a specialty." The specialties offered at MIT include city design and development; housing, community, and economic development; international development; and environmental policy and planning, as well as cross-cutting opportunities to study urban information systems, multi-regional systems, and mobility systems. These planning specialties can be distinguished by the geographic levels at which decision making takes place—neighborhood, city, regional, state, national, and global. Subspecialties have also been described in terms of the roles that planners are called upon to play, such as manager, designer, regulator, advocate, educator, evaluator, or futurist.

A focus on the development of practice-related skills is central to the department's mission, particularly for students in the MCP professional degree program. Acquiring these skills and integrating them with classroom knowledge are advanced through the department's field-based practicum subjects and research, and through internship programs. In fieldwork, students acquire competence by engaging in practice and then bringing field experiences back into the academic setting for reflection and discussion. Students may work with community organizations, government agencies, or private firms under the direction of faculty members involved in field-based projects with outside clients. In some cases, stipends may be available for fieldwork or internship programs. The Department of Urban Studies and Planning is committed to educating planners who can advocate on behalf of underrepresented constituencies.

During the month of January, the department offers a series of "mini-subjects" in specialized fields not covered by the regular curriculum, including both noncredit and for-credit offerings.

Specific opportunities for concentration and specialization available to students are detailed in the descriptions of the degree programs that follow.

Bachelor of Science in Planning (Course 11)

Urban science and planning with computer science (course 11-6), five-year sb-mcp option, minor in urban studies and planning, minor in international development, minor in public policy, hass concentrations, undergraduate study.

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning offers a Bachelor of Science in Planning; HASS Minors in Urban Studies and Planning, International Development, and Public Policy; and a variety of HASS concentrations. There is also an accelerated SB/MCP program which allows exceptional students to complete their undergraduate and master's degree work in five years.

In addition, DUSP also hosts MIT's Teacher Education Program (TEP), described under Career and Professional Options in the Undergraduate Education section. TEP provides an option for students interested in exploring new ideas in teaching and learning as applied to K-12 schools. Studies in TEP can also lead to licensure in math or science teaching at the high school or middle school levels.

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning offers an interdisciplinary preprofessional undergraduate major designed to prepare students for careers in both the public and private sectors. The major also provides a foundation for students who are considering graduate work in law, public policy, international development, urban design, management, and planning. The subjects in the major teach students how the tools of economics, policy analysis, political science, and urban design can be used to solve social and environmental problems in the United States and abroad. In addition, students learn the skills and responsibilities of planners who seek to promote effective and equitable social change.

After satisfying the core requirements, students use their electives to pursue a specific track. We suggest one of the following, but will accept self-designed options to better meet a student's interest: urban and environmental policy and planning; urban society, history, and politics; or urban and regional public policy. The required laboratory emphasizes urban information systems and offers skills for measurement, representation, and analysis of urban phenomena. In the laboratory subject, students also explore the ways emerging technology can be used to improve government decision making.

Students are encouraged to develop a program that will strengthen their analytic skills, broaden their intellectual perspectives, and test these insights in real-world applications. Students must complete a senior project that synthesizes what they have learned. This project may consist of an analysis of a public policy issue, a report on a problem-solving experience from an internship or other field experience, or a synthesis of research on urban affairs.

Urban settlements and technology around the world are rapidly co-evolving as flows of population, finance, and politics are reshaping the very identity of cities and nations globally. We already see rapid and profound change, especially in mega-cities, including pervasive sensing, the growth and availability of continuous data streams, advanced analytics, interactive communications and social networks, and distributed intelligence. Examples of new technologies facilitated by or requiring big data and new informatics concentrated in urban areas include, but are not limited to, autonomous vehicles, sensor-enabled self-management of natural resources, cybersecurity for critical infrastructure biometric identity, the sharing or gig-economy, and continuous public engagement opportunities through social networks and data and visualization.

The Bachelor of Science in Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science (Course 11-6) emphasizes the development of fundamental skills in urban planning and policy, including ethics and justice; statistics, data science, geospatial analysis, and visualization; and computer science, robotics, and machine learning. The Course 11-6 program provides numerous opportunities for field-based problem-solving experience through labs, UROP assignments and client-based courses in which students synthesize and empirically integrate what they are learning about theory and practice at the intersection of computer and urban science. Students also have the opportunity to specialize though the selection of a customized concentration of upper-level electives in data visualization, applied spatial analysis, design, and public policy. Students in the program are full members of both departments and of two schools, Architecture and Planning and Engineering.

Email for more information or call 617-253-1933.

Undergraduate Course 11 majors may apply for admission to the department's Master in City Planning (MCP) program in their junior year. Students accepted into the five-year program receive both the Bachelor of Science and the MCP at the end of five years. Admission is intended for those undergraduates who have demonstrated exceptional performance in the major and show commitment to the field of city planning. Criteria for admission include the following:

• A strong academic record in Course 11 subjects
• Letters of reference from departmental faculty
• Practical experience in planning, which could be gained through internships, practicums, studios, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program experiences, summer jobs, etc.
• A mature and passionate interest for the field that warrants further study

Students can obtain more information on the five-year program from Sandra Wellford, undergraduate administrator, Room 7-346A, 617-253-9403.

The six-subject Minor in Urban Studies and Planning offers students the opportunity to explore issues in urban studies and planning in some depth. Students initially take two Tier I subjects that establish the political, economic, and design contexts for local, urban, and regional decision making. In addition, students choose four Tier II elective subjects, which provide an opportunity to focus on urban and environmental policy issues or to study urban problems and institutions. Students are encouraged to craft a minor that reflects their own particular interests within the general parameters of the minor program requirements and in consultation with the minor advisor.

The HASS Minor in International Development aims to increase students' ability to understand, analyze, and tackle problems of global poverty and economic development in the developing world. Challenges include increasing urbanization; the need for industrial growth as well as jobs for an increasing number of educated youth; the crisis of resources and infrastructure; the fragmentation of state capacity and rising violence; ethical and moral issues raised by development planning; the role of appropriate technology and research; and popular discontent. The minor emphasizes problem-solving, multidisciplinarity, and an understanding of institutions at various levels—from the local to the global—as the keys to solving today’s problems in emerging countries.

The six-subject minor is structured into two tiers. The subjects in the first tier provide a general overview of the history of international development and major theories and debates in the field, and an introduction to the dilemmas of practice. They also introduce the challenges of applying models of interventions across contexts and the importance of understanding local institutional frameworks and political economies across scales and levels of governance.

Subjects in the second tier offer an array of more specialized and advanced subjects to allow students greater depth in specific sectors and international development issues such as public finance, infrastructure and energy, sustainability, the role of technology policy, the form and structure of cities, the politics of urban change and development, the role of law and public policy in development, and the rethinking of development in terms of human rights.

Additional subjects not listed above may be included in the minor at the discretion of the minor advisor.

Further information can be obtained from Professor Balakrishnan Rajagopal , Room 9-432, 617-253-6315.

The interdisciplinary HASS Minor in Public Policy is intended to provide a single framework for students interested in the role of public policy in the field of their technical expertise. Because the Course 11 major has a strong public policy element and several subjects are redundant, Course 11 majors are not eligible for the Minor in Public Policy.

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning offers many HASS concentrations tailored to a wide variety of student needs and interests.  Sample programs  are available online and include: designing the urban environment, environmental policy, urban history, policy analysis and urban problems, legal issues and social change, and education.

Students can also create an individually designed HASS concentration that fits their particular interests while taking account of Institute guidelines. The department will assist students in selecting three HASS subjects that suit their concerns and background. 

The DUSP concentration focusing on education can also lead to Massachusetts licensure in teaching math and science at the middle and high school levels. This requires taking:

More information is available from Eric Klopfer, Room E15-301, 617-253-2025.

Master in City Planning

Simultaneous master's degrees in city planning and architecture, simultaneous master's degrees in city planning and transportation, simultaneous master's degrees in city planning and real estate development, master of science in urban studies and planning, doctor of philosophy, graduate programs in transportation, environmental planning certificate, urban design certificate, nondegree programs, graduate study.

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning offers graduate work leading to the Master in City Planning and the Doctor of Philosophy. In conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, the department also offers a Master of Science in Real Estate Development. These programs are open to students from a variety of backgrounds. Urban studies, city planning, architecture, urban design, environmental planning, political science, civil engineering, economics, sociology, geography, law, management, and public administration all offer suitable preparation. For further information concerning academic programs in the department, application for admission, and financial aid, contact Graduate Admissions, Room 9-413, 617-253-9403.

The principal professional degree in the planning field is the Master in City Planning (MCP). The Department of Urban Studies and Planning provides graduate education for men and women who will assume professional roles in public, private, and nonprofit agencies, firms, and international institutions, in the United States and abroad. The department seeks to provide MCP students with the skills and specialized knowledge needed to fill traditional as well as emerging planning roles. The MCP is accredited by the American Planning Association.

The two-year Master in City Planning degree program emphasizes mastery of tools for effective practice and is therefore distinct from undergraduate liberal arts programs in urban affairs or doctoral programs that emphasize advanced research skills. MCP graduates work in a broad array of roles, from "traditional" city planning to economic, social, and environmental planning, as well as urban design. In addition to its basic core requirements, the program offers four areas of specialization: City Design and Development; Environmental Policy and Planning; Housing, Community, and Economic Development; and International Development. MCP students, in their application to the department, select one of these areas of specialization and, when applicable, indicate interest in cross-cutting programs in transportation planning, urban information systems, and regional planning.

Each student's plan of study in the MCP Program is set forth in a program statement developed jointly by the student and faculty advisor during the student's first term. Linked to career development goals, the program statement describes the purposes and goals of study, the proposed schedule of subjects, the manner in which competence in a specialization is developed, and an indication of a possible thesis topic.

Degree Requirements

Students are expected to take a minimum of 36 credit units each term (at least three subjects, though more frequently four), yielding at least 126 total units, in addition to the thesis.

A collection of subjects and requirements to be taken during the student's two years in the MCP program constitute a "core experience" viewed as central to the professional program. The core subjects and requirements include the following:

Students identified as having weaker writing skills are also encouraged to take a writing course.

All students are required to submit a thesis on a topic of their choice. The department encourages MCP students to avoid the traditional perception of the thesis as a "mini-dissertation," and to think instead of a client-oriented, professional document that bridges academic and professional concerns. While most of the thesis work occurs during the last term of the second year, students are urged to begin the process of defining a thesis topic early in the second year through their participation in a required thesis preparation seminar.

Students in the MCP Program are encouraged to integrate fieldwork and internships with academic coursework. The Department of Urban Studies and Planning provides a variety of individual and group field placements involving varying degrees of faculty participation and supervision. Academic credit is awarded for field experience, although some students choose instead to participate in the work-study financial aid program. The department also sponsors a variety of seminars in which students have an opportunity to reflect on their field experiences.

The City Design and Development (CDD) group engages, researches, and projects the physical planning of cities, regions, and their built and natural environments, at scales and locations that range from urban neighborhoods and city cores to outer suburbs. Graduates work in a variety of private, public, and nonprofit roles as urban designers, planning and design consultants, municipal and regional planners, managers of public agencies, advocates of historic and landscape preservation, housing, and land use regulations, real estate development, and as planners of transportation and mobility systems. CDD is closely associated with faculty and students in the Department of Architecture's Urbanism field, the Center for Advanced Urbanism, Center for Real Estate, SENSEable City Lab, and Media Lab. Many subjects are cross-listed with these groups. CDD's diverse educational offerings, ranging from studios to seminars, lectures, and workshops, ensure that every student can develop unique competence and intellectual depth in the field. CDD students may also elect to pursue the Urban Design Certificate ,  for those who wish to be involved in shaping the physical form and logistical function of cities, or pursue an additional year of study through DUSP's SM in Advanced Urbanism .  Individual faculty within CDD also work in areas that include landscape urbanism; resilient cities and housing; land use planning and regulation; innovation districts; parametric urbanism; and much more. 

The Center for Advanced Urbanism—jointly administered by faculty from the CDD group and the Urbanism group in the Department of Architecture—is a research-based institution dedicated to implementing new collaborative models of design and urban research.

The Environmental Policy and Planning (EPP) group emphasizes the study of how society conserves and manages its natural resources and works to promote sustainable development. Areas of concern include the role of science in environmental policy-making, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable international development, adaptive ecosystem management, environmental justice, global environmental treaty making, environmental regulation, energy efficiency and renewable energy, the role of private corporations in environmental management, the public health impacts of environmental planning, infrastructure planning, and the mediation of environmental disputes. Students investigate the interactions between built and natural systems; the effectiveness of different approaches to environmental planning and policymaking; techniques for describing, modeling, forecasting, and evaluating changes in environmental quality; approaches to environmental policy analysis; strategies for stakeholder involvement in environmental planning; and mechanisms for assessing the choices posed by the environmental impacts of new technology in local, state, national, and international contexts.

The Housing, Community, and Economic Development (HCED) group focuses on the equitable development of communities in the United States, at the neighborhood, city, and regional scales. Its mission is to prepare professionals with the skills and knowledge to be responsible leaders of public, private, and nonprofit sector organizations and networks engaged in equitable development. The group is driven by a deep faculty commitment to expanding opportunity and improving quality of life for historically disadvantaged groups. HCED emphasizes ongoing, empowering partnerships with those affected by change—often those who are organizing to lead local improvement efforts. Many faculty and students also have an interest in global markets and federal and state policy. For decades, the group’s faculty and students have helped shape policy, practice and research in housing, economic, workforce, and comprehensive community development. Increasingly, HCED connects to efforts that promote public health, environmental sustainability, and more inclusive “digital cities” as well. HCED promotes an integrated and dynamic approach to learning, helping prepare students for careers as problem solvers who can perform in varied roles: policy analyst or policy maker, advocate and organizer, mediator, evaluator, program designer, investor and entrepreneur, project developer and manager. At the doctoral level, HCED prepares students not only to produce but also to shape the next generation of creative teaching and scholarship.

The International Development Group (IDG) draws on the experiences of developing and newly industrializing countries throughout the world as the basis for advice about planning at the local, regional, national, and global levels. IDG provides students with an integrated view of the institutional, legal, historical, economic, technological, and sociopolitical factors that have shaped successful planning experiences and how they translate into action. Class content and faculty expertise include economic development at various scales; human rights and rights-based approaches to development, ethical and moral issues raised by development planning, the challenge of planning amidst popular discontent; regional planning (including decentralization); finance and project evaluation; housing, human settlements, and infrastructure services (transportation, telecommunications, water, sanitation, sewerage); institutions of economic growth; law and economic development; industrialization and industrial policies (including privatization); poverty-reducing and employment-increasing interventions including informal sector, nongovernment organizations, and small enterprises; comparative urban and metropolitan politics and policy; property and land rights, comparative property and land use law, collective action, and common property issues (water, forestry, grazing, agriculture); human rights and development; conflict and social dynamics in cities; post-conflict development; and globalization and governance.

Urban Information Systems (UIS) is a cross-cutting group that connects faculty, staff, and students who are interested in the ways information and communication technologies impact urban planning. Research topics include building neighborhood information systems to facilitate public participation in planning; exploring the complex relationships underlying urban spatial structure, land use, transportation, and the environment; modeling urban futures and metropolitan growth scenarios; and experimenting with mobile computing, location-based services, and the community building, planning, and urban design implications of ubiquitous computing. Associated faculty are engaged in many related research projects through the SENSEable City Lab, the Civic Data Design Lab, the Urban Mobility Lab, the Center for Advanced Urbanism, and MIT-wide interdisciplinary research initiatives such as the Future Urban Mobility project in Singapore. Through seminars and related activities, we share experiences and find ways to collaborate on the technical, planning, and social science aspects of making information technology–enabled urban futures more responsive to public and private interests in ways that are transparent and equitable.

Much of UIS's work involves the development and use of planning-related software and the urban analytics, spatial analysis tools, and systems (such as GIS and distributed geoprocessing) that are increasingly important parts of urban planning methods and metropolitan information infrastructures. However, UIS interests go beyond the development and use of specific technologies and extend to an examination of the ripple effects of computing, communications, and digital spatial information on current planning practices and on the meaning and value of the impacted communities and planning institutions.

Students who have been admitted to either the Department of Urban Studies and Planning or the Department of Architecture can propose a program of joint work in the two fields that will lead to the simultaneous awarding of two degrees. Degree combinations may be MCP/MArch or MCP/SMArchS. A student must apply by the January deadline prior to beginning the last full year of graduate study for the first degree: MCP and SMArchS. SMArchS students must apply during their first year at MIT (by the end of the first term); MArch students must apply during or before their second year. Students are first approved by the Dual Degree Committee and then considered during the spring admissions process. All candidates for simultaneous degrees must meet the requirements of both degrees, but may submit a joint thesis.

Students who have been admitted to study for the Master in City Planning or the Master of Science in Transportation may apply to the other program during their first year of study and propose a program of joint work in the two fields that will lead to the simultaneous awarding of two degrees. Details of this program are provided under Interdepartmental Programs in the Civil and Environmental Engineering section.

Students who have been admitted to the Master in City Planning Program or the Master of Science in Real Estate Development Program may apply to the other program during their first year of study and propose a program of joint work in the two fields that will lead to the simultaneous awarding of two degrees. Students may submit a joint thesis.

Under special circumstances, admission may be granted to candidates seeking a one-year Master of Science (SM) degree. The SM is intended for professionals with a number of years of distinguished practice in city planning or related fields who have a clear idea of the courses they want to take at MIT, the thesis they want to write, and the DUSP faculty member with whom they wish to work. That faculty member must be prepared to advise the candidate when at MIT and to submit a letter of recommendation so indicating as part of the candidate's application. This process means that prior to submitting an application the candidate must contact the appropriate DUSP faculty member to establish such a relationship. The SM does not require the candidate to take the core courses, which are mandatory for MCP candidates. As indicated above, a thesis is required. For further information concerning the SM option, contact Graduate Admissions, Room 7-346, 617-253-9403.

The PhD is the advanced research degree in urban planning or urban studies. Admission requirements are substantially the same as for the master's degree, but additional emphasis is placed on academic preparation, professional experience, and the fit between the student's research interests and the department's research activities. Nearly all successful applicants have previously completed a master's degree.

The doctoral program emphasizes the development of research competence and the application of research methods to exploring critical planning questions. Students work under the mentorship of a faculty advisor. They may focus their studies on any subfield of planning in which the faculty in the department have expertise.

After successful completion of coursework, students are required to take oral and written qualifying general exams in two fields: an intellectual discipline (city design and development, international development, public policy, urban information systems, regional and urban economics, or urban sociology) and a field to which this discipline is applied and that coincides with the student's research interest and possible dissertation topic. Doctoral candidates are expected to complete the qualifying general examinations before beginning their third year of residence. Upon completing the qualifying general examination and a colloquium about the dissertation proposal, a PhD candidate must write and successfully defend a doctoral dissertation that gives evidence of the capacity to do independent and innovative research.

A minimum of 72 units plus 36 units for the dissertation (a minimum of 108 units) is required for the PhD degree.

Interested and qualified students can undertake joint doctoral programs with the Department of Political Science or the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Advanced Urbanism Concentration

The Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU), together with the Department of Architecture and MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, have established a collaborative doctoral-level concentration in advanced urbanism. At MIT, advanced urbanism is the field that integrates research on urban design, urbanization, and urban culture. The doctoral concentration in advanced urbanism is intended for those who have at least one professional design degree (in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, etc.). A successful applicant will have research interests in urbanism that align with faculty research in both DUSP and Architecture. In this spirit, the student’s dissertation committee is expected to include faculty from both departments. More broadly, an advanced urbanism doctoral student is expected to engage with the research community at the LCAU and within their home department throughout their time at MIT. 

Admissions applications for the DUSP side of this program are submitted directly through the department’s regular PhD admissions process. Those interested in being considered for an Advanced Urbanism doctoral fellowship should indicate this in their applications. In the process of application review, the DUSP PhD admissions committee will identify strong applicants who fit the advanced urbanism program profile and nominate them for further consideration by a joint advanced urbanism admissions committee. The applicant selected by this joint committee would, in turn, be admitted as part of the regular DUSP PhD admissions process. Upon arrival at MIT, students holding the advanced urbanism doctoral fellowship through DUSP will be expected to complete all DUSP doctoral degree requirements plus additional requirements for the advanced urbanism concentration. Tuition support and research assistantships are provided by LCAU. Additional details can be found on the LCAU website .

Interdisciplinary Programs

MIT provides a broad range of opportunities for transportation-related education. Courses and classes span the School of Engineering, the Sloan School of Management, and the School of Architecture and Planning, with many activities covering interdisciplinary topics that prepare students for future industry, government, or academic careers.

A variety of graduate degrees are available to students interested in transportation studies and research, including a Master of Science in Transportation and PhD in Transportation , described under Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs.

Students in the MCP and PhD program who complete a prescribed set of subjects are awarded a Certificate in Environmental Planning. 

Students in the MCP, MArch, or SMArchS programs who complete a specific curriculum of subjects in history and theory, public policy, development, studios and workshops, and a thesis in the field of urban design are awarded a Certificate in Urban Design by the School of Architecture and Planning. 

A limited number of nondegree students are admitted to the department each term. This special student status is especially designed for professionals interested in developing specialized skills, but is also available to others.

The MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) supports faculty and students to work with low-income and excluded people in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, tapping their energy, creativity, and in-depth knowledge of the issues they face to tackle poverty, climate change, and mass urbanization. Launched in 2007, CoLab supports faculty and student collaboration on field-based projects working with departments, laboratories, and centers across the Institute on action research while providing important resources to community leaders.

CoLab offers instruction and tools—practice-based classes, study groups, tutoring, coaching, mentoring, as well as IAP courses in reflective practice, civic engagement, action research, use of social media, storytelling, and visual mapping—to help students embed and apply technical learning in real societal contexts, equipping them with the resources they will need to take leadership roles in an increasingly complex world. Its dense network of innovative practitioners in the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean augment faculty instruction with field-based coaching, helping to train the next generation of practitioners and scholars committed to addressing social exclusion and sustainability—two of the greatest global challenges of our time.

In addition to work in communities, CoLab hosts regular programs that bring nationally recognized leaders to share their work and help inform the Institute’s research agenda. The Mel King Community Fellows Program convenes an annual cohort of advanced practitioners from a range of relevant fields who are grappling with challenges of equitable and sustainable development. CoLab also provides community and industry leaders with private deliberative space in which they can explore emerging issues while allowing students up-close opportunities to participate in collaborative brainstorming sessions. Along with CoLab workshops, CoLab Radio (the center's blog) and online programming, roundtables, speaker series, and lunchtime talks, these activities enliven and enrich the Institute’s intellectual community by infusing it with a powerful diversity of voices and insights.

CoLab is located in Room 9-419. Further information can be found on the CoLab website and CoLab blog .

The Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies (SPURS) is a one-year program designed for mid-career professionals from developing and newly industrializing countries. SPURS was founded in 1967 as part of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), which has a long-standing commitment to bringing outstanding individuals to MIT to reflect on their professional practice in the field of international development. The program is designed to nurture individuals, often at a turning point in their professional careers, to retool and reflect on their policy-making and planning skills. SPURS Fellows return to their countries with a better understanding of the complex set of relationships among local, regional, and international issues. SPURS has hosted over 676 women and men from more than 117 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern and Central Europe. SPURS alumni/ae hold senior level positions in both the public and private sectors in their countries. 

For further information contact Nimfa de Leon, Room 9-435, 617-253-5915 or visit the SPURS website . 

For further information concerning academic programs in the department, application for admission, and financial aid, contact Graduate Admissions, Room 9-413, 617-253-9403.

Faculty and Teaching Staff

P. Christopher Zegras, PhD

Professor of Urban Planning and Transportation

Head, Department of Urban Studies and Planning

Mariana Arcaya, ScD

Professor of Urban Planning and Public Health

Eran Ben-Joseph, PhD

Class of 1922 Professor

Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning

Alan M. Berger, MLA

Professor of Urban Design and Landscape Architecture

Phillip L. Clay, PhD

Professor Post-Tenure of Urban Studies and Planning

Nicholas de Monchaux, MArch

Professor of Architecture

Professor of Urban Studies and Planning

Head, Department of Architecture

Joseph Ferreira Jr, PhD

Professor Post-Tenure of Urban Planning and Operations Research

Amy K. Glasmeier, PhD

Professor of Economic Geography and Regional Planning

Erica C. James, PhD

Professor of Medical Anthropology and Urban Studies

Professor of Anthropology

Eric Klopfer, PhD

Professor of Comparative Media Studies

Professor of Education

Janelle Knox-Hayes, PhD

Professor of Economic Geography and Planning

(On leave, spring)

Jennifer S. Light, PhD

Bern Dibner Professor of the History of Science and Technology

Brent D. Ryan, PhD

Professor of Urban Design and Public Policy

Bishwapriya Sanyal, PhD

Ford International Professor

Professor of International Development and Planning

Hashim Sarkis, PhD

Professor of Urban Planning

Dean, School of Architecture and Planning

Anne Whiston Spirn, PhD

Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor

Professor of Planning

Professor of Landscape Architecture

Lawrence E. Susskind, PhD

Ford Professor in Urban Studies

Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning

J. Phillip Thompson, PhD

Professor of Political Science and Urban Planning

Lawrence Vale, DPhil

Ford International Professor in Urban Studies

Professor of Urban Design and Planning

Jinhua Zhao, PhD

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Member, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Siqi Zheng, PhD

Samuel Tak Lee Professor

Professor of Urban and Real Estate Sustainability

Associate Professors

Devin Michelle Bunten, PhD

Associate Professor of Urban Economics and Housing

Gabriella Carolini, PhD

Associate Professor of International Development and Urban Planning

Catherine D'Ignazio, PhD

Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning

David Hsu, PhD

Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning

(On leave, fall)

Jason Jackson, PhD

Associate Professor of Political Economy and Urban Planning

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, SJD

Associate Professor of Law and Development

Albert Saiz, PhD

Daniel Rose Professor

Associate Professor of Urban Economics and Real Estate

Andres Sevtsuk, PhD

Charles and Ann Spaulding Career Development Professor

Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning

Justin Steil, JD, PhD

Associate Professor of Law and Urban Planning

Sarah E. Williams, MCP

Norman B. and Muriel Leventhal Professor

Associate Professor of Information Technologies and Urban Planning

Assistant Professors

Karilyn Crockett, PhD

Ford Career Development Professor

Assistant Professor of History and Urban Planning

Delia Wendel, PhD

Assistant Professor of International Development and Urban Planning

Professors of the Practice

Ceasar L. McDowell, EdD

Professor of the Practice of Civic Design

Carlo Ratti, PhD

Professor of the Practice of Urban Technologies

Elisabeth Reynolds, PhD

Professor of the Practice of Urban Studies and Planning

Associate Professors of the Practice

Holly Harriel, EdD

Associate Professor of the Practice of Urban Studies and Planning

Jeffrey Levine, MS

Associate Professor of the Practice of Economic Development and Planning

Mary Anne Ocampo, MArch

Associate Professor of the Practice of Urban Design and Planning

Kairos Shen, MS

Senior Lecturers

Joseph F. Coughlin, PhD

Senior Lecturer in Urban Studies and Planning

Walter N. Torous, PhD

Senior Lecturer in Real Estate

Cherie Abbanat, MCP

Lecturer of International Development and Urban Studies

Sarah Abrams, MS

Lecturer of Real Estate

James Aloisi, MA, JD

Lecturer in Urban Studies and Planning

Garnette Cadogan, BA

Tunney Lee Distinguished Lecturer

Jennifer Cookke, MS, MBA

Mary Jane Daly, MCP

Ezra Glenn, MA

Christopher Gordon, MS

Eric Huntley, PhD

Lecturer of GIS, Data Visualization and Graphics

John Kennedy, MS

W. Tod McGrath, MBA

Julie Newman, PhD

Lecturer of Environmental Planning and Sustainability

Peter Roth, MS, MArch

Gloria Schuck, PhD

Yanni Tsipis, MS

Bruno Verdini Trejo, PhD

Lecturer of Urban Planning and Negotiation

Visiting Lecturers

Kate Mytty, MCP

Visiting Lecturer of Real Estate

Professors Emeriti

Lawrence Bacow, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning

Robert M. Fogelson, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies

Professor Emeritus of History

Dennis M. Frenchman, MArch, MCP

Professor Emeritus of Urban Design and Planning

Ralph Gakenheimer, PhD

David M. Geltner, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Real Estate Finance

Gary A. Hack, MArch, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Urban Design

Langley C. Keyes Jr, PhD

Ford International Professor Emeritus

Professor Emeritus of City and Regional Planning

Frank Levy, PhD

Daniel Rose Professor Emeritus

Professor Emeritus of Urban Economics

Gary Marx, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Sociology

Paul Osterman, PhD

Nanyang Technological University Professor Emeritus

Professor Emeritus of Human Resources and Management

Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies and Planning

Karen R. Polenske, PhD

Professor Emerita of Regional Political Economy and Planning

Adèle Naudé Santos, MArch, MCP, MAUD

Professor Emerita of Architecture

Professor Emerita of Urban Planning

James Wescoat, PhD

Aga Khan Professor Emeritus

William C. Wheaton, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Economics

Clarence G. Williams, PhD

Adjunct Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies and Planning

Introductory Subjects

11.001[j] introduction to urban design and development.

Same subject as 4.250[J] Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H

Examines the evolving structure of cities and the way that cities, suburbs, and metropolitan areas can be designed and developed. Surveys the ideas of a wide range of people who have addressed urban problems. Stresses the connection between values and design. Demonstrates how physical, social, political and economic forces interact to shape and reshape cities over time. Introduces links between urban design and urban science.

L. Vale (fall); A. Sevtsuk (spring)

11.002[J] Making Public Policy

Same subject as 17.30[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 4-0-8 units. HASS-S; CI-H

Examines how the struggle among competing advocates shapes the outputs of government. Considers how conditions become problems for government to solve, why some political arguments are more persuasive than others, why some policy tools are preferred over others, and whether policies achieve their goals. Investigates the interactions among elected officials, think tanks, interest groups, the media, and the public in controversies over global warming, urban sprawl, Social Security, health care, education, and other issues.

11.003[J] Methods of Policy Analysis

Same subject as 17.303[J] Prereq: 11.002[J] ; Coreq: 14.01 Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Provides students with an introduction to public policy analysis. Examines various approaches to policy analysis by considering the concepts, tools, and methods used in economics, political science, and other disciplines. Students apply and critique these approaches through case studies of current public policy problems.

11.004[J] People and the Planet: Environmental Histories and Engineering

Same subject as STS.033[J] Subject meets with 11.204[J] , IDS.524[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-3-6 units. HASS-E

Explores historical and cultural aspects of complex environmental problems and engineering approaches to sustainable solutions. Introduces quantitative analyses and methodological tools to understand environmental issues that have human and natural components. Demonstrates concepts through a series of historical and cultural analyses of environmental challenges and their engineering responses. Builds writing, quantitative modeling, and analytical skills in assessing environmental systems problems and developing engineering solutions. Through environmental data gathering and analysis, students engage with the challenges and possibilities of engineering in complex, interacting systems, and investigate plausible, symbiotic, systems-oriented solutions. Students taking graduate version complete additional analysis of reading assignments and a more in-depth and longer final paper. 

A. Slocum, R. Scheffler, J. Trancik

11.005 Introduction to International Development

Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Introduces the political economy of international economic development planning, using an applied, quantitative approach. Considers why some countries are able to develop faster than others. Presents major theories and models of development and underdevelopment, providing tools to understand the mechanisms and processes behind economic growth and broader notions of progress. Offers an alternative view of development, focusing on the persistence of dichotomies in current theory and practice. Using specific cases, explores how different combinations of actors and institutions at various scales may promote or inhibit economic development. Students re-examine conventional knowledge and engage critically with the assumptions behind current thinking and policy.

11.006 Poverty and Economic Security

Subject meets with 11.206 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Explores the evolution of poverty and economic security in the US within a global context. Examines the impacts of recent economic restructuring and globalization. Reviews current debates about the fate of the middle class, sources of increasing inequality, and approaches to advancing economic opportunity and security. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

A. Glasmeier

11.007 Urban and Environmental Technology Implementation Lab

Prereq: None U (Spring) 2-2-8 units

Real-world clients and environmental problems form the basis of a project in which teams of students develop strategies for analysis and implementation of new sensor technology within cities. Working closely with a partner or client based on the MIT campus or in Cambridge, students assess the environmental problem, implement prototypes, and recommend promising solutions to the client for implementation. Equipment and working space provided. Limited to 12.

11.008 Undergraduate Planning Seminar

Prereq: None U (Fall) 2-0-4 units Can be repeated for credit.

A weekly seminar that includes discussions on topics in cities and urban planning, including guest lectures from DUSP faculty and practicing planners. Topics include urban science, zoning, architecture and urban design, urban sociology, politics and public policy, transportation and mobility, democratic governance, civil rights and social justice, urban economics, affordable housing, environmental policy and planning, real estate and economic development, agriculture and food policy, public health, and international development. Weekly student presentations on local planning issues and current events; occasional walking tours or arranged field trips. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 11 and 11-6 sophomores and juniors.

11.011 The Art and Science of Negotiation

Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Introduction to negotiation theory and practice. Applications in government, business, and nonprofit settings are examined. Combines a "hands-on" personal skill-building orientation with a look at pertinent tactical and strategic foundations. Preparation insights, persuasion tools, ethical benchmarks, and institutional influences are examined as they shape our ability to analyze problems, negotiate agreements, and resolve disputes in social, organizational, and political circumstances characterized by interdependent interests. Enrollment limited by lottery; consult class website for information and deadlines.

11.013[J] American Urban History

Same subject as 21H.217[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-0-7 units. HASS-H; CI-H

Seminar on the history of institutions and institutional change in American cities from roughly 1850 to the present. Among the institutions to be looked at are political machines, police departments, courts, schools, prisons, public authorities, and universities. Focuses on readings and discussions.

11.014[J] History of the Built Environment in the US

Same subject as 21H.218[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-7 units. HASS-H; CI-H

Seminar on the history of selected features of the physical environment of urban America. Among the features considered are parks, cemeteries, tenements, suburbs, zoos, skyscrapers, department stores, supermarkets, and amusement parks.

R. M. Fogelson

11.015[J] Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History

Same subject as 21H.226[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-H

See description under subject 21H.226[J] .

11.016[J] The Once and Future City

Same subject as 4.211[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-H; CI-H

Examines the evolving structure of cities, the dynamic processes that shape them, and the significance of a city's history for its future development. Develops the ability to read urban form as an interplay of natural processes and human purposes over time. Field assignments in Boston provide the opportunity to use, develop, and refine these concepts. Enrollment limited.

11.021[J] Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics: Pollution Prevention and Control

Same subject as 1.801[J] , 17.393[J] , IDS.060[J] Subject meets with 1.811[J] , 11.630[J] , 15.663[J] , IDS.540[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Analyzes federal and state regulation of air and water pollution, hazardous waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and production/use of toxic chemicals. Analyzes pollution/climate change as economic problems and failure of markets. Explores the role of science and economics in legal decisions. Emphasizes use of legal mechanisms and alternative approaches (i.e., economic incentives, voluntary approaches) to control pollution and encourage chemical accident and pollution prevention. Focuses on major federal legislation, underlying administrative system, and common law in analyzing environmental policy, economic consequences, and role of the courts. Discusses classical pollutants and toxic industrial chemicals, greenhouse gas emissions, community right-to-know, and environmental justice. Develops basic legal skills: how to read/understand cases, regulations, and statutes. Students taking graduate version explore the subject in greater depth.

N. Ashford, C. Caldart

11.022[J] Regulation of Chemicals, Radiation, and Biotechnology

Same subject as 1.802[J] , IDS.061[J] Subject meets with 1.812[J] , 10.805[J] , 11.631[J] , IDS.436[J] , IDS.541[J] Prereq: IDS.060[J] or permission of instructor U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Focuses on policy design and evaluation in the regulation of hazardous substances and processes. Includes risk assessment, industrial chemicals, pesticides, food contaminants, pharmaceuticals, radiation and radioactive wastes, product safety, workplace hazards, indoor air pollution, biotechnology, victims' compensation, and administrative law. Health and economic consequences of regulation, as well as its potential to spur technological change, are discussed for each regulatory regime. Students taking the graduate version are expected to explore the subject in greater depth.

11.024 Modeling Pedestrian Activity in Cities

Subject meets with 11.324 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Investigates the interaction between pedestrian activity, urban form, and land-use patterns in relatively dense urban environments. Informed by recent literature on pedestrian mobility, behavior, and biases, subject takes a practical approach, using software tools and analysis methods to operationalize and model pedestrian activity. Uses simplified yet powerful and scalable network analysis methods that focus uniquely on pedestrians, rather than engaging in comprehensive travel demand modeling across all modes. Emphasizes not only modeling or predicting pedestrian activity in given built settings, but also analyzing and understanding how changes in the built environment — land use changes, density changes, and connectivity changes — can affect pedestrian activity. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

A. Sevtsuk 

11.025[J] D-Lab: Development

Same subject as EC.701[J] Subject meets with 11.472[J] , EC.781[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-2-7 units. HASS-S

See description under subject EC.701[J] . Enrollment limited by lottery; must attend first class session.

S. L. Hsu, B. Sanyal

11.026[J] Downtown

Same subject as 21H.321[J] Subject meets with 11.339 Prereq: None U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-7 units. HASS-H

See description under subject 21H.321[J] .

11.027 City to City: Comparing, Researching, and Reflecting on Practice

Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Introduces students to practice through researching, writing, and working for and with nonprofits. Students work directly with nonprofits and community partners to help find solutions to real world problems; interview planners and other field experts, and write and present findings to nonprofit partners and community audiences.

11.029[J] Mobility Ventures: Driving Innovation in Transportation Systems

Same subject as 15.3791[J] Subject meets with 11.529[J] , 15.379[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-3-6 units

Explores technological, behavioral, policy, and systems-wide frameworks for innovation in transportation systems, complemented with case studies across the mobility spectrum, from autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility to last-mile sidewalk robots. Students interact with a series of guest lecturers from CEOs and other business and government executives who are actively reshaping the future of mobility. Interdisciplinary teams of students collaborate to deliver business plans for proposed mobility-focused startups with an emphasis on primary market research. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Preference to juniors and seniors.

J. Zhao, J. Moavenzadeh, J. Larios Berlin

11.041 Introduction to Housing, Community, and Economic Development

Subject meets with 11.401 Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Provides a critical introduction to the shape and determinants of political, social, and economic inequality in America, with a focus on racial and economic justice. Explores the role of the city in visions of justice. Analyzes the historical, political, and institutional contexts of housing and community development policy in the US, including federalism, municipal fragmentation, and decentralized public financing. Introduces major dimensions in US housing policy, such as housing finance, public housing policy, and state and local housing affordability mechanisms. Reviews major themes in community economic development, including drivers of economic inequality, small business policy, employment policy, and cooperative economics. Expectations and evaluation criteria differ for students taking graduate version.

11.045[J] Power: Interpersonal, Organizational, and Global Dimensions

Same subject as 15.302[J] , 17.045[J] , 21A.127[J] Subject meets with 21A.129 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

See description under subject 21A.127[J] .

11.067 Land Use Law and Politics: Race, Place, and Law

Subject meets with 11.367 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Explores conceptions of spatial justice and introduces students to basic principles of US law and legal analysis, focused on property, land use, equal protection, civil rights, fair housing, and local government law, in order to examine who should control how land is used. Examines the rights of owners of land and the types of regulatory and market-based tools that are available to control land use, and discusses why and when government regulation, rather than private market ordering, might be necessary to control land use patterns. Explores basic principles of civil rights and anti-discrimination law and focuses on particular civil rights problems associated with the land use regulatory system, such as exclusionary zoning, residential segregation, the fair distribution of undesirable land uses, and gentrification. Introduces basic skills of statutory drafting and interpretation. Assignments differ for those taking the graduate version.

11.074 Cybersecurity Clinic

Subject meets with 11.274 Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) 2-4-6 units. REST

Provides an opportunity for MIT students to become certified in methods of assessing the vulnerability of public agencies (particularly agencies that manage critical urban infrastructure) to the risk of cyberattack. Certification involves completing an 8-hour, self-paced, online set of four modules during the first four weeks of the semester followed by a competency exam. Students who successfully complete the exam become certified. The certified students work in teams with client agencies in various cities around the United States. Through preparatory interactions with the agencies, and short on-site visits, teams prepare vulnerability assessments that client agencies can use to secure the technical assistance and financial support they need to manage the risks of cyberattack they are facing. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 15.

L. Susskind

11.092 Renewable Energy Facility Siting Clinic

Subject meets with 11.592 Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) 2-4-6 units

Presents methods for resolving facility siting disputes, particularly those involving renewable energy. After completing four modules and a competency exam for MITx certification, students work in teams to help client communities in various cities around the United States. Through direct interactions with the proponents and opponents of facilities subject to local opposition, students complete a stakeholder assessment and offer joint fact-finding and collaborative problem-solving assistance. The political, legal, financial, and regulatory aspects of facility siting, particularly for renewable energy, are reviewed along with key infrastructure planning principles. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 15.

Specialized Subjects

11.100 introduction to computational thinking in cities.

Prereq: None. Coreq: 6.100B Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Fall) 1-0-2 units

Highlights how computer science may inform and impact how cities are conceptualized, planned, designed, regulated, and managed. The first half of the class explores the history of computational approaches in urban planning between around 1950 and 2020. The second half attempts to connect the data science concepts learned in 6.100B to topics in city planning and design. Subject can count toward the 6-unit discovery-focused credit limit for first-year students.

11.107 Economic Development Planning and Policy

Subject meets with 11.407 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Introduces tools and techniques in economic development planning. Extensive use of data collection, analysis, and display techniques. Students build interpretive intuition skills through user experience design activities and develop a series of memos summarizing the results of their data analysis. These are aggregated into a final report, and include the tools developed over the semester. Students taking graduate version complete modified assignments focused on developing computer applications.

11.111[J] Leadership in Negotiation: Advanced Applications

Same subject as 17.381[J] Prereq: 11.011 or permission of instructor U (Fall) 4-0-8 units. HASS-S

Building on the skills and strategies honed in 11.011 , explores advanced negotiation practice. Emphasizes an experiential skill-building approach, underpinned by cutting-edge cases and innovative research. Examines applications in high-stakes management, public policy, social entrepreneurship, international diplomacy, and scientific discovery. Strengthens collaborative decision-making, persuasion, and leadership skills by negotiating across different media and through personalized coaching, enhancing students' ability to proactively engage stakeholders, transform organizations, and inspire communities. Limited by lottery; consult class website for information and deadlines.

11.113 The Economic Approach to Cities and Environmental Sustainability

Subject meets with 11.413 Prereq: 1.010 , 14.30 , 18.650[J] , or permission of instructor U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S Can be repeated for credit.

Provides a systematic framework of the interplay (both tension and synergy) between urbanization and environmental sustainability from a global perspective. Enhances analytical reasoning and quantitative skills to assist evidence-based empirical study and policy design evaluation. Explores the causes and consequences of urban environmental quality dynamics, and provides econometric tools to quantify such relationships. Examines state-of-the-art research in this field by introducing empirical studies from both developing and developed countries (highlighting fast urbanization). Themes include urban production, households, transportation and form, as well as political economy and climate resilience. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.119 NEET Seminar: Digital Cities

Prereq: None U (Fall) 1-0-2 units Can be repeated for credit.

Seminar for students enrolled in the Digital Cities NEET thread. Focuses on topics around clean energy and sustainability in cities via guest lectures and research discussions.

11.122[J] Law, Technology, and Public Policy

Same subject as IDS.066[J] Subject meets with 11.422[J] , 15.655[J] , IDS.435[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

See description under subject IDS.066[J] .

11.123 Big Plans and Mega-Urban Landscapes

Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-6 units. HASS-S

Explores the physical, ecological, technological, political, economic and cultural implications of big plans and mega-urban landscapes in a global context. Uses local and international case studies to understand the process of making major changes to urban landscape and city fabric, and to regional landscape systems. Includes lectures by leading practitioners. Assignments consider planning and design strategies across multiple scales and time frames.

11.124[J] Introduction to Education: Looking Forward and Looking Back on Education

Same subject as CMS.586[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-6-3 units. HASS-S; CI-H

See description under subject CMS.586[J] . Limited to 25.

11.125[J] Introduction to Education: Understanding and Evaluating Education

Same subject as CMS.587[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-6-3 units. HASS-S; CI-H

See description under subject CMS.587[J] . Limited to 25.

11.127[J] Design and Development of Games for Learning

Same subject as CMS.590[J] Subject meets with 11.252[J] , CMS.863[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-6-3 units. HASS-H

See description under subject CMS.590[J] .

11.129[J] Educational Theory and Practice I

Same subject as CMS.591[J] Prereq: None. Coreq: CMS.586[J] U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

See description under subject CMS.591[J] . Limited to 15; preference to juniors and seniors.

G. Schwanbeck

11.130[J] Educational Theory and Practice II

Same subject as CMS.592[J] Prereq: CMS.591[J] U (IAP) 3-0-9 units

See description under subject CMS.592[J] .

11.131[J] Educational Theory and Practice III

Same subject as CMS.593[J] Prereq: CMS.592[J] U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

See description under subject CMS.593[J] .

11.133[J] Dilemmas in Biomedical Ethics: Playing God or Doing Good?

Same subject as 21A.302[J] , WGS.271[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

An introduction to the cross-cultural study of biomedical ethics. Examines moral foundations of the science and practice of western biomedicine through case studies of abortion, contraception, cloning, organ transplantation and other issues. Evaluates challenges that new medical technologies pose to the practice and availability of medical services around the globe, and to cross-cultural ideas of kinship and personhood. Discusses critiques of the biomedical tradition from anthropological, feminist, legal, religious, and cross-cultural theorists.

E. C. James

11.134[J] Infections and Inequalities: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Health

Same subject as HST.431[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Examines case studies in infectious disease outbreaks to demonstrate how human health is a product of multiple determinants, such as biology, sociocultural and historical factors, politics, economic processes, and the environment. Analyzes how structural inequalities render certain populations vulnerable to illness and explores the moral and ethical dimensions of public health and clinical interventions to promote health. Limited to 25.

E. James, A. Chakraborty

11.135 Violence, Human Rights, and Justice

Prereq: None U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

An examination of the problem of mass violence and oppression in the contemporary world, and of the concept of human rights as a defense against such abuse. Explores questions of cultural relativism, race, gender and ethnicity. Examines case studies from war crimes tribunals, truth commissions, anti-terrorist policies and other judicial attempts to redress state-sponsored wrongs. Considers whether the human rights framework effectively promotes the rule of law in modern societies. Students debate moral positions and address ideas of moral relativism.

11.136 Global Mental Health

Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Provides skills to critically analyze issues of mental health in historical and cross-cultural contexts. Studies mental illness as a complex biopsychosocial experience embedded in particular political and economic frameworks. Examines the relationships among culture, gender, embodiment, and emotional distress; power inequalities and ideas of the "normal" and "abnormal;" and how such conceptions influence care-giving practices, whether in traditional or biomedical contexts. Evaluates how the disciplines of psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychiatry have developed in the West, and considers their influence on mental health interventions in global settings. Limited to 25.

11.137 Financing Economic Development and Housing

Subject meets with 11.437 Prereq: None U (Spring) 4-0-8 units

Studies financing tools and program models to support and promote local economic development and housing. Overview of public and private capital markets and financing sources helps illustrate market imperfections that constrain economic and housing development and increase race and class disparaties. Explores federal housing and economic development programs as well as state and local public finance tools. Covers policies and program models. Investigates public finance practice to better understand how these finance programs affect other municipal operations. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 25.

11.138 Crowd Sourced City: Civic Tech Prototyping

Subject meets with 11.458 Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Investigates the use of social medial and digital technologies for planning and advocacy by working with actual planning and advocacy organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate prototype digital tools. Students use the development of their digital tools as a way to investigate new media technologies that can be used for planning. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

S. Williams, C. D'Ignazio

11.139 The City in Film

Subject meets with 11.239 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-2-5 units. HASS-H; CI-H

Surveys important developments in urbanism from 1900 to the present, using film as a lens to explore and interpret aspects of the urban experience in the US and abroad. Topics include industrialization, demographics, diversity, the environment, and the relationship between the community and the individual. Films vary from year to year but always include a balance of classics from the history of film, an occasional experimental/avant-garde film, and a number of more recent, mainstream movies. Students taking undergraduate version complete writing assignments that focus on observation, analysis, and the essay, and give an oral presentation. Limited to 18.

11.140 Urbanization and Development

Examines developmental dynamics of rapidly urbanizing locales, with a special focus on the developing world. Case studies from India, China, Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa form the basis for discussion of social, spatial, political and economic changes in cities spurred by the decline of industry, the rise of services, and the proliferation of urban mega projects. Emphasizes the challenges of growing urban inequality, environmental risk, citizen displacement, insufficient housing, and the lack of effective institutions for metropolitan governance.

11.142 Geography of the Global Economy

Subject meets with 11.442 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Analyzes implications of economic globalization for communities, regions, international businesses and economic development organizations. Uses spatial analysis techniques to model the role of energy resources in shaping international political economy. Investigates key drivers of human, physical, and social capital flows and their roles in modern human settlement systems. Surveys contemporary models of industrialization and places them in geographic context. Connects forces of change with their implications for the distribution of wealth and human well-being. Looks backward to understand pre-Covid conditions and then returns to the present to understand how a global pandemic changes the world. Class relies on current literature and explorations of sectors. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.143 Research Methods in Global Health and Development

Subject meets with 11.243 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-3-6 units. HASS-S

Provides training for students to critically analyze the relationship between "health" and "development." Draws upon the theory and methods of medical anthropology, social medicine, public health, and development to track how culture, history, and political economy influence health and disease in global communities. Students work in teams to formulate research questions, and collect and analyze qualitative data in clinical and community settings in the greater Boston area, in order to design effective development interventions aimed at reducing health disparities in the US and abroad. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.144 Project Appraisal in Developing Countries

Prereq: Permission of instructor U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Covers techniques of financial analysis of investment expenditures, as well as the economic and distributive appraisal of development projects. Critical analysis of these tools in the political economy of international development is discussed. Topics include appraisal's role in the project cycle, planning under conditions of uncertainty, constraints in data quality and the limits of rational analysis, and the coordination of an interdisciplinary appraisal team. Enrollment limited; preference to majors.

11.145 International Housing Economics and Finance

Prereq: 14.01 U (Spring) 3-0-6 units Credit cannot also be received for 11.355

Presents a theory of comparative differences in international housing outcomes. Introduces institutional differences in the ways housing expenditures are financed, and the economic determinants of housing outcomes, such as construction costs, land values, housing quality, and ownership rates. Analyzes the flow of funds to and from the different national housing finance sectors. Develops an understanding of the greater financial and macroeconomic implications of the mortgage credit sector, and how policies affect the ways housing asset fluctuations impact national economies. Considers the perspective of investors in international real estate markets and the risks and rewards involved. Draws on lessons from an international comparative approach, and applies them to economic and finance policies at the local, state/provincial, and federal levels within a country of choice. Meets with 11.355 when offered concurrently. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.147 Budgeting and Finance for the Public Sector

Subject meets with 11.487 Prereq: Permission of instructor U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Examines globally relevant challenges of adequately and effectively attending to public sector responsibilities for basic services with limited resources. Particular attention to the contexts of fiscal crises and rapid population growth, as well as shrinkage, through an introduction to methods and processes of budgeting, accounting, and financial mobilization. Case studies and practice exercises explore revenue strategies, demonstrate fiscal analytical competencies, and familiarize students with pioneering examples of promising budget and accounting processes and innovative funding mobilization via taxation, capital markets, and other mechanisms (e.g., land-value capture). Students taking graduate version explore the subject in greater depth.

G. Carolini

11.148 Environmental Justice: Law and Policy

Subject meets with 11.368 Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Introduces frameworks for analyzing and addressing inequalities in the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, particularly by race and by class. Explores the foundations and principles of the environmental justice movement from the perspectives of social science, public policy, and law. Introduces basic principles of US constitutional and environmental law, with a focus on equal protection and civil rights. Applies environmental justice principles to contemporary issues in urban policy and planning, including effects of and responses to climate change and global heating. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.149 Decarbonizing Urban Mobility

Subject meets with 11.449 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-3-6 units

Focuses on measuring and reducing emissions from passenger transportation. After examining travel, energy, and climate conditions, students review existing approaches to transport decarbonization. Evaluates new mobility technologies through their potential to contribute to (or delay) a zero emission mobility system. Students consider the policy tools required to achieve approaches to achieve change. Frames past and future emission reductions using an approach based on the Kaya Identity, decomposing past (and potential future) emissions into their component pieces. Seeks to enable students to be intelligent evaluators of approaches to transportation decarbonization and equip them with the tools to develop and evaluate policy measures relevant to their local professional challenges. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

J. Zhao, A. Salzberg

11.150[J] Metropolis: A Comparative History of New York City

Same subject as 21H.220[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-H

See description under subject 21H.220[J] .

11.151[J] Youth Political Participation

Same subject as STS.080[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units. HASS-H

See description under subject STS.080[J] . Limited to 40.

J. S. Light

11.152[J] The Ghetto: From Venice to Harlem

Same subject as 21H.385[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

See description under subject 21H.385[J] .

11.153[J] Shanghai and China's Modernization

Same subject as 21H.351[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-10 units. HASS-H

See description under subject 21H.351[J] .

11.154 Big Data, Visualization, and Society

Subject meets with 11.454 Prereq: None U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S Credit cannot also be received for 6.8530 , 6.C35[J] , 6.C85[J] , 11.454 , 11.C35[J] , 11.C85[J]

Data visualizations communicate the insights found in data to non-technical audiences. Students develop technical skills to work with big data to expose societal issues and communicate the insights. Focuses on different topics each year. After framing that topic, the first half of the subject focuses on learning to analyze the data with Python. The second half of the subject focuses on learning web-based data visualization tools (JavaScript and D3). Students learn data storytelling concepts and produce web-based data visualizations for their final projects. Throughout, students learn ethical data practices. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

S. Williams

11.C35[J] Interactive Data Visualization and Society

Same subject as 6.C35[J] Subject meets with 6.C85[J] , 11.C85[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-1-8 units Credit cannot also be received for 6.8530 , 11.154 , 11.454

See description under subject 6.C35[J] . Enrollment limited.

C. D'Ignazio, A. Satyanarayan, S. Williams

11.155[J] Data and Society

Same subject as IDS.057[J] , STS.005[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H

See description under subject STS.005[J] .

E. Medina, S. Williams

11.156 Healthy Cities: Assessing Health Impacts of Policies and Plans

Subject meets with 11.356 Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines the built, psychosocial, economic, and natural environment factors that affect health behaviors and outcomes, including population-level patterns of disease distribution and health disparities. Introduces tools designed to integrate public health considerations into policy-making and planning. Assignments provide students opportunities to develop extensive practical experience bringing a health lens to policy, budgeting, and/or planning debates. Emphasizes health equity and healthy cities, and explores the relationship between health equity and broader goals for social and racial justice. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 30.

11.157[J] China's Growth: Political Economy, Business, and Urbanization

Same subject as 15.2391[J] Subject meets with 11.257[J] , 15.239[J] Prereq: None U (Spring; second half of term) 3-0-3 units

Examines different aspects of the growth of China, which has the second largest economy in the world. Studies the main drivers of Chinese economic growth and the forces behind the largest urbanization in human history. Discusses how to understand China's booming real estate market, and how Chinese firms operate to attain their success, whether through hard-working entrepreneurship or political connections with the government. Explores whether the top-down urban and industrial policy interventions improve efficiency or cause misallocation problems, and whether the Chinese political system in an enabler of Chinese growth or a potential impediment to the country's future growth prospects. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

Y. Huang, S. Zheng, Z. Tan

11.158 Behavioral Science, AI, and Urban Mobility

Subject meets with 11.478 Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Integrates behavioral science, artificial intelligence, and transportation technology to shape travel behavior, design mobility systems and business, and reform transportation policies. Introduces methods to sense travel behavior with new technology and measurements; nudge behavior through perception and preference shaping; design mobility systems and ventures that integrate autonomous vehicles, shared mobility, and public transit; and regulate travel with behavior-sensitive transport policies. Challenges students to pilot behavioral experiments and design creative mobility systems, business and policies. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.159 Entrepreneurial Negotiation

Subject meets with 11.259 Prereq: None U (Fall; partial term) 1-3-2 units

Combines online weekly face-to-face negotiation exercises and in-person lectures designed to empower budding entrepreneurs with negotiation techniques to protect and increase the value of their ideas, deal with ego and build trust in relationships, and navigate entrepreneurial bargaining under constraints of economic uncertainty and complex technical considerations. Students must complete scheduled weekly assignments, including feedback memos to counterpart negotiators, and meet on campus with the instructor to discuss and reflect on their experiences with the course. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.164[J] Human Rights at Home and Abroad

Same subject as 17.391[J] Subject meets with 11.497 Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: U (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-0-10 units. HASS-S

Provides a rigorous and critical introduction to the history, foundation, structure, and operation of the human rights movement. Focuses on key ideas, actors, methods and sources, and critically evaluates the field. Addresses current debates in human rights, including the relationship with security, democracy, development and globalization, urbanization, equality (in housing and other economic and social rights; women's rights; ethnic, religious and racial discrimination; and policing/conflict), post-conflict rebuilding and transitional justice, and technology in human rights activism. No prior coursework needed, but work experience, or community service that demonstrates familiarity with global affairs or engagement with ethics and social justice issues, preferred. Students taking graduate version are expected to write a research paper.

B. Rajagopal

11.165 Urban Energy Systems and Policy

Subject meets with 1.286[J] , 11.477[J] Prereq: 14.01 or permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Examines efforts in developing and advanced nations and regions. Examines key issues in the current and future development of urban energy systems, such as technology, use, behavior, regulation, climate change, and lack of access or energy poverty. Case studies on a diverse sampling of cities explore how prospective technologies and policies can be implemented. Includes intensive group research projects, discussion, and debate. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.166 Law, Social Movements, and Public Policy: Comparative and International Experience

Subject meets with 11.496 Prereq: Permission of instructor U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Studies the interaction between law, courts, and social movements in shaping domestic and global public policy. Examines how groups mobilize to use law to affect change and why they succeed and fail. Case studies explore the interplay between law, social movements, and public policy in current issues, such as gender, race, labor, trade, climate change/environment, and LGBTQ rights. Introduces theories of public policy, social movements, law and society, and transnational studies. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 15.

11.167[J] Global Energy: Politics, Markets, and Policy

Same subject as 14.47[J] , 15.2191[J] , 17.399[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units. HASS-S Credit cannot also be received for 11.267[J] , 15.219[J]

See description under subject 15.2191[J] . Preference to juniors, seniors, and Energy Minors.

11.169 Global Climate Policy and Sustainability

Subject meets with 11.269 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S

Examines climate politics both nationally and globally. Addresses economic growth, environmental preservation, and social equity through the lens of sustainability. Uses various country and regional cases to analyze how sociopolitical, economic and environmental values shape climate policy. Students develop recommendations for making climate policy more effective and sustainable. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 25.

J. Knox-Hayes

11.170 Cities and Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation

Subject meets with 11.270 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S Can be repeated for credit.

Examines climate adaptation and mitigation responses at the city level. Discusses factors of greatest concern in adapting cities to climate change, including infrastructure; energy, food, and water systems; health; housing; and environmental justice. Various city and regional cases are used to analyze how cities are mobilizing to face climate change and integrate core considerations into urban planning. Working on independent case studies, students analyze how cities make urban planning decisions with respect to climate adaptation. In the process, students practice analytical skills to better understand how urban policies are made, and how they can be improved. Students develop recommendations for making climate adaptation more effective and sustainable at the city level. Assignment requirements differ for students completing the graduate version. Limited to 25.

11.171 Indigenous Environmental Planning

Subject meets with 11.271 Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines how Indigenous peoples' relationships to their homelands and local environments has been adversely affected by Western planning. Explores how these relationships have changed over time as American Indians, Alaska Natives, and other groups indigenous to North America and Hawai'i have adapted to new conditions, including exclusion from markets of exchange, overhunting/overfishing, dispossession, petrochemical development, conservation, mainstream environmentalism, and climate change. Seeks to understand current environmental challenges and their roots and discover potential solutions to address these challenges. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

J. Knox-Hayes, L. Susskind

11.173[J] Infrastructure Design for Climate Change

Same subject as 1.103[J] Subject meets with 1.303[J] , 11.273[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: U (Fall) 0-2-4 units

See description under subject 1.103[J] . Enrollment limited; preference to juniors and seniors.

H. Einstein

Laboratories

11.188 introduction to spatial analysis and gis laboratory.

Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) 3-3-6 units. Institute LAB Credit cannot also be received for 11.205

An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a tool for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Explores how GIS can make maps, guide decisions, answer questions, and advocate for change. Class builds toward a project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Students build data discovery, cartography, and spatial analysis skills while learning to reflect on their positionality within the research design process. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.

S. Williams, C. D'Ignazio, E. Huntley

Tutorials, Fieldwork, and Internships

11.uar[j] climate and sustainability undergraduate advanced research.

Same subject as 1.UAR[J] , 3.UAR[J] , 5.UAR[J] , 12.UAR[J] , 15.UAR[J] , 22.UAR[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor U (Fall, Spring) 2-0-4 units Can be repeated for credit.

See description under subject 1.UAR[J] . Application required; consult MCSC website for more information.

D. Plata, E. Olivetti

11.UR Undergraduate Research

Prereq: None U (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

Undergraduate research opportunities in Urban Studies and Planning. For further information, consult the Departmental Coordinators.

11.URG Undergraduate Research

Prereq: None U (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.THT[J] Thesis Research Design Seminar

Same subject as 4.THT[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units Can be repeated for credit.

Designed for students writing a thesis in Urban Studies and Planning or Architecture. Develop research topics, review relevant research and scholarship, frame research questions and arguments, choose an appropriate methodology for analysis, and draft introductory and methodology sections.

11.THU Undergraduate Thesis

Prereq: 11.THT[J] U (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

Program of research leading to the writing of an SB thesis. To be arranged by the student under approved supervision.

11.189-11.190 Urban Fieldwork

Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

Practical application of city and regional planning techniques to towns, cities, and regions, including problems of replanning, redevelopment, and renewal of existing communities. Includes internships, under staff supervision, in municipal and state agencies and departments.

11.191-11.192 Independent Study

Prereq: None U (Fall, IAP, Spring) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

For undergraduates wishing to pursue further study in specialized areas of urban studies or city and regional planning not covered in regular subjects.

11.193-11.194 Supervised Readings

Reading and discussion of topics in urban studies and planning.

11.S03 Special Subject: Transportation Shaping Sustainable Urbanization: Connections with Behavior, Urban Economics and Planning

Prereq: None U (Fall; partial term) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-1 units

Explores changes in the built environment expected from transportation investments, and how they can be used to promote sustainable and equitable cities. Reflects on how notable characteristics of cities can be explained by their historical and current transportation features. Introduces theoretical basis and empirical evidence to analyze the urban transformation autonomous vehicles will bring and how shared mobility services affect travel behavior, and its implications from an urban planning perspective. Lectures interspersed with guest speakers and an optional field trip. Subject can count toward the 6-unit discovery-focused credit limit for first-year students. Licensed for Fall 2023 by the Committee on Curricula. Limited to 18.

F. Duarte, A. Borges Costa

11.S04 Special Subject: Topics in Affordable Housing

Prereq: None U (Fall) 1-0-2 units

Weekly seminar-style discussions on topics in affordable housing, including federal funding programs, homelessness prevention and shelters, local land use and zoning for affordability, innovative housing models/designs, fair housing laws, the history of public housing in the US, and international comparisons. Subject can count toward the 6-unit discovery-focused credit limit for first year students.

 Ezra Haber Glenn

11.S187 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None U (Fall) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

For undergraduates wishing to pursue further study or fieldwork in specialized areas of urban studies or city and regional planning not covered in regular subjects of instruction.

11.S188 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None U (Fall, IAP) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.S189 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None U (Spring) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.S195 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None U (Fall, Spring) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.S196-11.S199 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None U (Fall) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

For undergraduates wishing to pursue further study or fieldwork in specialized areas of urban studies or city and regional planning not covered in regular subjects of instruction. 11.S198 is graded P/D/F.

Master's Core Subjects

11.200 gateway: urban studies and planning 1.

Prereq: None G (Fall) 4-1-7 units

Introduces the theory and practice of planning and urban studies through exploration of the history of the field, case studies, and criticisms of traditional practice.

11.201 Gateway: Urban Studies and Planning 2

Prereq: 11.200 G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 4-1-7 units

Builds on 11.200 by exploring in more detail contemporary planning tools and techniques, as well as case studies of planning and urban studies practice.

11.202 Planning Economics

Prereq: 11.203 G (Spring; second half of term) 3-0-3 units

Students use economic theory tools acquired in 11.203 to understand the mutual processes of individual action and structural constraint and investigate crises in search of opportunities for mitigation and reparation. Investigates a variety of structural crises from throughout the realms of planning, such as: capitalism, climate change, and (in)action; white supremacy, segregation, and gentrification; colonialism, informality, and infrastructure; autocentricity and other legacies of the built environment.

11.203 Microeconomics

Prereq: None G (Spring; first half of term) 3-0-3 units

Students develop a suite of tools from economic theory to understand the mutual processes of individual action and structural constraint. Students apply these tools to human interaction and social decision-making. Builds an understanding of producer theory from the collaborative possibilities and physical constraints that unfold as production is scaled up. Presents consumer theory as the process of individuals doing the best for themselves, their families, and their communities -- subject to the sociostructural constraints under which they operate. Considers alternative frameworks of social welfare, with a specific focus on marginalization and crisis, as well as common policy interventions and their implications under different constructions of welfare.

11.204[J] People and the Planet: Environmental Histories and Engineering

Same subject as IDS.524[J] Subject meets with 11.004[J] , STS.033[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-3-6 units

Explores historical and cultural aspects of complex environmental problems and engineering approaches to sustainable solutions. Introduces quantitative analyses and methodological tools to understand environmental issues that have human and natural components. Demonstrates concepts through a series of historical and cultural analyses of environmental challenges and their engineering responses. Builds writing, quantitative modeling, and analytical skills in assessing environmental systems problems and developing engineering solutions. Through environmental data gathering and analysis, students engage with the challenges and possibilities of engineering in complex, interacting systems, and investigate plausible, symbiotic, systems-oriented solutions. Students taking graduate version complete additional analysis of reading assignments and a more in-depth and longer final paper.

11.205 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS

Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring; first half of term) 2-2-2 units Credit cannot also be received for 11.188

An introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS): a tool for visualizing and analyzing data representing locations and their attributes. GIS is invaluable for planners, scholars, and professionals who shape cities and a political instrument with which activists advocate for change. Class includes exercises to make maps, query databases, and analyze spatial data. Because maps and data are never neutral, the class incorporates discussions of power, ethics, and data throughout as part of a reflective practice. Limited enrollment; preference to first-year MCP students.

11.206 Poverty and Economic Security

Subject meets with 11.006 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units

11.220 Quantitative Reasoning and Statistical Methods for Planning I

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring; first half of term) 3-0-3 units

Develops logical, empirically based arguments using statistical techniques and analytic methods. Covers elementary statistics, probability, and other types of quantitative reasoning useful for description, estimation, comparison, and explanation. Emphasizes the use and limitations of analytical techniques in planning practice. Restricted to MCP students.

Department-wide Subjects

11.222 introduction to critical qualitative methods.

Prereq: None G (Fall; second half of term) 3-0-3 units

Introduces qualitative methods as an approach to critical inquiry in urban planning research and practice. Emphasizes the importance of historical context, place-specificity, and the experiences and views of individuals as ways of knowing relationships of power and privilege between people, in place, and over time. Explores a range of critical qualitative methods including those used in archival, interview, observational, visual, and case study analysis.

K. Crockett

11.228[J] Collectives: New Forms of Sharing

Same subject as 4.229[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

See description under subject 4.229[J] . Limited to 15.

Consult R. Segal

11.233 Research Design for Policy Analysis and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Develops skills in research design for policy analysis and planning. Emphasizes the logic of the research process and its constituent elements. Topics include philosophy of science, question formulation, hypothesis generation and theory construction, data collection techniques (e.g. experimental, survey, interview), ethical issues in research, and research proposal preparation. Limited to doctoral students in Course 11.

11.234 Making Sense: Qualitative Methods for Designers and Planners

Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-3-6 units

Surveys uses of qualitative methods and social theory in urban design and planning research and practice. Topics include observing environments, physical traces, and environmental behavior; asking questions; focused interviews; standardized questionnaires; use of written archival materials; use of visual materials, including photographs, new media, and maps; case studies; and comparative methods. Emphasizes use of each of these skills to collect and make sense of qualitative data in community and institutional settings.

11.236 Participatory Action Research (PAR)

Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Introduces students to participatory action research (PAR), an approach to research and inquiry that enables communities to examine and address consequential societal problems. Explores theoretical and practical questions at the heart of partnerships between applied social scientists and community partners. Focus includes the history of PAR and action research; debates regarding PAR as a form of applied social science; and practical, political, and ethical questions in the practice of PAR. Guides students through an iterative process for developing their own personal theories of practice. Covers co-designing and co-conducting research with community partners at various stages of the research process .Examines actual cases in which PAR-like methods have been used with greater or lesser success; and interaction with community members, organizations, and individuals who have been involved in PAR collaborations. 

11.238[J] Ethics of Intervention

Same subject as 21A.409[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

An historical and cross-cultural study of the logics and practices of intervention: the ways that individuals, institutions, and governments identify conditions of need or states of emergency within and across borders that require a response. Examines when a response is viewed as obligatory, when is it deemed unnecessary, and by whom; when the intercession is considered fulfilled; and the rationales or assumptions that are employed in assessing interventions. Theories of the state, globalization, and humanitarianism; power, policy, and institutions; gender, race, and ethnicity; and law, ethics, and morality are examined.

11.239 The City in Film

Subject meets with 11.139 Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-2-5 units

Surveys important developments in urbanism from 1900 to the present, using film as a lens to explore and interpret aspects of the urban experience in the US and abroad. Topics include industrialization, demographics, diversity, the environment, and the relationship between the community and the individual. Films vary from year to year but always include a balance of classics from the history of film, an occasional experimental/avant-garde film, and a number of more recent, mainstream movies. Students taking undergraduate version complete writing assignments that focus on observation, analysis, and the essay, and give an oral presentation.

11.240[J] Walking the City

Same subject as 4.242[J] Prereq: None G (Fall) 2-0-10 units Can be repeated for credit.

Students investigate how landscapes and cities shape them — and vice versa — by examining the literature of walking and the environments in which they move. Through extensive walking, students explore the city to analyze its design and varied histories, drawing on cartography, art, sociology, and memory to create fresh narratives. Students write architecture and city criticism, design "story maps," and are invited to walk as an art practice. Emphasis is on the relationship between the human body and freedom, or a lack thereof, and between pathways and the complex emotions that emerge from traversing them. Limited to 12. Preference to Course 4 and 11 graduate students who have completed at least two semesters.

11.243 Research Methods in Global Health and Development

Subject meets with 11.143 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-3-6 units

11.244[J] Race, History, and the Built Environment

Same subject as STS.424[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units

Examines how the development of the built environment produces and reproduces conceptions of race - sociobiological theories of human difference. Using historical and cross-cultural cases, tracks the social and political lives of material objects, infrastructures, technologies, and architectures using projects of settler colonialism, nation-building, community development and planning, and in post-conflict and post-disaster settings. Analyzes social theories of race, place, space, and materiality; power, identity, and embodiment; and memory, death, and haunting. Explores how conceptions of belonging, citizenship, and exclusion are represented and designed spatially through analysis of examples, such as the appropriation of land for infrastructure programs, the erasure and commemoration of heritage in public spaces, and the use of the built environment to impose colonial ideologies. Limited to 14 students.

Erica James

11.245[J] DesignX Entrepreneurship

Same subject as 4.245[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (IAP) 4-0-2 units

Students in teams accepted to the MITdesignX accelerator begin work on their ventures in this intense two-week bootcamp. Participants identify the needs and problems that demonstrate the demand for their innovative technology, policy, products, and/or services. They research and investigate various markets and stakeholders pertinent to their ventures, and begin to test their ideas and thesis in real-world interviews and interactions. Subject presented in workshop format, giving teams the chance to jump-start their ventures together with a cohort of people working on ideas that span the realm of design, planning real estate, and the human environment. Registration limited to students accepted to the MITdesignX accelerator in the fall.

S. Gronfeldt, D. Frenchman, G. Rosenzweig

11.246[J] DesignX Accelerator

Same subject as 4.246[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 2-4-6 units

Students continue to work in their venture teams to advance innovative ideas, products, and services oriented to design, planning, and the human environment. Presented in a workshop format with supplementary lectures. Teams are matched with external mentors for additional support in business and product development. At the end of the term, teams pitch their ventures to an audience from across the school and MIT, investors, industry, and cities. Registration limited to students accepted to the MITdesignX accelerator in the fall.

11.250 Transportation Research Design

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring) 2-0-1 units Can be repeated for credit.

Seminar dissects ten transportation studies from head to toe to illustrate how research ideas are initiated, framed, analyzed, evidenced, written, presented, criticized, revised, extended, and published, quoted and applied. Students learn by mimicking and learn by doing, and design and execute their own transportation research. Limited to 20.

11.251 Frontier of Transportation Research

Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) 1-0-2 units Can be repeated for credit.

Surveys the frontier of transportation research offered by 12 MIT faculty presenting their latest findings, ideas, and innovations. Students write weekly memos to reflect on these talks, make connections to their own research, and give short presentations.

Jinhua Zhao

11.252[J] Design and Development of Games for Learning

Same subject as CMS.863[J] Subject meets with 11.127[J] , CMS.590[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-6-3 units

See description under subject CMS.863[J] .

11.255 Negotiation and Dispute Resolution in the Public Sector

Prereq: None G (Spring) 4-0-8 units

Investigates social conflict and distributional disputes in the public sector. While theoretical aspects of conflict and consensus building are considered, focus is on the practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. Comparisons between unassisted and assisted negotiation are reviewed along with the techniques of facilitation and mediation.

11.256[J] Revealing the City

Same subject as 4.256[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-0-10 units

Through study of the essay as a literary form and mode of writing, students explore the promise and perils of the variegated city. Participants create artful narratives by examining how various literary forms — poetry, fiction, and essay — illuminate our understanding of cities. Special emphasis is on the writer as the reader's advocate, with the goal of writing with greater creativity and sophistication for specialized and general-interest audiences. Limited to 12. Preference to Course 4 and 11 graduate students who have completed at least two semesters.

11.257[J] China's Growth: Political Economy, Business, and Urbanization

Same subject as 15.239[J] Subject meets with 11.157[J] , 15.2391[J] Prereq: None G (Spring; second half of term) 3-0-3 units

11.258 Sustainable Urbanization Research Seminar

Prereq: None G (Fall) 2-0-1 units Can be repeated for credit.

Reviews the seminal as well as latest research on the driving forces of urbanization, real estate markets, urban sustainability in both developed and developing economies. Examines the tensions as well as synergies between urbanization and sustainability, and designs and evaluates policies and business strategies that can enhance the synergies while reduce the tensions. Covers various research topics under the umbrella of urbanization under three modules (sustainable urbanization; sustainable real estate; urbanization in emerging economies) where students study the initiation of an idea to its publication, including but not limited to, analyzing, framing, writing and critiquing as parts of the process. Sessions are organized as a semi-structured dialogue.

11.259 Entrepreneurial Negotiation

Subject meets with 11.159 Prereq: None G (Fall; partial term) 1-3-2 units

11.260 Sustainable Development and Institutions

Prereq: None G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Explores the theory and application of the principles of sustainable development as they relate to organizational change management, decision-making processes, goal setting methodology and solution development. Leverages the MIT campus as a living laboratory to gain unique insight into the change management and solution development process. Limited to 18.

11.263[J] Urban Last-Mile Logistics

Same subject as 1.263[J] , SCM.293[J] Prereq: SCM.254 or permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Spring; second half of term) 2-0-4 units

See description under subject SCM.293[J] .

M.  Winkenbach

11.267[J] Global Energy: Politics, Markets, and Policy

Same subject as 15.219[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units Credit cannot also be received for 11.167[J] , 14.47[J] , 15.2191[J] , 17.399[J]

See description under subject 15.219[J] .

11.268 Laws of the Land: Land Use and Environmental Law and Policy

Prereq: None G (Fall; first half of term) 3-0-3 units

Environmental justice and climate change are pressing contemporary concerns.  Crucial dimensions of the exposure of households to environmental harms and benefits are determined by land use and environmental laws.  Land use and environmental laws are also central to reducing carbon emissions and building environmentally sustainable and resilient communities.  Introduces students to the legal and social science dimension of these two crucial areas of law that is well-covered in the current curriculum. Enrollment limited to 30.

11.269 Global Climate Policy and Sustainability

Subject meets with 11.169 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines climate politics both nationally and globally. Addresses economic growth, environmental preservation, and social equity through the lens of sustainability. Uses various country and regional cases to analyze how sociopolitical, economic and environmental values shape climate policy. Students develop recommendations for making climate policy more effective and sustainable. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 25.

11.270 Cities and Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation

Subject meets with 11.170 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units Can be repeated for credit.

11.271 Indigenous Environmental Planning

Subject meets with 11.171 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines how Indigenous peoples' relationships to their homelands and local environments has been adversely affected by Western planning. Explores how these relationships have changed over time as American Indians, Alaska Natives, and other groups indigenous to North America and Hawai'i have adapted to new conditions, including exclusion from markets of exchange, overhunting/overfishing, dispossession, petrochemical development, conservation, mainstream environmentalism, and climate change. Seeks to understand current environmental challenges and their roots and discover potential solutions to address these challenges. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 25.

11.273[J] Infrastructure Design for Climate Change

Same subject as 1.303[J] Subject meets with 1.103[J] , 11.173[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 0-2-4 units

See description under subject 1.303[J] .

11.274 Cybersecurity Clinic

Subject meets with 11.074 Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) 2-4-6 units

Program Group Subjects

11.301[j] introduction to urban design and development.

Same subject as 4.252[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines the physical and social structure of cities and ways they can be changed. Includes significant thinkers in urban form, 20th-century American city design, urban design and society, global urban design, and design of neighborhoods and streets. Core lectures are supplemented by student papers examining the relationship of contemporary projects to history and theory, and factors of high quality global urban design and development. Guest speakers present cases involving current projects or research illustrating scope and methods of urban design theory and practice. Intended for those seeking an introduction to fundamental knowledge of theory and praxis in city design and development.

11.302[J] Urban Design Politics

Same subject as 4.253[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines ways that urban design contributes to distribution of political power and resources in cities. Investigates the nature of relations between built form and political purposes through close study of public and private sector design commissions and planning processes that have been clearly motivated by political pressures, as well as more tacit examples. Lectures and discussions focus on cases from both developed and developing countries.

11.303[J] Real Estate Development Studio

Same subject as 4.254[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 6-0-12 units

Focuses on the synthesis of urban, mixed-use real estate projects, including the integration of physical design and programming with finance and marketing. Interdisciplinary student teams analyze how to maximize value across multiple dimensions in the process of preparing professional development proposals for sites in US cities and internationally. Reviews emerging real estate products and innovative developments to provide a foundation for studio work. Two major projects are interspersed with lectures and field trips. Integrates skills and knowledge in the MSRED program; also open to other students interested in real estate development by permission of the instructors.

11.304[J] Site and Environmental Systems Planning

Same subject as 4.255[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 6-0-9 units

Introduces a range of practical approaches involved in evaluating and planning sites within the context of natural and cultural systems. Develops the knowledge and skills to analyze and plan a site for development through exercises and an urban design project. Topics include land inventory, urban form, spatial organization of uses, parcelization, design of roadways, grading, utility systems, off-site impacts, and landscape strategies.

E. Ben-Joseph, M. A. Ocampo

11.305 Doing Good by Doing Well: Planning and Development Case Studies that Promote both the Public Good and Real Estate Value

Prereq: None G (Fall) 2-0-1 units

Seminar studies how the messy and complex forces of politics, planning and the real estate market have collectively shaped Boston's urban fabric and skyline in the last two decades. Using some of the city's most important real estate development proposals as case studies, students dissect and analyze Boston's negotiated development review and permitting process to understand what it takes beyond a great development concept and a sound financial pro forma to earn community and political support. Throughout the term, students identify strategies for success and pitfalls for failure within this intricate approval process, as well as how these lessons can be generalized and applied to other cities and real estate markets.

11.307[J] China Urban Design Studio

Same subject as 4.173[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 0-21-0 units

Design studio that includes architects, urban designers, and city planners working in teams on a contemporary development project of importance in China, particularly in transitional, deindustrializing cities. Students analyze conditions, explore alternatives, and synthesize architecture, city design, and implementation plans. Lectures and brief study tours expose students to history and contemporary issues of urbanism in China. Offered every other spring at MIT in parallel with urban design studio at Tsinghua University, Beijing, involving students and faculty from both schools. Field visit to China will occur in January prior to studio. Limited to 10.

11.308[J] Ecological Urbanism Seminar

Same subject as 4.213[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Weds the theory and practice of city design and planning as a means of adaptation with the insights of ecology and other environmental disciplines. Presents ecological urbanism as critical to the future of the city and its design, as it provides a framework for addressing challenges that threaten humanity — such as climate change, rising sea level, and environmental and social justice — while fulfilling human needs for health, safety, welfare, meaning, and delight. Applies a historical and theoretical perspective to the solution of real-world challenges.  Enrollment limited.

11.309[J] Sensing Place: Photography as Inquiry

Same subject as 4.215[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Explores photography as a disciplined way of seeing, and as a medium of inquiry and of expressing ideas. Readings, observations, and photographs form the basis of discussions on landscape, light, significant detail, place, poetics, narrative, and how photography can inform research, design and planning, among other issues. Recommended for students who want to employ visual methods in their theses.  Enrollment limited.

11.312 Engaging Community: Models and Methods for Strengthening Democracy

Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines the demographic complexity of cities and their fundamental design challenges for planners and other professions responsible for engaging the public. Working with clients, participants learn design principles for creating public engagement practices necessary for building inclusive civic infrastructure in cities. Participants also have the opportunity to review and practice strategies, techniques, and methods for engaging communities in demographically complex settings.

C. McDowell

11.313 Advanced Research Workshop in Landscape and Urbanism

Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units

In-depth research workshop on pressing socio-economic and environmental design issue of our time, includes discussion and practices with real-world stakeholders experimenting with new development typologies and technologies. The goal is to generate well-grounded, design-based solutions and landscape infrastructural responses to the physical design problem being addressed. Specific focus and practicum status is adjusted on a year-to-year basis.

11.315[J] Disaster Resilient Design

Same subject as 4.217[J] Subject meets with 4.218 Prereq: None G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-6 units

See description under subject 4.217[J] . Limited to 15.

Consult M. Mazereeuw

11.318 Senseable Cities

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Studies how ubiquitous and real-time information technology can help us to understand and improve cities and regions. Explores the impact of integrating real-time information technology into the built environment. Introduces theoretical foundations of ubiquitous computing. Provides technical tools for tactile development of small-scale projects. Limited to 24.

11.320 Digital City Design Workshop

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Students develop proposals, at the city and neighborhood scales, that integrate urban design, planning, and digital technology. Aims to create more efficient, responsive, and livable urban places and systems that combine physical form with digital media, sensing, communications, and data analysis. Students conduct field research, build project briefs, and deliver designs or prototypes, while supported by lectures, case studies, and involvement from experts and representatives of subject cities. Limited to 12.

11.321 Data Science and Real Estate

Introduces the principles of data science and how data science is impacting cities and real estate, with a combination of fundamental lectures, guest speakers, and use cases. Explores how data science has been adopted by the real estate industry — from developers to city planners. Presents practical skills in data science and provides the opportunity for students to produce their own work and practice basic coding skills applied to real estate.

11.323 International Real Estate Transactions

Prereq: None G (Spring; second half of term) 3-0-3 units

Focuses on analyzing a variety of unique international real estate investment and development transactions. Blends real estate investing and development decision-making with discussion-based learning from a multidisciplinary standpoint. Seeks to facilitate a richer understanding of domestic (US) real estate transaction concepts by contextualizing them in the general analytical framework underpinning international real estate investment decision-making.

M. Srivastava

11.324 Modeling Pedestrian Activity in Cities

Subject meets with 11.024 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

11.325 Technological Change & Innovation for Real Estate and Cities

Prereq: None G (Fall; second half of term) 2-0-4 units

Seeks to examine the technological change and innovation that is disrupting the foundation of how we create the built environment. Through a series of educational workshops, students scout, catalog, and track technologies by looking at new real estate uses, products, processes, and organizational strategies at MIT labs and around the globe. Participants contribute to an interactive web tool, "The Tech Tracker," which provides technology intelligence to students and real estate professionals to enhance their understanding of technological progress.

F. Duarte, J. Scott

11.328[J] Urban Design Skills: Observing, Interpreting, and Representing the City

Same subject as 4.240[J] Prereq: None G (Fall; first half of term) 4-2-2 units

Introduces methods for observing, interpreting, and representing the urban environment. Students draw on their senses and develop their ability to deduce, question, and test conclusions about how the built environment is designed, used, and valued. The interrelationship of built form, circulation networks, open space, and natural systems are a key focus. Supplements existing classes that cover theory and history of city design and urban planning and prepares students without design backgrounds with the fundamentals of physical planning. Intended as a foundation for 11.329[J] .

E. Ben-Joseph, M. Ocampo 

11.329[J] Advanced Urban Design Skills: Observing, Interpreting, and Representing the City

Same subject as 4.248[J] Prereq: 11.328[J] or permission of instructor G (Fall; second half of term) 4-2-4 units

Through a studio-based course in planning and urban design, builds on the foundation acquired in 11.328[J] to engage in creative exploration of how design contributes to resilient, just, and vibrant urban places. Through the planning and design of two projects, students creatively explore spatial ideas and utilize various digital techniques to communicate their design concepts, giving form to strategic thinking. Develops approaches and techniques to evaluate the plural structure of the built environment and offer propositions that address policies and regulations as well as the values, behaviors, and wishes of the different users.

E. Ben-Joseph, M. Ocampo

11.330[J] The Making of Cities

Same subject as 4.241[J] Prereq: 11.001[J] , 11.301[J] , or permission of instructor G (Spring) Units arranged

See description under subject 4.241[J] .

L. Jacobi, R. Segal

11.332[J] Urban Design Studio

Same subject as 4.163[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

See description under subject 4.163[J] .

11.333[J] Urban Design Seminar: Perspectives on Contemporary Practice

Same subject as 4.244[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 2-0-7 units

Examines innovations in urban design practice occurring through the work of leading practitioners in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. Features lectures by major national and global practitioners in urban design. Projects and topics vary based on term and speakers but may cover architectural urbanism, landscape and ecology, arts and culture, urban design regulation and planning agencies, and citywide and regional design. Focuses on analysis and synthesis of themes discussed in presentations and discussions.

11.334[J] Advanced Seminar in Landscape and Urbanism

Same subject as 4.264[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Explores theories, practices, and emerging trends in the fields of landscape architecture and urbanism, such as systemic design, landscape urbanism, engineered nature, drosscapes, urban biodiversity, urban mobility, megaregions, and urban agriculture. Lectures, readings, and guest speakers present a wide array of multi-disciplinary topics, including current works from P-REX lab. Students conduct independent and group research that is future-oriented.

11.337[J] Urban Design Ideals and Action

Same subject as 4.247[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 2-0-7 units

Examines the relationship between urban design ideals, urban design action, and the built environment through readings, discussions, presentations, and papers. Analyzes the diverse design ideals that influence cities and settlements, and investigates how urban designers use them to shape urban form. Provides a critical understanding of the diverse formal methods used to intervene creatively in both developed and developing contexts, especially pluralistic and informal built environments.

11.338 Urban Design Studio

Prereq: 11.328[J] or permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) Units arranged

Examines the rehabilitation and re-imagination of a city, region, or territory. Analyzes human settlement at multiple scales: regional, citywide, neighborhood, and individual dwellings. Aims to shape innovative design solutions, enhance social amenity, and improve economic equity through strategic and creative geographical, urban design and architectural thinking. Intended for students with backgrounds in architecture, community development, urban design, and physical planning. Limited to 12 via application and lottery.

11.339 Downtown

Subject meets with 11.026[J] , 21H.321[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-7 units

Seminar on downtown in US cities from the late 19th century to the late 20th. Emphasis on downtown as an idea, place, and cluster of interests, on the changing character of downtown, and on recent efforts to rebuild it. Topics considered include subways, skyscrapers, highways, urban renewal, and retail centers. Focus on readings, discussions, and individual research projects. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.344[J] Innovative Project Delivery in the Public and Private Sectors

Same subject as 1.472[J] Prereq: None G (Spring; first half of term) 2-0-4 units

Develops a strong strategic understanding of how best to deliver various types of projects in the built environment. Examines the compatibility of various project delivery methods, consisting of organizations, contracts, and award methods, with certain types of projects and owners. Six methods examined: traditional general contracting; construction management; multiple primes; design-build; turnkey; and build-operate-transfer. Includes lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and a team project to analyze a case example.

C. M. Gordon

11.345[J] Entrepreneurship in the Built Environment

Same subject as 1.462[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall; first half of term) 2-0-4 units

Introduction to entrepreneurship and how it shapes the world we live in. Through experiential learning in a workshop setting, students start to develop entrepreneurial mindset and skills. Through a series of workshops, students are introduced to the concept of Venture Design to create new venture proposals for the built environment as a method to understand the role of the entrepreneur in the fields of design, planning, real estate, and other related industries.

S. Gronfeldt, G. Rosenzweig

11.348[J] Contemporary Urbanism Proseminar: Theory and Representation (New)

Same subject as 4.228[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Units arranged

See description under subject 4.228[J] . Limited to 25.

Consult R. Ghosn

11.350 Sustainable Real Estate: Analysis and Investment

Offers insight into tension and synergy between sustainability and the real estate industry. Considers why sustainability matters for real estate, how real estate can contribute to sustainability and remain profitable, and what investment and market opportunities exist for sustainable real estate products and how they vary across asset classes. Lectures combine economic and business insights and tools to understand the challenges and opportunities of sustainable real estate. Provides a framework to understand issues in sustainability in real estate and examine economic mechanisms, technological advances, business models, and investment and financing strategies available to promote sustainability. Discusses buildings as basic physical assets; cities as the context where buildings interact with the built environment, policies, and urban systems; and portfolios as sustainable real estate investment vehicles in capital markets. Enrollment for MSRED, MCP, and MBA students is prioritized.

Zheng, Siqi; Tan, Zhengzhen

11.351 Real Estate Ventures I: Negotiating Development-Phase Agreements

Focuses on key business and legal issues within the principal agreements used to control, entitle, capitalize, and construct a mixed-use real estate development. Through the lens of the real estate developer and its counter-parties, students identify, discuss, and negotiate the most important business issues in right of entry, purchase and sale, development, and joint-venture agreements, as well as a construction contract and construction loan agreement. Students work closely with attorneys who specialize in the construction of such agreements and with students from area law schools and Columbia University and New York University. Enrollment limited to approximately 25; preference to MSRED students. No listeners.

W. T. McGrath

11.352 Real Estate Ventures II: Negotiating Leases, Financings, and Restructurings

Focuses on key business and legal issues within the principal agreements used to lease, finance, and restructure a real estate venture. Through the lens of the real estate developer and its counter-parties, students identify, discuss and negotiate the most important business issues in office and retail leases, and permanent loan, mezzanine loan, inter-creditor, standstill/forbearance, and loan modification (workout) agreements. Students work closely with attorneys who specialize in the construction of such agreements and with students from area law schools and New York University and Columbia University. Single-asset real estate bankruptcy and the federal income tax consequences of debt restructuring are also addressed. Limited to 25; preference to MSRED students; no Listeners.

11.353[J] Securitization of Mortgages and Other Assets

Same subject as 15.429[J] Prereq: 11.431[J] , 15.401 , or permission of instructor G (Spring; second half of term) 3-0-3 units

Investigates the economics and finance of securitization. Considers the basic mechanics of structuring deals for various asset-backed securities. Investigates the pricing of pooled assets, using Monte Carlo and other option pricing techniques, as well as various trading strategies used in these markets. Limited to 55.

11.355 International Housing Economics and Finance

Prereq: 11.202 , 11.203 , 14.01 , or permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-6 units Credit cannot also be received for 11.145

Presents a theory of comparative differences in international housing outcomes. Introduces institutional differences in ways housing expenditures are financed, and economic determinants of housing outcomes (construction costs, land values, housing quality, ownership rates). Analyzes flow of funds to and from the different national housing finance sectors. Develops an understanding of the greater financial and macroeconomic implications of mortgage credit sector, and how policies affect ways housing asset fluctuations impact national economies. Considers perspective of investors in international real estate markets and risks and rewards involved. Draws on lessons from international comparative approach, applies them to economic and finance policies at the local, state/provincial, and federal levels within country of choice. Meets with 11.145 when offered concurrently. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.356 Healthy Cities: Assessing Health Impacts of Policies and Plans

Subject meets with 11.156 Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines the built, psychosocial, economic, and natural environment factors that affect health behaviors and outcomes, including population-level patterns of disease distribution and health disparities. Introduces tools designed to integrate public health considerations into policy-making and planning. Assignments provide students opportunities to develop experience bringing a health lens to policy, budgeting, and/or planning debates. Emphasizes health equity and healthy cities, and explores the relationship between health equity and broader goals for social and racial justice. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 30.

11.360 Community Growth and Land Use Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Seminar, workshops, and fieldwork on strategies to use municipal land use regulations to shape urban growth and equity. Practicum workshop builds skills in civic engagement, policy-relevant research, zoning regulations, and physical design and planning. The workshop begins with implementation of qualitative and quantitative research into the existing built environment, social, economic, and political context. It continues with the planning, design, and implementation of community engagement strategies to shape goals and vision for the projects. The practicum then explores land use scenarios, design and innovative zoning and regulatory techniques, to improve equity in the areas of housing, environment, economic development, mobility, and the public realm. Projects arranged with small teams serving municipal clients experiencing pressures of urban growth and change in Massachusetts. Preference to MCP second year students.

11.365 Sustainable Urbanization Practicum

Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Working with a city development client (city government/real estate developer/NGO) in a fast-urbanizing region, practicum provides students an opportunity to synthesize policy, planning or urban science solutions towards sustainable urbanization, within the constraints of a client-based project. Priority is given to MCP students.

11.367 Land Use Law and Politics: Race, Place, and Law

Subject meets with 11.067 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Explores conceptions of spatial justice and introduces students to basic principles of US law and legal analysis, focused on land use, equal protection, civil rights, fair housing, and local government law, in order to examine who should control how land is used. Examines the rights of owners of land and the types of regulatory and market-based tools that are available to control land use. Explores basic principles of civil rights and anti-discrimination law and focuses on particular civil rights problems associated with the land use regulatory system, such as exclusionary zoning, residential segregation, the fair distribution of undesirable land uses, and gentrification. Introduces basic skills of statutory drafting and interpretation. Assignments differ for those taking the graduate version.

11.368 Environmental Justice: Law and Policy

Subject meets with 11.148 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

11.371[J] Sustainable Energy

Same subject as 1.818[J] , 2.65[J] , 10.391[J] , 22.811[J] Subject meets with 2.650[J] , 10.291[J] , 22.081[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-1-8 units

See description under subject 22.811[J] .

M. W. Golay

11.373[J] Science, Politics, and Environmental Policy

Same subject as 12.885[J] Subject meets with 12.385 Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-6 units

See description under subject 12.885[J] .

S. Solomon, J. Knox-Hayes

11.381 Infrastructure Systems in Theory and Practice

Prereq: ( 14.01 and ( 11.202 or 11.203 )) or permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines theories of infrastructure from science and technology studies, history, economics, and anthropology in order to understand the prospects for change for many new and existing infrastructure systems. Examines how these theories are then implemented within systems in the modern city, including but not limited to, energy, water, transportation, and telecommunications infrastructure. Seminar is conducted with intensive group research projects, in-class discussions and debates.

11.382 Water Diplomacy: The Science, Policy, and Politics of Managing Shared Resources

Examines the history and dynamics of international environmental treaty-making, or what is called environmental diplomacy. Emphasizes climate change and other atmospheric, marine resource, global waste management and sustainability-related treaties and the problems of implementing them. Reviews the legal, economic, and political dynamics of managing shared resources, involving civil society on a global basis, and enforcing transboundary agreements. Focuses especially on principles from international relations, international law, environmental management, and negotiation theory as they relate to common-pool resource management.

11.383[J] People and Profits: Shaping the Future of Work

Same subject as 15.662[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Spring) 3-1-8 units

See description under subject 15.662[J] .

A. Stansbury

11.387 Environmental Finance and Political Economy

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Examines the sociopolitical, cultural and economic dimensions of the financialization of environmental goods and services. Provides an introduction to key financial terms, practices, and institutions; analyzes the logics and origins of environmental finance, as well as the operation and implications of particular systems such as carbon-trading, REDD and ecosystem service pricing and swapping. Limited to 15.

11.388[J] Dimensions of Geoengineering

Same subject as 1.850[J] , 5.000[J] , 10.600[J] , 12.884[J] , 15.036[J] , 16.645[J] Prereq: None G (Fall; first half of term) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-4 units

See description under subject 5.000[J] . Limited to 100.

J. Deutch, M. Zuber

11.401 Introduction to Housing, Community, and Economic Development

Subject meets with 11.041 Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

11.402 Urban Politics: Race and Political Change

Examines the place of US cities in political theory and practice. Particular attention given to contemporary issues of racial polarization, demographic change, poverty, sprawl, and globalization. Specific cities are a focus for discussion.

J. P. Thompson

11.403 Urban China Research Seminar

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-7 units Can be repeated for credit.

Examines the behavioral foundations and key policy issues of urban development, real estate markets, and sustainability in China. Discusses urban agglomeration economies, place-based investment, and urban vibrancy; economic geography of innovation and entrepreneurship; real estate dynamics and housing policies; land use and transportation; and urban quality of life and green cities, focusing on China but with some international comparisons.

11.404 Housing Policy and Planning in the US and Abroad

Explores the policy tools and planning techniques used to formulate and implement housing strategies at local, state and federal levels. Topics include America's housing finance system and the causes of instability in mortgage markets; economic and social inequity in access to affordable housing; approaches to meeting community housing needs through local and state planning programs; programs for addressing homelessness; and emerging ideas about sustainable development and green building related to housing development and renovation. Introduces comparative policy approaches from other countries.

11.405 Political Economy & Society

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-6 units

Focuses on the connection (or not) between mind (theory) and matter (lived experience). Examines basic tenets of classical and recent political economic theories and their explication in ideas of market economies, centrally planned economies, social market economies, and co-creative economies. Assesses theories according to their relation to the lived experiences of people in communities and workplaces.

11.407 Economic Development Planning and Policy

Subject meets with 11.107 Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Introduces tools and techniques in economic development planning. Extensive use of data collection, analysis, and display techniques. Students build interpretive intuition skills through user experience design activities and develop a series of memos summarizing the results of their data analysis. These are aggregated into a final report, and include the tools developed over the semester. Students taking graduate version will complete modified assignments focused on developing computer applications.

11.409 The Institutions of Modern Capitalism: States and Markets

Prereq: None G (Fall) 2-0-10 units

Investigates the relationship between states and markets in the evolution of modern capitalism. Critically assesses the rise of what Karl Polanyi and Albert Hirschman have referred to as "market society:" a powerful conceptual framework that views the development of modern capitalism not as an outcome of deterministic economic and technological forces, but rather as the result of contingent social and political processes. Exposes students to a range of conceptual tools and analytic frameworks through which to understand the politics of economic governance and to consider the extent to which societal actors can challenge its limits and imagine alternative possibilities. Sub-themes vary from year to year and have focused on racial capitalism, markets and morality, urban futures, and the global financial crisis. Limited to 25.

11.413 The Economic Approach to Cities and Environmental Sustainability

Subject meets with 11.113 Prereq: 11.220 , 14.300 , or permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units Can be repeated for credit.

11.422[J] Law, Technology, and Public Policy

Same subject as 15.655[J] , IDS.435[J] Subject meets with 11.122[J] , IDS.066[J] Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

See description under subject IDS.435[J] .

11.426 Urban Emergency Medical Services: Clinical, Operational, and Social Dimensions

Prereq: None G (Fall) Units arranged

Examines clinical, operational, and social dimensions of urban emergency medical services. Reviews triage and treatments in the field for major trauma and medical emergencies. Analyzes how to create a culture of safety in EMS and build skills in crew resource management. Analyzes social determinants of health, presents fundamentals of research design for EMS, and examines how EMS and community paramedicine can play roles in reducing racial disparities in health and advancing health equity. Designed to meet the National Continued Competency Program and Massachusetts Office of Emergency Medical Services EMTB recertification requirements. Students can choose to take the subject for 6 units, which meets the recertification requirements, or 12 units. The 12-unit version includes additional homework and advising from the teaching team on research design in EMS and on creating new knowledge about EMS through original analysis EMS data.

11.427[J] Labor Markets and Employment Policy

Same subject as 15.677[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

See description under subject 15.677[J] . Preference to graduate and PhD students.

11.428 PropTech Ventures (New)

Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-0-3 units

Showcases the real estate technology, or PropTech, landscape, through the presentation of recent disruptions in the real estate industry. Through a better understanding of the sector, students begin to develop entrepreneurial ideas and skills necessary to produce the PropTech ventures of the future. Focuses on PropTech that improves the way we buy, rent, sell, manage, construct, and design real estate to help make better investment and development decisions.

J. Scott, S. Weikal

11.429[J] Real Estate Markets: Macroeconomics

Same subject as 15.022[J] Prereq: 11.431[J] or permission of instructor G (Spring; first half of term) 3-0-3 units

Applies the latest economic thinking and research to the task of analyzing aggregate real estate market time series, assessing risk, and developing forecasts. Presents the premise that because of capital durability and construction lags, real estate markets exhibit some degree of mean reversion and as such are at least partially predictable. Examines the extent and causes of market volatility across different markets and types of property. Long-term aggregate trends impacting the real estate sector, from demographics to technology, discussed. Limited to 30.

11.430[J] Leadership in Real Estate

Same subject as 15.941[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall; first half of term) 3-0-3 units

Designed to help students deepen their understanding of leadership and increase self-awareness. They reflect on their authentic leadership styles and create goals and a learning plan to develop their capabilities. They also participate in activities to strengthen their "leadership presence" - the ability to authentically connect with people's hearts and minds. Students converse with classmates and industry leaders to learn from their insights, experiences, and advice. Limited to 15.

11.431[J] Real Estate Finance and Investment

Same subject as 15.426[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 4-0-8 units

Concepts and techniques for analyzing financial decisions in commercial property development and investment. Topics include property income streams, discounted cash flow, equity valuation, leverage and income tax considerations, development projects, and joint ventures. An introduction to real estate capital markets as a source of financing is also provided. Limited to graduate students.

11.433[J] Real Estate Economics

Same subject as 15.021[J] Prereq: 14.01 , 15.010 , or 15.011 G (Fall) 4-0-8 units

Develops an understanding of the fundamental economic factors that shape the market for real property, as well as the influence of capital markets in asset pricing. Analyzes of housing as well as commercial real estate. Covers demographic analysis, regional growth, construction cycles, urban land markets, and location theory as well as recent technology impacts. Exercises and modeling techniques for measuring and predicting property demand, supply, vacancy, rents, and prices.

11.435 Mixed-Income Housing Development

Provides an overview of affordable and mixed-income housing development for students who wish to understand the fundamental issues and requirements of urban scale housing development, and the process of planning, financing and developing such housing. Students gain practical experience assembling a mixed-income housing development proposal.

L. Reid, W. Monson

11.437 Financing Economic Development and Housing

Subject meets with 11.137 Prereq: None G (Spring) 4-0-8 units

11.438 Economic Development Planning

Prereq: 11.203 , 11.220 , and permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units

Focuses on the policy tools and planning techniques used to formulate and implement local economic development strategies. Includes an overview of economic development theory, discussion of major policy areas and practices employed to influence local economic development, a review of analytic tools to assess local economies and how to formulate strategy. Coursework includes formulation of a local economic development strategy for a client. Limited to 15.

11.439 Revitalizing Urban Main Streets

Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 4-0-11 units

Workshop explores the integration of economic development and physical planning interventions to revitalize urban commercial districts. Covers: an overview of the causes of urban business district decline, revitalization challenges, and the strategies to address them; the planning tools used to understand and assess urban Main Streets from both physical design and economic development perspectives; and the policies, interventions, and investments used to foster urban commercial revitalization. Students apply the theories, tools and interventions discussed in class to preparing a formal neighborhood commercial revitalization plan for a client business district. Limited to 15.

11.440 Housing and Social Stratification in the United States

Investigates how housing — markets, policies, and individual and collective actions — stratifies society. Students develop structural frameworks to understand the processes of stratification. Grounding work and research in history, students identify the ways that housing markets and housing market interventions reflect, reinforce, and (occasionally) combat social inequities. Through extensive writing and rewriting, students frame their work in terms of overlapping crises, including gentrification, flight, shortage, and homelessness.

D. M. Bunten

11.441 Planning, Economic Development, and Municipal Public Finance

Explores the relationship between municipal planning initiatives and local public finance. Introduces a variety of tools, including annual fiscal year budgeting, development of capital improvement plans, user fees, and local property taxation. Municipal powers to levy taxes on items such as meals, hotel rooms, and sales and their effects on land use decisions are analyzed. Tools for economic development, such as tax increment finance, explored in the context of the potential benefits and drawbacks of such tools for a local economy. Also explores how planners can encourage more inclusive budgeting decisions through tools such as participatory budgeting. Students complete a final project on a municipal finance tool and its relationship to local planning goals.

11.442 Geography of the Global Economy

Subject meets with 11.142 Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

11.449 Decarbonizing Urban Mobility

Subject meets with 11.149 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-3-6 units

11.450 Real Estate Development Building Systems

Prereq: None G (Fall; first half of term) 2-0-1 units

Provides students with a concise overview of the range of building systems that are encountered in professional commercial real estate development practice in the USA. Focuses on the relationship between real estate product types, building systems, and the factors that real estate development professionals must consider when evaluating these products and systems for a specific development project. Surveys commercial building technology including Foundation, Structural, MEP/FP, Envelope, and Interiors systems and analyzes the factors that lead development professionals to select specific systems for specific product types. One or more field trips to active construction sites may be scheduled during non-class hours based on student availability.

11.452 Planning against Evictions and Displacement

Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Combines state-of-the-art research on evictions and displacement globally (in the context of the global crisis of evictions, land grabbing, and gentrification) with the study of policy and practical responses to displacement, assisted by selected case studies. First half covers explanations about the mechanisms and drivers of displacement, while the second half introduces and evaluates policy and legal responses developed by many actors. Analyzes the use of UN and national standards on displacement as well as the use of tools such as the Eviction Impact Assessment Tool. Limited to 15 graduate students.

11.454 Big Data, Visualization, and Society

Subject meets with 11.154 Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units Credit cannot also be received for 6.8530 , 6.C35[J] , 6.C85[J] , 11.154 , 11.C35[J] , 11.C85[J]

11.C85[J] Interactive Data Visualization and Society

Same subject as 6.C85[J] Subject meets with 6.C35[J] , 11.C35[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-1-8 units Credit cannot also be received for 6.8530 , 11.154 , 11.454

See description under subject 6.C85[J] .

11.457 More than Data: Smart Cities, Big Data, Civic Technology and Policy

Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-6 units

Discussions of future directions in the 'smart cities' debate. Begins by framing the current smart city with past trends such as the efficient city movement of the 1930s and the Modernist city of the 1950s and 60s. Examines current trends in big data, civic apps, Code for America, the open data movement, DIY data collections devices, and their policy impacts.

11.458 Crowd Sourced City: Civic Tech Prototyping

Subject meets with 11.138 Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

11.466[J] Technology, Globalization, and Sustainable Development

Same subject as 1.813[J] , 15.657[J] , IDS.437[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

See description under subject IDS.437[J] .

11.469 Urban Sociology in Theory and Practice

Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Spring) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units

Introduction to core writings in urban sociology. Explores the nature and changing character of the city and the urban experience, providing context for the development of urban studies research and planning skills. Topics include the changing nature of community, neighborhood effects, social capital and networks, social stratification, feminist theory and critical race theory, and the interaction of social structure and political power. Subject will take place in the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk with half of the class from MIT and half of the class from MCI-Norfolk. Limited to 25.

11.472[J] D-Lab: Development

Same subject as EC.781[J] Subject meets with 11.025[J] , EC.701[J] Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-2-7 units

See description under subject EC.781[J] . Enrollment limited by lottery; must attend first class session.

S. L. Hsu, A. B. Smith, B. Sanyal

11.474 D-Lab: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Subject meets with EC.715 Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Focuses on disseminating Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) innovations in low-income countries and underserved communities worldwide. Structured around project-based learning, lectures, discussions, and student-led tutorials. Emphasizes core WASH principles, appropriate and sustainable technologies at household and community scales, urban challenges worldwide, culture-specific solutions, lessons from start-ups, collaborative partnerships, and social marketing. Mentored term project entails finding and implementing a viable solution focused on education/training; a technology, policy or plan; a marketing approach; and/or behavior change. Guest lecturers present case studies, emphasizing those developed and disseminated by MIT faculty, practitioners, students, and alumni. Field trips scheduled during class time, with optional field trips on weekends. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 20.

S. E. Murcott, S. L. Hsu

11.477[J] Urban Energy Systems and Policy

Same subject as 1.286[J] Subject meets with 11.165 Prereq: 11.203 , 14.01 , or permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Examines efforts in developing and advanced nations and regions. Examines key issues in the current and future development of urban energy systems, such as technology, use, behavior, regulation, climate change, and lack of access or energy poverty. Case studies on a diverse sampling of cities explore how prospective technologies and policies can be implemented. Includes intensive group research projects, discussion, and debate.

11.478 Behavioral Science, AI, and Urban Mobility

Subject meets with 11.158 Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

11.480 Urbanization and Development

Examines developmental dynamics of rapidly urbanizing locales, with a special focus on the developing world. Case studies from India, China, Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa form the basis for discussion of social, spatial, political and economic changes in cities spurred by the decline of industry, the rise of services, and the proliferation of urban mega projects. Emphasizes the challenges of growing urban inequality, environmental risk, citizen displacement, insufficient housing, and the lack of effective institutions for metropolitan governance. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.484 Project Appraisal in Developing Countries

Covers techniques of financial analysis of investment expenditures, as well as the economic and distributive appraisal of development projects. Critical analysis of these tools in the political economy of international development is discussed. Topics include appraisal's role in the project cycle, planning under conditions of uncertainty, constraints in data quality and the limits of rational analysis, and the coordination of an interdisciplinary appraisal team. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment limited; preference to majors.

11.485 Southern Urbanisms

Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-0-10 units

Guides students in examining implicit and explicit values of diversity offered in "Southern" knowledge bases, theories, and practices of urban production. With a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, considers why the South-centered location of the estimated global urban population boom obligates us to examine how cities work as they do, and why Western-informed urban theory and planning scholarship may be ill-suited to provide guidance on urban development there. Examines the "rise of the rest" and its implications for the making and remaking of expertise and norms in planning practice. Students engage with seminal texts from leading authors of Southern urbanism and critical themes, including the rise of Southern theory, African urbanism, Chinese international cooperation, Brazilian urban diplomacy, and the globally-driven commodification of urban real estate.

G. Carolini 

11.486 Peace and Conflict Geographies

Explores the spatialization of conflict and peace from perspectives within the humanities and social sciences. Examines claims on territory, resources, and homeland; traces the legacies of violence in landscapes both personal and public; considers the use of planning and architecture to build peace; and attends to experiences of displacement and dispossession. Discusses how conflict and peace geographies provide insight into various scales of power and repair that shape how individuals live together.

11.487 Budgeting and Finance for the Public Sector

Subject meets with 11.147 Prereq: None G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

11.490 Law and Development

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-10 units

Examines the role of law in development and introduces economic and legal theories. Topics include formality/informality of property, contracts and bargaining in the shadow of the law, institutions for transparency and accountability, legitimation of law, sequencing of legal reform, and international economic law aspects. Studies the roles of property rights in economic development, the judiciary and the bureaucracy in development, and law in aid policy. Includes selected country case studies. Limited to 15.

11.493 Property and Land Use Law for Planners

Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 3-0-9 units

Examines legal and institutional arrangements for the establishment, transfer, and control over property and land under American and selected comparative systems, including India and South Africa. Focuses on key issues of property and land use law regarding planning and economic development. Emphasizes just and efficient resource use; institutional, entitlement and social relational approaches to property; distributional and other social aspects; and the relationship between property, culture, and democracy.

11.494 Cities of Contested Memory

Explores relationships between built environments and memory to consider the spaces and spatial practices in which the future of the past is imagined, negotiated, and contested. Focuses on three areas of critical importance to understanding the nature of memory in cities today: the threats that rapid urban development pose to the remembrance of urban pasts; the politics of representation evident in debates over authorized and marginalized historical narratives; and the art and ethics of sensitively addressing the afterlives of violence and tragedy. Emphasizes group discussions and projects as means to explore collective and counter memories, the communities that are formed therein, and the economic, social, and political forces that lift up certain memories over others to shape the legacy of the past. Limited to 15.

11.495 Governance and Law in Developing Countries

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-0-10 units

Examines the multiple dimensions of governance in international development with a focus on the role of legal norms and institutions in the balance between state and the market. Analyzes changes in the distribution of political and legal authority as a result of economic globalization. Topics include the regulation of firms; forms of state and non-state monitoring; varieties of capitalism, global governance and development; and good governance, including transparency and accountability mechanisms, the role of the judiciary and legal culture, and tools for measuring governance performance.

11.496 Law, Social Movements, and Public Policy: Comparative and International Experience

Subject meets with 11.166 Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

11.497 Human Rights at Home and Abroad

Subject meets with 11.164[J] , 17.391[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: G (Fall) Acad Year 2025-2026: Not offered 2-0-10 units

Provides a rigorous and critical introduction to the history, foundation, structure, and operation of the human rights movement. Focuses on key ideas, actors, methods and sources, and critically evaluates the field. Addresses current debates in human rights, including the relationship with security, democracy, development and globalization, urbanization, equality (in housing and other economic and social rights; women's rights; ethnic, religious and racial discrimination; and policing/conflict), post-conflict rebuilding and transitional justice, and technology in human rights activism. Students taking graduate version expected to write a research paper.

11.499 Master of Science in Real Estate Development Thesis Preparation

Prereq: None G (Spring; first half of term) 2-0-1 units

Designed to give students the tools and information needed to successfully complete a master's level thesis. Seminar topics include, but are not limited to: research data sets, different types and styles of theses, the writing and editing process, library services, and the use of humans as experimental subjects in research. CRE faculty share their areas of interest to assist in choosing an advisor. Seminar assignments guide students toward developing a thesis topic and realistic work plan to adequately achieve their research and writing goals. Objective is for each student to have sufficient knowledge to author a fully developed thesis topic and formal proposal by the end of the term. Limited to MS in Real Estate Development candidates.

11.520 Workshop on Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Prereq: 11.205 or permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring; second half of term) 2-2-2 units

Includes spatial analysis exercises using real-world data sets, building toward an independent project in which students critically apply GIS techniques to an area of interest. Students build data discovery, cartography, and spatial analysis skills while learning to reflect on power and positionality within the research design process. Tailored to GIS applications within planning and design and emphasizes the role of reflective practice in GIS. Enrollment limited; preference to MCP students.

11.521 Spatial Database Management and Advanced Geographic Information Systems

Prereq: 11.205 and Coreq: 11.220 ; or permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-3-6 units

Extends the computing and geographic information systems (GIS) skills developed in 11.520 to include spatial data management in client/server environments and advanced GIS techniques. First half covers the content of 11.523 , introducing database management concepts, SQL (Structured Query Language), and enterprise-class database management software. Second half explores advanced features and the customization features of GIS software that perform analyses for decision support that go beyond basic thematic mapping. Includes the half-term GIS project of 11.524 that studies a real-world planning issue.

J. Ferreira

11.522 Research Seminar on Urban Information Systems

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 2-4-6 units Can be repeated for credit.

Advanced research seminar enhances computer and analytic skills developed in other subjects in this sequence. Students present a structured discussion of journal articles representative of their current research interests involving urban information systems and complete a short research project. Suggested research projects include topics related to ongoing UIS Group research.

11.523 Fundamentals of Spatial Database Management

Prereq: 11.205 or permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall; first half of term) 2-2-2 units

Develops technical skills necessary to design, build, and interact with spatial databases using the Structured Query Language (SQL) and its spatial extensions. Provides instruction in writing highly contextual metadata (data biographies). Prepares students to perform database maintenance, modeling, and digitizing tasks, and to critically evaluate and document data sources. Databases are implemented in PostgreSQL and PostGIS; students interface with these using QGIS.

E. Huntley 

11.524 Advanced Geographic Information System Project

Prereq: ( 11.205 and 11.220 ) or permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall; second half of term) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

Provides instruction in statistical approaches for analyzing interrelation, clustering, and interdependence, which are often key to understanding urban environments. Covers local and global spatial autocorrelation, interpolation, and kernel density methods; cluster detection; and spatial regression models. Develops technical skills necessary to ask spatial questions using inferential statistics implemented in the R statistical computing language. Prior coursework or experience in geographic information systems (GIS) at the introductory level required; prior coursework or experience in R is preferred.

11.526[J] Comparative Land Use and Transportation Planning

Same subject as 1.251[J] Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) 3-0-9 units

Focuses on the integration of land use and transportation planning, drawing from cases in both industrialized and developing countries. Highlights how land use and transportation influence the social organization of cities, assigning privileges to certain groups and segregating or negating access to the city to other groups. Covers topics such as accessibility; the use of data, algorithms, and bias; travel demand and travel behavior; governance; transit-oriented development; autonomous vehicles; transportation and real estate; and social, environmental, and health implications of land use and transportation. Develops students' skills to assess relevant policies, interventions, and impacts.

11.529[J] Mobility Ventures: Driving Innovation in Transportation Systems

Same subject as 15.379[J] Subject meets with 11.029[J] , 15.3791[J] Prereq: None G (Fall) 3-3-6 units

Explores technological, behavioral, policy, and systems-wide frameworks for innovation in transportation systems, complemented with case studies across the mobility spectrum, from autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility to last-mile sidewalk robots. Students interact with a series of guest lecturers from CEOs and other business and government executives who are actively reshaping the future of mobility. Interdisciplinary teams of students collaborate to deliver business plans for proposed mobility-focused startups with an emphasis on primary market research. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

11.540 Urban Transportation Planning and Policy

Examines transportation policymaking and planning; its relationship to social and environmental justice; and the influences of politics, governance structures, and human and institutional behavior. Explores the pathway to infrastructure, how attitudes are influenced, and how change happens. Examines the tensions and potential synergies among traditional transportation policy values of individual mobility, system efficiency, and "sustainability." Explores the roles of the government; analysis of current trends; transport sector decarbonization; land use, placemaking, and sustainable mobility networks; the role of "mobility as a service;" and the implications of disruptive technology on personal mobility. Assesses traditional planning methods with a critical eye, and through that process considers how to approach transportation planning in a way that responds to contemporary needs and values, with an emphasis on transport justice.

11.543[J] Transportation Policy, the Environment, and Livable Communities

Same subject as 1.253[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Examines the economic and political conflict between transportation and the environment. Investigates the role of government regulation, green business and transportation policy as a facilitator of economic development and environmental sustainability. Analyzes a variety of international policy problems, including government-business relations, the role of interest groups, non-governmental organizations, and the public and media in the regulation of the automobile; sustainable development; global warming; politics of risk and siting of transport facilities; environmental justice; equity; as well as transportation and public health in the urban metropolis. Provides students with an opportunity to apply transportation and planning methods to develop policy alternatives in the context of environmental politics. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.

J. Coughlin

11.544[J] Transportation: Foundations and Methods

Same subject as 1.200[J] , IDS.675[J] Subject meets with 1.041[J] , IDS.075[J] Prereq: 1.000 , ( 1.00 and 1.010 ), or permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-1-8 units

See description under subject 1.200[J] .

11.547[J] Global Aging & the Built Environment

Same subject as SCM.287[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

Combines classroom lectures/discussion, readings, site visits, and field study to provide students with experience in various research techniques including stakeholder analysis, interviewing, photography and image analysis, focus groups, etc. Students examine the impacts of global demographic transition, when there are more older than younger people in a population, and explore emerging challenges in the built environment (e.g., age-friendly community planning, public transportation access, acceptance of driverless cars, social wellbeing and connectivity, housing and community design, design and use of public and private spaces, and the public health implications of climate change and aging).

J. F. Coughlin

11.592 Renewable Energy Facility Siting Clinic

Subject meets with 11.092 Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) 2-4-6 units

11.601 Theory and Practice of Environmental Planning

Required introductory subject for graduate students pursuing the Environmental Planning Certificate. Strongly suggested for MCP students pursuing EPP as their specialization. Also open to other graduate students interested in environmental justice, environmental ethics, environmental dispute resolution, and techniques of environmental problem-solving. Taught comparatively, with numerous references to examples from around the world. Four major areas of focus: national environmental policymaking, environmental ethics, environmental forecasting and analysis techniques, and strategies for collaborative decision-making. 

11.630[J] Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics: Pollution Prevention and Control

Same subject as 1.811[J] , 15.663[J] , IDS.540[J] Subject meets with 1.801[J] , 11.021[J] , 17.393[J] , IDS.060[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

11.631[J] Regulation of Chemicals, Radiation, and Biotechnology

Same subject as 1.812[J] , IDS.541[J] Subject meets with 1.802[J] , 10.805[J] , 11.022[J] , IDS.061[J] , IDS.436[J] Prereq: IDS.540[J] or permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units

Focuses on policy design and evaluation in the regulation of hazardous substances and processes. Includes risk assessment, industrial chemicals, pesticides, food contaminants, pharmaceuticals, radiation and radioactive wastes, product safety, workplace hazards, indoor air pollution, biotechnology, victims' compensation, and administrative law. Health and economic consequences of regulation, as well as its potential to spur technological change, are discussed for each regulator regime. Students taking the graduate version are expected to explore the subject in greater depth.

N. Ashford, C.Caldart

11.651[J] USA Lab: Bridging the American Divides

Same subject as 15.679[J] Prereq: None G (Spring) 3-1-5 units

See description under subject 15.679[J] .

L. Hafrey, C. McDowell

11.652[J] Research Seminar on Technology and the Work of the Future

Same subject as STS.465[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Spring) 3-0-9 units

See description under subject STS.465[J] . Limited to 15.

D. Mindell, E. B. Reynolds

11.701 International Development Planning: Foundations

Prereq: None Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall) 3-0-9 units

Offers a survey of the histories and theories of international development, and the main debates about the role of key actors and institutions in development. Includes a focus on the impact of colonialism, the main theoretical approaches that have influenced the study and practice of development, as well as the role of actors such as states, markets, and civil society in development. Focuses on the interactions between interventions and institutions on local, national, and global/transnational scales. Offers an opportunity to develop a focus on selected current topics in development planning, such as migration, displacement, participatory planning, urban-rural linkages, corruption, legal institutions, and post-conflict development. Restricted to first-year MCP and SPURS students.

Tutorials, Research, and Fieldwork Subjects

11.800 reading, writing and research.

Prereq: 11.233 ; Coreq: 11.801 G (Spring) 3-0-6 units

Required subject intended solely for 1st-year DUSP PhD students. Develops capacity of doctoral students to become independent scholars by helping them to prepare their first-year papers and plan for their dissertation work. Focuses on the process by which theory, research questions, literature reviews, and new data are synthesized into new and original contributions to the literature. Seminar is conducted with intensive discussions, draft writing, peer review, revisions, and editing. Guest speakers from faculty and advanced students discuss strategies and potential pitfalls with doctoral-level research.

11.801 Doctoral Research Paper

Prereq: None. Coreq: 11.800 ; permission of instructor G (Spring) 3-0-6 units

Students develop a first-year research paper in consultation with their advisor.

11.901 Independent Study: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

Opportunity for independent study under regular supervision by a faculty member.

11.902 Independent Study: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.903 Supervised Readings in Urban Studies

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, IAP, Spring) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.904 Supervised Readings in Urban Studies

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring, Summer) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.905 Research Seminar in Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, IAP, Spring) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

Special research issues in urban planning.

11.906 Research Seminar in Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None G (Fall, IAP, Spring) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.907 Urban Fieldwork

Practical application of planning techniques to towns, cities, and regions, including problems of replanning, redevelopment, and renewal of existing communities. Includes internships, under staff supervision, in municipal and state agencies and departments.

11.908 Urban Fieldwork

Prereq: None G (Fall, IAP, Spring) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.909 Graduate Tutorial

Prereq: None G (Fall) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

Planned programs of instruction for a minimum of three students on a planning topic not covered in regular subjects of instruction. Registration subject to prior arrangement with appropriate faculty member.

11.910 Doctoral Tutorial

Prereq: None G (Fall) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-3 units

Required subject exclusively for first-year DUSP PhD candidates, but with multiple colloquium sessions open to the full department community. Introduces students to a range of department faculty (and others) by offering opportunities to discuss applications of planning theory and planning history. Assists in clarifying the departments intellectual diversity. Encourages development of a personal intellectual voice and capacity to synthesize and respond to the arguments made by others.

L. Vale, J. Zhao

11.912[J] Advanced Urbanism Colloquium

Same subject as 4.275[J] Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring) 1-1-1 units Can be repeated for credit.

See description under subject 4.275[J] . Preference to doctoral students in the Advanced Urbanism concentration.

Consult S. Williams

11.919 PhD Workshop

Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) 0-1-0 units Can be repeated for credit.

The workshop features doctoral student progress on dissertation formulation and findings across all years, panels of particular interest to doctoral students as identified by their representatives on the PhD Committee, and an intellectual space for the sharing of ideas and initiatives within the doctoral community and across the department, including faculty.  Limited to all doctoral students in residence.

11.920 Planning in Practice

Familiarizes students with the practice of planning, by requiring actual experience in professional internship placements. Enables students to both apply what they are learning in their classes in an actual professional setting and to reflect, using a variety of platforms, on the learning -- personal and professional -- growing out of their internship experience. Through readings, practical experience and reflection, empirical observation, and contact with practitioners, students gain deeper general understanding of the practice of the profession.

11.930 Advanced Seminar on Planning Theory

Prereq: None G (Spring) 2-0-10 units

Introduces students to key debates in the field of planning theory, drawing on historical development of the field of urban/regional/national planning from 1900 to 2020 in both the US and in newly industrializing countries. Class objectives are for students to develop their own theory of action as they become sensitized to issues of racial and gender discrimination in city building, and understand how planning styles are influenced by a range of issues, including the challenge of ethical practice.

11.960 Independent Study: Real Estate

Prereq: None G (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.961 Independent Study: Real Estate

Prereq: None G (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.962 Fieldwork: Real Estate

Practical application of real estate techniques in the field.

11.963 Independent Study: Real Estate

11.964 independent study: real estate, 11.985 summer field work.

Prereq: None G (Summer) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

Practical application of planning techniques over the summer with prior arrangement.

S. Wellford

11.S938 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None G (Fall, Spring) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

For graduate students wishing to pursue further study in advanced areas of urban studies and planning not covered in regular subjects of instruction.

11.S939 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: None G (Fall; second half of term) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

For graduate students wishing to pursue further study in advanced areas of urban studies and city and regional planning not covered in regular subjects of instruction.

11.S940-11.S944 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.S948 Special Subject: Urban Studies and Planning

11.s945-11.s949 special subject: urban studies and planning, 11.s950-11.s957 special seminar: urban studies and planning.

For graduate students wishing to pursue further study in advanced areas of urban studies and city and regional planning not covered in regular subjects of instruction

11.S958 Special Seminar: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.S959 Special Seminar: Urban Studies and Planning

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.S964 Special Seminar: Real Estate

Prereq: None G (Spring; first half of term) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

Small group study of advanced subjects under staff supervision. For graduate students wishing to pursue further study in advanced areas of real estate not covered in regular subjects of instruction. 

11.S965 Special Subject: Real Estate

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall, Spring; second half of term) Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

Small group study of advanced subjects under staff supervision. For graduate students wishing to pursue further study in advanced areas of real estate not covered in regular subjects of instruction.

11.S966 Special Subject: Real Estate

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Fall; second half of term) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.S967 Special Subject: Real Estate

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring; first half of term) Not offered regularly; consult department Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.S968 Special Seminar: Real Estate

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department Units arranged [P/D/F] Can be repeated for credit.

11.S969 Special Seminar: Real Estate

Prereq: Permission of instructor Acad Year 2024-2025: Not offered Acad Year 2025-2026: G (Fall, Spring) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

11.S970 Special Seminar: Real Estate

Prereq: Permission of instructor G (Spring; second half of term) Units arranged Can be repeated for credit.

Consult Catalog Faculty

11.THG Graduate Thesis

Program of research and writing of thesis; to be arranged by the student with supervising committee.

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Planning Degrees and Schools

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The field of planning awards degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctorate levels. Planning degrees provide professional training in the knowledge, skills, and values of the field. Different career goals require different levels of education.

Accredited Degree Programs

Degrees from Planning Accreditation Board accredited programs must meet agreed-upon standards for planning education. PAB accredits undergraduate and master's degree programs. Degrees from these schools generally cover the following areas:

• structure and functions of urban settlements
• history and theory of planning processes and practices
• administrative, legal, and political aspects of plan-making and policy implementation
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• problem formulation and solving
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Undergraduate Degrees

Planners with undergraduate degrees often work in entry-level planning positions. Many planners with undergraduate degrees will go on to receive a master's degree in planning. A degree from a Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) accredited university in Urban Planning or City and Regional Planning is the most thorough educational preparation for the planning field.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) is a membership organization composed of the schools that have planning degree programs, and ACSP maintains an online inventory of the schools with undergraduate programs.

In addition to PAB, most colleges and universities are also accredited by other, more broad-based review bodies. In the United States there are six regional bodies that accredit. One example is the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Some colleges and universities choose to be certified only by these more broad-based organizations.

Tips for Selecting a Planning Program

Planning Schools and Accreditation

Master's Degrees

A master's-level graduate degree is considered the standard for planning practitioners. Planning graduate students may have an undergraduate degree in planning, but others may have studied geography, urban studies, architecture, or sociology. PAB accredits master's degree programs in planning.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) is a membership organization composed of the schools that have planning degree programs, and ACSP maintains an online inventory of the schools with master's programs.

When hiring for professional planning positions, many organizations require or give strong preference to candidates holding graduate degrees. In 2004, 43 percent of all APA members (note: approximately one-sixth of the APA members are planning commissioners, officials, or students, who do not have a degree in planning) had earned a master's degree in planning. Many employers also give preference to those who are certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Doctoral Degrees

Planners who obtain a PhD in planning often pursue a career in academia or with research or policy institutions. PhD programs in planning are not certified by PAB. The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) maintains an online list of schools with Ph.D. programs.

International Planning Degrees

Many planners are educated outside of the United States. Holding a planning degree from a non-U.S. university should not hinder a planner's career prospects in the United States. Employers in the U.S. most often look for relevant education and/or work experience. Non-U.S. citizens should consult with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization department for details on work permits and other employment and citizenship requirements if circumstances warrant it: https://visaguide.world/how-to-become-a-us-citizen/

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Ph.D. in Urban Planning

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The Ph.D. in Urban Planning is focused on training individuals for future careers as teachers, researchers, policy-makers, and business entrepreneurs in and near the field of urban planning—in academia, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and think tanks. The program equips students with the theoretical and methodological expertise to address important contemporary issues, such as climate change and adaptation, built environment transformation, immigration and migration, housing and community development, and poverty and inequality. It is a highly competitive doctoral program, accepting only three candidates each year.

We welcome prospective students from a wide range of backgrounds, and value strong abilities for critical thinking and independent research. In reviewing applications, the Ph.D. faculty make decisions collectively, based on students’ academic preparation, topical areas of interest, and experience with analytical. We encourage students to explore various directions of intellectual growth after enrollment.

The Ph.D. in Urban Planning is a program within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) while the actual degree is granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Admission for 2024

• The application deadline for 2024 admissions was December 14, 2023, and is now closed.
• For additional information on the application process and requirements, please see the GSAS website.
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Upon entering the program, each student consults with the program director for the duration of their coursework. The program director’s role is to provide independent guidance and mentorship on all aspects of student life. Students meet at least once each semester with the program director to discuss their academic progress and future plans.

By the date of the comprehensive examination and prior to submitting their dissertation prospectus, each student selects a dissertation advisor (also known as sponsor), to act as a guide during the course of dissertation research and for the dissertation defense. During this or any other time, students are still able to draw on the mentorship of other Ph.D. faculty.

Fall 2024 Courses

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UCLA Graduate Programs

Graduate Program: Urban and Regional Planning

UCLA's Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning offers the following degree(s):

Master of Urban and Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.)

With questions not answered here or on the program’s site (above), please contact the program directly.

Urban and Regional Planning Graduate Program at UCLA 3250 Public Affairs Building Box 951656 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656

Visit the Urban Planning Department’s faculty roster

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Visit the registrar's site for the Urban Planning Department’s course descriptions

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MAJOR CODE: URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

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City and Regional Planning Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in city and regional planning trains students to undertake interdisciplinary, independent, applied research on urban and regional problems and planning processes. The PhD program divides itself naturally into three stages. First, the student takes courses to master the theory and analytical tools of planning, culminating in the Candidacy Examination. Second, the student formulates a topic for dissertation research, and writes a formal dissertation proposal which must be approved by the dissertation committee. Third, the dissertation research is executed, and the result is written up and defended (presented) in the Final Oral Examination.

The requirements for the doctoral degree fall into two classes: general university requirements and specific city and regional planning requirements. It is important to note that these are minimum requirements. A student’s advisor may insist on more than the minimal coursework, especially if the undergraduate degree or prior graduate work was in a field remote from planning, or from the area in which the dissertation is to be written. For applicants whose native language is not English, additional courses to attain proficiency in English may be required.

Students in the PhD program come from a variety of backgrounds, so the time required to complete the program will vary. Typically, for a student with an undergraduate degree in city and regional planning or a related field, the course work (the first stage) requires a minimum of four full-time academic semesters. Students with a Master’s degree in city and regional planning or a related field will typically require two semesters of additional course work. 

For complete information, visit:  knowlton.osu.edu/phd .

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Search Cornell AAP

Department of city and regional planning.

Students participating in CRP's fall 2022 field trip explore New York City and meet with local policymakers and community organizations deeply embedded in addressing climate vulnerabilities and adaptive responses. Anson Wigner / AAP

From Local to Global

Cornell AAP's Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP) provides a dynamic, rigorous, and supportive context for addressing the most timely planning questions of our time: from social and environmental justice to equity and access to essential services and infrastructures; from climate change adaptation to land use, zoning, and sustainable transportation and housing. At CRP, the next generation of planners and urbanists hone critical disciplinary skills while broadening their knowledge with a wide selection of courses from across Cornell University, an Ivy League, New York State Land Grant institution with a global footprint.

Attracting a diverse body of students and faculty from across the United States and around the world, CRP is a vibrant community committed to making urban systems work. As leaders of new and innovative approaches to teaching, research, and participatory planning practices, we offer degree programs that provide opportunities to experiment with different methodologies, build skills in critical thinking and analysis, and engage communities in contexts ranging from the local to global. CRP students can opt to pursue concentrations such as designing the city; international studies in planning; economic development planning and land use and environmental planning; as well as individualized programs of study tailored to their different interests and goals.

CRP's degree programs include a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies and graduate degrees in Regional Planning, Historic Preservation Planning, and Regional Science. Joint master's degrees are offered in Landscape Architecture and Real Estate.

Degree Programs

Regional Planning (M.R.P)

City and regional planning (ph.d. crp), urban and regional studies (b.s. urs), regional science (m.s. rs), regional science (ph.d. rs), historic preservation planning (m.a. hpp), dual degree in landscape architecture (m.r.p. / m.l.a.), dual degree in real estate (m.r.p. / m.p.s. re).

In the Field

Throughout their time at Cornell, students have abundant opportunities to work in and around local Ithaca and Upstate New York communities as well as to spend semesters at our New York City and Rome campuses. CRP students can participate in Design Connect, a student-run community design organization that responds to real-world questions while developing skills for professional practice. Students also pursue self-directed research and are assisted in summer internship placements in the United States and abroad. At CRP, we cultivate a culture of self-organization among students, invite engagement with department governance, and actively encourage students to pursue the many leadership opportunities available to them.

Engaged Research

photo / Johnny Miller

The recently launched Mui Ho Center for Cities at AAP is a new hub for urban research at Cornell. CRP students can work on research projects and participate in a number of faculty-led research labs that catalyze innovation to address urgent challenges facing our cities and communities.

Center for Cities Research Labs

Get Ready, Get Set: Highlights of the Fall 2024 Semester Ahead

From inspiring lectures to thought-provoking exhibitions and much-anticipated renovations (plus the unveiling of the Dragon Annex), we're diving into a semester filled with opportunities not to be missed.

Study Finds Racial Bias in Traffic Stops by Chicago Police

CRP Assistant Professor Wenfei Xu coauthored "The Racial Composition of Road Users, Traffic Citations, and Police Stops," a study that maps the racial composition of roads using mobile phone GPS data.

In the Media

The Seine River is Set to Reopen for Swimming After 100 Years, Its Cursed Clean-Up is a Lesson for Future Olympics

Fortune: In this article, CRP Associate Professor Jennifer Minner shares insights about the impact of mass events on their host cities.

A Portrait of New York City by Air in 1924

Thomas J. Campanella

In this article written by CRP Professor Thomas J. Campanella, we read about the days before Google Maps, when an intrepid inventor with three camera-equipped biplanes captured groundbreaking views of Gotham in its Jazz Age glory.

Expansive New Study Finds Racial Bias in Chicago Traffic Stops

NBC Chicago: The study, coauthored by CRP Assistant Professor Wenfei Xu, found that on a street with an even 50-50 split of Black and white drivers, Black drivers would account for approximately 70% of the police stops and citations.

New York's Congestion Pricing U-Turn Blows a Proven Climate Win

Bloomberg: Nicholas Klein, CRP faculty, shares insights on the possible demise of NYC's congestion pricing plan.

Faculty Work

Community Development and Schools: Conflict, Power, and Promise

Mildred Warner , Xue Zhang

Coedited by CRP Professor Mildred Warner and CRP Research Associate Xue Zhang, this book lays out the promise and potential of schools as community-building institutions.

Place Attachment, Regional Identity, and Perceptions of Urbanization in Moshi, Tanzania

Stephan Schmidt

Coauthored by CRP Associate Professor Stephan Schmidt and CRP Ph.D. students Ryan Thomas and Wenzheng Li (M.R.P. '18), examine the relationship between place attachment and residents' perceptions of various aspects of urban life.

Workbook Tackles Injustice – and Carbon – in Built Environment

Jennifer Minner , Felix Heisel , Jocelyn Poe

CRP faculty Jocelyn Poe and Jennifer Minner, along with Architecture faculty Felix Heisel, are among several coauthors who recently published Embodying Justice in the Built Environment: Circularity in Practice. The guide and workbook seek to help policymakers, practitioners, and communities center justice principles while implementing strategies related to materials resource management, new construction, and alternatives to demolition.

AAP Summer Exhibition 2024

Visit the AAP galleries this summer for a cross-departmental exhibition featuring student work from the 2023–24 academic year that showcases the college's creative and critical practices.

Adrienne Keane: Koalas and "Stupid" Planning

Listen to a lecture that explores environmental sustainability, the imbalance between urban growth, biodiversity, and the systems that support all life.

P. Sainath: Migrants and the Moral Economy of the Urban Elite

Join us for an enlightening lecture that explores the unprecedented reverse migration during the COVID-19 pandemic in India and its implications for urbanization and equitable city planning.

Kristina Hill: Hybrid Strategies for Adapting to Sea Level Rise in Cities

Visit a lecture that presents international history and strategies for adaptation that take into account the newest scientific findings about rising coastal groundwater.

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PhD in Urban Design and Planning

The Ph.D. in Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington is one of 39 Ph.D. programs in urban and regional planning in North America, and one of the oldest, founded in 1967.

This program brings together faculty from disciplines ranging from Architecture to Sociology to focus on the interdisciplinary study of urban problems and interventions. Covering scales from neighborhoods to metropolitan areas, the program addresses interrelationships between the physical environment, the built environment, and the social, economic, and political institutions and processes that shape urban areas. The breadth of this program permits students to pursue doctoral studies in the various aspects of urban design and planning as well as in a number of related social science, natural resource, and engineering areas.

The Program seeks to prepare scholars who can advance the state of research, practice, and education related to the built environment and its relationship to society and nature in metropolitan regions throughout the world. The program provides a strong interdisciplinary educational experience that draws on the resources of the entire University, and on the laboratory provided by the Seattle metropolitan region and the Pacific Northwest. The program emphasizes the educational values of interdisciplinarity, intellectual leadership and integrity, and the social values of equity, democracy and sustainability. It seeks to promote deeper understanding of the ways in which public decisions shape and are shaped by the urban physical, social, economic, and natural environment. The program envisions its graduates becoming leaders in the international community of researchers, practitioners and educators who focus on improving the quality of life and environment in metropolitan regions.

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2024 Affordable Urban Planning Degrees

Scroll down to see the most affordable urban planning degrees, as well as info on the different types of urban planning degrees and program accreditation.

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Employing a multidisciplinary approach, planners develop programs and plans for the use of land in rural and urban spaces. Urban planners may be involved in creating new housing developments, schools, and parks; assessing proposals for manufacturing facilities; preserving historic districts; implementing innovative transportation solutions; or revitalizing downtown neighborhoods. With every project, they must take into account factors such as budget constraints, environmental issues, and the social impact of their decisions. Their job is to make the best use of land and resources for the communities they serve.

If this sounds like your kind of career, we’re here to help. In our short guide to affordable planning programs, you’ll find all kinds of information on degrees, accreditations, and certifications. Here you can explore your bachelor degree options, learn why a master’s degree is important, and decide whether AICP certification is right for you. As a bonus, we’ve also included a list of useful sites for planning professionals.

School Selections

University of california-irvine.

• see their urban planning programs
• Irvine, California

The Department of Planning, Policy and Design at UC Irvine blends the fields of public policy, design and planning to creatively look for ways to solve problems in the natural and built environment. The department offers an undergraduate major in Urban Studies and offers a Master of Urban and Regional Planning and a Ph.D. in Planning, Policy and Design. A dual degree program, resulting in an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Master's in Planning, is available; students in the engineering section of that program specialize in transportation systems or water resources. Many local governments and agencies provide paid or unpaid internships for students in the master's program.

30,836 Students

Texas A & M University-College Station

• College Station, Texas

Seven research centers support ongoing work in urban planning at the Texas A&M University-College Station. Students in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning utilize these centers for internships, field work, and service-learning opportunities. The school offers a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning, Master of Urban Planning, Master of Land and Property Development, and Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science. The MLPD program is a unique curriculum that combines business with physical planning. The MUD program requires a thesis or research project. Numerous graduate certificates are offered as well. Urban planning students may qualify for the Center for Heritage Conservation Fellowship, History Maker Homes Endowed Scholarship, or the King Endowed Memorial Student Research Scholarship

63,813 Students

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, which brings a social science approach to the study of urban planning. The school offers a Master and Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning. Master's students have the option to study interdisciplinary tracks that connect four areas of specialization. These are design, real estate, hazards, international development, and Geographic Information Systems. Students take part in community engagement class projects, helping identify sustainable, practical solutions to real-world problems. Six research centers offer internship and research opportunities. The school offers the Stipe Assistantship in Historic Preservation ($10,000), Master's teaching and research assistantships ($11,100), and Doctoral assistantships ($18,000).

29,084 Students

University of California-Los Angeles

• Los Angeles, California

Students earning a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of California Los Angeles are expected to select an area of concentration by the end of their first term, selecting from these options: Community Economic Development and Housing; Design and Development; Environmental Analysis and Policy; Regional and International Development; or Transportation Policy and Planning. Students who do not have a background in planning must complete 300 hours of fieldwork. The program requires students to complete 18 courses and write a thesis or pass comprehensive exams. The department offers international study programs and internships. The Ph.D. program is designed to be flexible, with students allowed to select the classes and research projects that best suit their interests and goals.

41,908 Students

University of Illinois at Chicago

• Chicago, Illinois

The University of Illinois-Chicago College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs offers advanced study in urban planning and community development through its Master in Urban Planning and Policy. The degree is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. Students complete an area of specialization in one of the following: globalization and international planning, economic development, community development, spatial planning and design, urban transportation, or environmental planning and policy. All master's candidates are required to complete an internship and choose a master's project in applied research or a traditional thesis. Eight research centers in the specialization areas support faculty and student research. A foreign exchange program with University College Dublin is also available. Master's students are eligible for the Anna B. Memorial Scholarship ($3,000).

29,048 Students

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

• Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Resilient Communities Project at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities provides students in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program an opportunity to work with municipalities on a collaborative, sustainable solution to a community problem. The school also offers research opportunities at the State and Local Policy Program and Project on Regional and Industrial Economics. The program requires students to complete a 400-hour professional internship and a capstone project. Students may choose a degree concentration in areas of environmental planning, housing and community development, land use and urban design, or transportation planning, or design an interdisciplinary program. Graduate certificates complement the degree. Graduate student support is available through the Berrie Fellowship, Howard Award, and Humphrey Fellowship programs.

50,678 Students

University of California-Berkeley

• Berkeley, California

The urban planning program at the University of California, Berkeley, is built around a mission to improve the ethics, environment and economy of cities and communities by creating spaces that are accessible, enjoyable and sustainable. The Department of City and Regional Planning offers a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, a Master of City Planning and a Ph.D. of City Planning. The MCP program takes two years and allows students to concentrate in Environmental Planning and Healthy Cities; Housing, Community and Economic Development; Transportation Policy and Planning; and Urban Design. The university offers several concurrent graduate degree programs. The Ph.D. program encourages students to develop a specialty and to seek training in related fields such as architecture or civil engineering.

38,189 Students

University of California-Davis

• Davis, California

The University of California-Davis offers an Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning major that allows students to take a track in City and Regional Planning. In this track, undergrads gain an understanding of how cities develop and the planning that is necessary to solve problems. Courses required for this program include urban planning and public lands management, transportation planning, and urban politics and community development. The department offers a summer abroad program led by department faculty that investigates the sustainable cities of Northern Europe. Another departmental study abroad program takes students to examine ecological and social issues at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

35,186 Students

Westfield State University

• Westfield, Massachusetts

The Geography and Regional Planning Department at Westfield State University offers a foundation in geographic theory and hands-on learning in its Bachelor of Science in Regional Planning degree. Students may choose a degree concentration in environmental planning or urban and social justice. A certificate in Geographic Information Systems is also offered. Students take part in internships, independent study, and capstone research projects. They also engage the campus and wider community in collaborative projects, such as helping to create community revitalization plans. The school's Environmental Planning Club organizes a sustainability event on campus each year and a geocaching club offers extracurricular activities. Each year, the department presents the Kelly Award in Regional Planning ($1,000) and awards the Regional Planning Scholarship.

6,496 Students

Appalachian State University

• Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University offers a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning through its Department of Geography and Planning. Students are required to perform an internship in a professional office to earn their degree. The department also grants a non-thesis Master of Geography with a concentration in Planning that requires students to perform an internship or undertake a directed research project. Grad students can also opt for a Certificate in Planning, which requires 18 credit hours of coursework and emphasizes skills in the geospatial applications of planning. Scholarships available for planning majors include the Robert E. Reiman Planning Scholarship and the ASU Local Government Alumni Association Planning Scholarship.

17,932 Students

University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Amherst, Massachusetts

The two-year Masters in Regional Planning program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst offers service learning opportunities through a variety of on-campus research centers and interdisciplinary programs, such as the Springfield Design Center, Center for Economic Development, or the Center for Resilient Metro-Region. All of the centers work with communities throughout the region on issues of social planning and economic development. The Master's program is offered through the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. This allows the program to offer graduate students a certificate in landscape management. Studio courses are a requirement of the Planning Accreditation Board-accredited program. These may be completed on campus or through international courses, such as a climate change field study in Brazil or a tour of urban development in Amsterdam.

29,269 Students

SUNY at Albany

• Albany, New York

SUNY Albany offers a Master of Regional Planning, a two-year program designed to prepare students for a professional planning practice. Students can choose to specialize in one of three areas: Environmental and Land-Use Planning; Housing, Local Economic Development and Community Planning; or Transportation Planning. The interdisciplinary program emphasizes sustainability, public involvement and creativity. Students gain technical skills and have the opportunity to intern and practice their skills in a real-world setting. The program is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. Planning students can also enter a joint master's program that allows them to earn an MRP and a law degree. The Department of Geography and Planning also offers an undergraduate major in Urban Studies and Planning.

17,178 Students

Iowa State University

Iowa State's Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning is a professional program covering the theory, methods and applications of planning practice. When possible, studios and other classes work with local communities on real world problems. Students in the program can choose from five focus areas: community development and social policy, ecological and environmental planning, regional and international planning, physical planning and urban design, or transportation and land use. The program is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. While not required, students are urged to participate in an internship. Iowa State also offers a Master of Community and Regional Planning that allows students to concentrate in land use and transportation, community design and development, or rural and environmental planning.

35,714 Students

University of Florida

• Gainesville, Florida

The University of Florida's Master of Urban and Regional Planning program provides students with traditional lecture/seminar classes, studio work in a team environment as students apply their knowledge to real-world situations, professional experience through an internship, and research work for a capstone project. The program, accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, is known for its emphasis on environmental planning, growth management and transportation, housing, community and economic development, information technologies for planning, and urban design. The university also offers an online program designed for professional planners, a combined degree program that allows undergrads to work on their MURP during their junior and senior years, and a Ph.D. in Design, Construction and Planning with a concentration in Urban and Regional Planning.

50,645 Students

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Champaign, Illinois

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recognizes that issues of international planning are a vital part of training for urban planning professionals. That is why it offers an integrated transnational planning courses within other areas of specialization. The school offers a Bachelor of Arts, Master, and Ph.D. of Urban Planning, with the BAUP and MUP degrees accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. Research opportunities and service learning are available through the Land Use Evolution and Impact Assessment Model and Regional Economic Applications Laboratory research centers. Master's students have the option to pursue an area of emphasis in community development for social justice, land use and transportation planning, local and regional economic development, or sustainable design and development.

45,842 Students

University of Iowa

• Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa's BSE in Civil Engineering has an Urban and Regional Planning track. In addition to maintaining several hundred scholarships, the College of Engineering distributes grants to undergrads who pursue unpaid internships, either domestically or abroad. The college also hands out scholarships for study abroad through its Global Engineering program, and underclassmen receive free tutoring in STEM courses. Students angling toward an MS in Civil Engineering can join the fast-track degree program, which lets them count some courses toward both degrees and graduate in five years. Alternatively, as undergrads they can enroll in the joint master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning, which has five areas of concentration to choose from.

30,844 Students

Michigan State University

• East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State offers a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, and a Ph.D. in Planning, Design and Construction with a concentration in Urban and Regional Planning. The undergraduate program focuses on practical skills to prepare students for the workplace, including a capstone practicum course where students work with a local community on a planning project. Master's students gain the research and analytical skills needed to be innovative leaders in the field. MURP students can concentrate in areas such as golf course planning, community development, environmental and resource economics, economic development, or urban transportation planning. Students interested in planning law can choose the dual degree option for a MURP and a J.D.

50,538 Students

Minnesota State University-Mankato

• Mankato, Minnesota

The Urban and Regional Studies program at Minnesota State University takes an interdisciplinary approach to regional and urban issues by combining class work, research and field work for undergrads who are interested in community development or other planning jobs. Students are also encouraged to take internships, take part in community service projects, undertake independent study and participate in field projects. The major requires students to complete 33 semester hours, including taking four courses in the focus area they choose. Minnesota State also offers an M.A. in Urban Planning, a two-year professional program. The Urban and Regional Studies Institute typically hires three or four graduate assistants a year. The institute also offers tuition scholarships for full-time graduate urban planning students.

15,313 Students

CUNY City College

• New York, New York

City College offers a Master of Urban Design program that is delivered as a two-semester, full-time course of study. The main focus of the program is a design studio. In the first semester, students work on a design project for a large New York City site. During the semester break, students visit another city that is facing unique stresses, which have ranged from New Orleans to Hanoi. Students work on a design for the site in the second semester. The program is open to applicants who hold a professional degree in architecture or landscape architecture. Students must take two required courses and two electives each semester.

15,778 Students

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Charlotte, North Carolina

The University of North Carolina-Charlotte's Master of Urban Design is a 36-credit graduate program that can be completed in as little as three semesters. The degree is designed for students with a background in architecture, planning, landscape design, or related fields. The curriculum is balanced between studio and seminar classes. Faculty coordinate a five-week travel immersion program that in recent years has included study of high-density urbanism, historic regeneration, and new town movements in multiple cities in China. Research opportunities are provided through the Center for Integrated Building Design Research, the City Building Lab, daylighting and Energy Performance Lab, d-Arts, and Lab for Innovative Housing. Graduate students may qualify for research assistantships ($1,000-$3,000) or teaching assistantships ($1,000-$1,500).

27,983 Students

University of Georgia

• Athens, Georgia

The Master of Environmental Planning and Design at the University of Georgia emphasizes a studio-based integrative planning process focused on environmental principles. The program creates professionals who can make long-range goals for a region that incorporate community input as well as important cultural, historical and design elements. In each of their four semesters in the program, students take planning classes and participate in a design studio looking at a real world problem that reflects that semester's concentration, such as city, neighborhood or region. The program requires 58 credit hours. Students in the program can work an optional internship. The university's Center for Community Design & Preservation allows students to work on conceptual design projects and historic resource surveys.

36,130 Students

University of Idaho

• Moscow, Idaho

The Master of Science in Bioregional Planning and Community Design at the University of Idaho is an interdisciplinary program to prepare community leaders who can plan for sustainable development, efficient management of natural resources and sustainable quality of life for residents. The program is unique in North America because of its interdisciplinary nature, which involves nine different colleges within the University of Idaho. Students choose a specialty such as regional planning and multi-jurisdictional governance, community design, community and economic development, or transportation and sustainable infrastructure. Students take part in bioregional planning studios, where they work with a regional client, such as a city, on a planning need, putting their skills to work and gaining real-world experience.

11,372 Students

University at Buffalo

• Buffalo, New York

The School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Buffalo offers a 52-credit Master of Urban Planning. The program is open to students who have completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline and offers thesis or professional project options. An interdisciplinary graduate certificate in historic preservation studies and dual degree programs with the Master of Architecture and Law degrees. Students may seek specialization in economic and international development, environmental and land use planning, GIS and spatial analysis, neighborhood planning and community development, or urban design and physical planning, with several research centers on campus to support field work and service learning projects. Financial aid is offered through the Smith Scholarship ($1,000), and the IDeA Center Fellowship.

29,796 Students

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

• Pomona, California

At Cal Poly Pomona, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning is part of the College of Environmental Design. The department offers baccalaureate as well as master's degrees in urban and regional planning. The Bachelor of Science program is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board and provides students with broad-based classroom instruction as well as substantial field work opportunities. The master's program is accredited by the American Planning Association and offers the following areas of specialization: transportation policy, environmental policy, housing and community development, or land use and design. The department's alumni organization provides several merit- and need-based scholarships (with variable amounts) to urban and regional planning students. The URP Graduate Fellowship Fund provides support for master's thesis projects as funds allow.

23,717 Students

The University of Texas at Austin

• Austin, Texas

Students seeking a Master's or Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas-Austin will enter a small program of about 100 students. The school has a student-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, allowing for a great deal of mentorship and guidance. The program's focus is sustainable development processes and practices that help to balance growth with environmental and population equity. The Center for Sustainable Development supports these efforts through ongoing research, and provides employment opportunities for graduate research assistants. The curriculum requires students complete an intensive planning practicum and coursework in an area of specialization, such as social and economic equity or historic preservation. Graduate students may apply for posts as teaching or research assistants.

50,950 Students

University of Southern Maine

• Portland, Maine

The University of Southern Maine offers a Master of Policy, Planning and Management with a concentration in sustainable development and geospatial technologies. The 36-credit degree program requires 18 credits of core courses in subjects such as sustainable development, public finance, public service management and quantitative methods. Specialization course requirements include three core courses: a sustainable development workshop, a course in remote sensing and an introductory GIS or ArcGIS course. Students are also required to complete 18 credits of electives, with course options in urban geography, global planning issues, town design, food planning and natural resource conservation. Students can also complete a one to three-credit internship as an elective. The University also offers a graduate certificate in community planning and development and a minor in planning and GIS.

7,739 Students

Rutgers University

• New Brunswick, New Jersey

49,428 Students

The University of Texas at Arlington

• Arlington, Texas

With its location in the heart of the fourth largest metropolitan region in the United States, the University of Texas-Arlington offers a unique opportunity to study issues of urban sprawl, pollution, economic development, equity, and aging infrastructure. The school offers a Master of Community and Regional Planning accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. Students gain hands-on experience in planning development and design through the Institute of Urban Studies, which helps develop skills in data gathering and analysis, small group facilitation, and report preparation. In addition, the school offers certification in development review, Geographic Information Systems, public budgeting and financial management, and urban non-profit management. Scholarships include the Geisel Endowed Scholarship and the Mebus Public Service Graduate Fellowship.

41,988 Students

San Diego State University

• San Diego, California

The Master of Urban and Regional Planning at San Diego State University is designed for flexibility so that students can adapt the program to their personal aspirations and interests by taking courses in other departments. The required internship also allows students to match an intern position with their interests and career goals. Students in the program gain skills in design, economic analysis and quantitative techniques. They also learn about fiscal affairs and intergovernmental relationships, preparing them for a job in any section of the economy. To earn the degree, students must complete at least 48 credit hours and write a thesis or pass a comprehensive exam.

34,254 Students

San Jose State University

• San Jose, California

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San Jose State University's College of Social Sciences offers a minor in urban studies, as well as the following certificate programs: applications of technology in planning, community design and development, environmental planning, real estate development, and transportation and land use planning. On the graduate level, the department offers a Master of Urban Planning (MUP) program. To accommodate the schedules of students who are also working full time, classes meet in the evenings (after 4 pm) once a week. MUP students can apply for a number of scholarship opportunities including the California Planning Foundation (CPF) Scholarships and the Don and Ann Rothblatt Scholarship. Award amounts for these scholarship programs vary from year to year.

32,773 Students

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Lincoln, Nebraska

The Master of Community and Regional Planning program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not require a specific undergraduate degree but welcomes those who have a background in social sciences, statistics, and economics. The program offers the option of completing a thesis, a professional project, or a comprehensive written and oral exam. Students can specialize in environmental studies, Great Plains studies, or water resources planning and management, and a graduate certificate in public management is available. Established study abroad programs are offered in seven countries, though students may also propose a unique international experience. The school offers the Clark K. Independent Grocer Community Planning and Design Fund for a research project and the Mutunayagam Memorial Fellowship Fund.

25,260 Students

The University of Texas at San Antonio

• San Antonio, Texas

The University of Texas at San Antonio offers a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning. The goal of this program is to prepare students for careers and leadership roles in public and private sectors with the intent to plan and design communities as well as regions. This program is a collaboration of the Department of Public Administration in the College of Public Policy and the College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning. Students in this program will take courses such as Community Planning and Design, History and Theory of Urban and Regional Planning, and Land Use Policy.

28,787 Students

University of Central Florida

• Orlando, Florida

The urban planning programs at the University of Central Florida emphasize sustainability and socially responsible planning. The university offers a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning that allows students to concentrate in environmental planning, health and human services planning, or transportation planning. The program takes an interdisciplinary approach, as faculty with expertise in areas such as engineering, sociology and health administration lead classes. Students can enroll in the 48-credit-hour program on a part-time basis, taking two classes a semester for eight semesters. UCF also offers a Graduate Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning, a 15-credit-hour program. Undergraduates may minor in Urban and Regional Planning by completing seven core classes.

62,953 Students

Kansas State University

• Manhattan, Kansas

Through its College of Architecture, Planning and Design, Kansas State University offers a Master of Regional and Community Planning, a Master of Science in Community Development and an undergraduate minor in community planning. The Master of Regional and Community Planning is available in two tracks of study. The five-year track is designed for recent high school graduates or those who have not earned a bachelor's degree, and the two-year track is designed for those who already hold a bachelor's degree. Both programs are accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). The 36-credit M.S. in Community Development is an online, collaborative degree offered through a partnership between KSU's Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning and the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance.

24,146 Students

East Carolina University

• Greenville, North Carolina

The Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning at East Carolina University requires 33 credit hours of classes covering theory, methods, law, design, geographic information systems and environmental planning. Students take nine credit hours of electives in an area of emphasis, either coastal planning or community planning. During their senior year, planning majors take part in an applied planning studio and write a capstone professional paper. Internships are encouraged and academic credit may be available. For graduate students who want to study planning, the university offers a Master of Arts in Geography with a Planning Concentration and a Master in Public Administration with a Planning Concentration, as well as a four-course certificate in development and environmental planning.

28,289 Students

University of South Florida-Main Campus

• Tampa, Florida

The School of Public Affairs at USF's College of Arts and Sciences offers a Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree. Students accepted to this program can choose from the following areas of specialization: housing and community development, land use planning, local economic development, geographic information sciences (GIS), globalization and international development planning, and transportation planning. The curriculum includes coursework in community development planning, urban and metropolitan economic development, research methods for urban and regional planning, and quantitative aids for public managers. Students are given the option of writing a thesis or taking a comprehensive exam in order to graduate from the program. Full-time students can apply for graduate assistantships which include a tuition waiver as well as a stipend.

42,067 Students

Ball State University

• Muncie, Indiana

The College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University offers a Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development degree that is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning. A Master of Urban and Regional Planning programs is also available. This program has two tracks: a 48-credit-hour standard track, for students without a bachelor's degree in planning; and a 36-credit-hour accelerated track, for students with an undergraduate degree in planning. Students can choose between two available concentration areas - sustainable and comprehensive planning or economic development, or craft an individualized area of concentration. The Architecture and Planning Scholarship and the C. Eugene and Maybelle E. Hamilton Memorial Scholarship supports qualified urban planning students (variable award amounts).

21,196 Students

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

• Norman, Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma-Norman allows students in the Master of Regional and City Planning program flexibility in course selection to tailor courses to individual interests. The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning-accredited program offers a thesis option, with 48 credits required, or a non-these option of 50 credits with a learning portfolio requirement. Those taking the non-thesis route are encouraged to complete an internship or directed reading course during a summer semester. Two specializations are offered, physical planning and community and economic development and students may combine their master's degree with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Architecture or Juris Doctor degrees. Scholarships include the Flex-Ability Concepts Scholarship and the Buskuhl Scholarship.

27,428 Students

Florida State University

• Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University offers a Master of Science in Planning to prepare students for careers as specialists or generalists in the field of planning and a Ph.D. in Planning to prepare students for a role as a teacher or researcher in the field. Students in the master's program select one or more areas of specialization such as Environmental Planning and Natural Resource Management; Housing and Community Development; Land Use and Comprehensive Planning; Planning for Community Health; Planning for Developing Areas; or Transportation Planning. They also complete an internship that requires 400 hours of work in a professional setting and complete a capstone project. FSU also offers an accelerated MSP program for undergrads in any major.

40,830 Students

Texas State University-San Marcos

• San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University-San Marcos offers a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning and a Master of Applied Geography through its Department of Geography. Applied geography includes the sub-fields of land use, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental management, location analysis, and transportation systems. Undergraduate students have the option to earn certificates in GIS, environmental interpretation, location analysis, and water resources policy. Master's students choose a concentration area in land management, resource and environmental studies, or geographic information science. Research and community engagement activities are offered through The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, and the James and Marilyn Lovell Center for Environmental Geography and Hazards Research. Teaching and research fellowships are available.

37,979 Students

• Tempe, Arizona

Arizona State University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in urban planning, including an accelerated program that results in a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (MUEP). The undergraduate program focuses on planning analysis and presentation of information, and students may specialize in local neighborhoods, public participation, housing, environmental quality, hazardous waste, contemporary legal issues, or preservation planning. The MUEP is a professional, interdisciplinary program preparing students to work in the private or public sector. Students in the Ph.D. in Urban Planning program do research in areas including transportation planning and policy; urban design and sustainable cities; and spatial and economic analysis. Departmental scholarships include the Matthew G. Bailey Scholarship Award.

51,984 Students

University of Oregon

• Eugene, Oregon

The University of Oregon offers a Master of Community and Regional Planning, which instructs policy-oriented planners who are seeking positions of leadership within the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. For example, many graduates of this program become environmental planners, emergency services directors, planning consultants, private developers, or employees of economic development corporations. The program takes two years to complete, and it enrolls around 25 - 30 students annually. The program features applied learning opportunities like the Community Planning Workshop, which requires students to work on real projects for paying clients, as well as the Sustainable Cities Initiative, which helps students to plan more sustainable cities.

24,032 Students

University of Colorado Denver

• Denver, Colorado

The University of Colorado-Denver sets high goals for students in its Ph.D. program in Design and Planning. The goal of the program is to educate the next generation of leaders in the fields of planning, architecture, and landscape architecture by giving them a critical understanding of the social and political forces that influence their profession. Admission to the program is competitive and based in part on available funding. The university also offers a Master of Urban and Regional Planning in an interdisciplinary program built around three university initiatives: Healthy Communities, Urban Revitalization, and Regional Sustainability. The MURP program is designed to be hands-on, and the Colorado becomes a classroom as students work with planning professionals and local communities.

23,671 Students

Types of Planning Degrees

Associate’s degree in planning.

An associate’s degree in planning is a 2-year undergraduate program that provides students with a grounding in basic planning subjects. In addition to general education, your courses might cover areas such as computer graphics, codes/zoning/inspections, geographic information science, and environment/sustainability. Associate degrees are often offered at a reasonable price from community colleges. A high school diploma or GED is required to apply.

Associate degree programs in urban planning are rare, and are usually intended to help you earn credits for a bachelor’s degree. If you’re lucky, you may be able to find work as a planning technician or site planning assistant, but to get anywhere in the profession you will need a higher degree. If you’re aiming for a bachelor’s, make sure your credits will be transferable to the BA or BS of your choice.

Bachelor’s Degree in Planning

A bachelor’s degree in planning is a 4-year program that grounds students in both the theory and practice of urban/city planning. You’ll find planning programs in architecture schools , design schools , public policy schools, and even geography departments. A high school diploma or GED is required to apply.

Although there are a few entry-level positions open to baccalaureate graduates, most students earn a bachelor’s in order to advance to graduate work. A master’s degree is the standard requirement for jobs in the field of planning. For quality assurance, you can also check if the program has PAB accreditation .

Degree Options

Since urban planning is a multidisciplinary field, you have a lot of options when it comes to your degree. The standard choices are the:

• Bachelor of Planning (BPlan)
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Urban Planning
• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Urban Planning

However, you may also wish to consider related degree titles such as:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Geography with an Emphasis on Urban Planning
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Geography and Sociology
• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Architectural Studies
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Environmental Design

Different degrees have different emphases. For example, a planning degree from an architecture school may concentrate on physical planning and design. A degree from a public policy school may be concerned with sociology, public policy, and administration . For advice on which area is right for you, check out the APA’s breakdown of 20 planning divisions .

Sample Coursework

Since planning students typically go on to graduate work, most universities aim for a broad, interdisciplinary approach in the bachelor’s. The standard curriculum for the BPlan includes general education prerequisites and core courses related to planning. For example, you could be taking classes in the history and theory of urban planning, engineering, urban design, ethics, statistics, land use, urban ecology, sustainability planning, growth management, community development, and/or site planning.

In your third and fourth years, you will often be allowed to concentrate in a specific area of interest (e.g. geographic information systems (GIS), international development, historic preservation, etc.). Look for programs that incorporate studio/lab sessions, internships, and fieldwork experiences. These will help prepare you for your future career.

Career Options

It can be tough to find a job with a bachelor’s degree in planning. Most positions require a master’s degree, although you may be able to work as an assistant or junior planner while you earn money for graduate school.

Master’s Degree in Planning

A master’s degree in planning is a 2-year graduate program that is intended to prepare students for a career in planning. Although a bachelor’s degree is necessary, you don’t need to have a BPlan in order to apply for a master’s program. Many schools will consider students who have degrees in related fields such as geography, architecture , political science, public policy, sociology , and environmental design.

A master’s degree and ~1 year of professional experience (e.g. internships) are the standard requirements for planning practitioners.  For quality assurance, you can also check if the program has PAB accreditation .

When it comes to choosing a master’s degree, you’re going to be overwhelmed with choice. Common titles include:

• Master of Urban Planning (MUP)
• Master of City Planning (MCP)
• Master of Community Planning (MCP)
• Master of Regional Planning (MRP)
• Master of Town Planning (MTP)
• Master of Planning (MPlan)
• Master of Environmental Planning (MEP)
• Master of Arts (MA) in Planning
• Master of Science (MS) in Planning

All of these are generally considered to be professional master’s degree programs – i.e. the highest qualification you need to apply for professional planning positions.

You also have the option to consider a related degree with a planning focus. For example, if you’re interested in government work, you may wish to consider the:

• Master of Public Policy Administration (MPPA)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)

There are also joint degree programs where you can combine a master’s in planning with a degree in law, engineering, public policy, health management, or a related field. As always, we recommend you talk to your graduate adviser and your professional mentors about which degree is right for your career goals.

Coursework will depend on your choice of degree and concentration. For example, in an urban planning program, you may be studying urban revitalization, urban economics, sustainability issues, transportation policy, and housing and real estate. In a rural planning program, you may investigating issues related to agriculture and the environment. Having said that, most programs will include foundation classes in areas such as the history and theory of planning, statistics, planning law, and data analysis.

You won’t be spending all of your time in class. A good chunk will be spent in lab work, internships, and fieldwork. Internships and experience with real-world planning projects are particularly valuable when it comes to applying for jobs after graduation. You will also be expected to conduct independent research and present your findings in a thesis or capstone project in your final year.

With a master’s degree and strong work experience, you’re in a good position for careers. In addition to local and state government agencies, you may wish to consider working for non-profit organizations, architecture practices, law firms, consulting firms, or real estate developers. The majority of urban and regional planners end up in local government.

Sample job titles for master’s graduates include:

• Transportation Planner
• Natural Resource Manager
• Tribal Planner
• Land Use & Code Enforcement Planner
• Urban Design Planner
• Economic Development Planner
• Housing Policy & Projects Planner
• Economic Development Specialist
• Historic Preservation Officer

Doctoral Degree in Planning

A PhD in Planning is a 4-7 year graduate program intended for planners who wish to teach at the university level or pursue a career in high-level research and/or public policy. Unlike the master’s degree, which is aimed at professional training, the PhD is focused on research and scholarly investigation. You do not need a PhD in order to qualify for planning jobs.

PhD programs are not accredited by PAB . However, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) maintains a list of schools that offer PhD planning programs .

Certificate in Planning

A certificate in planning is a non-degree, academic program that takes approximately 6 months-1 year to complete. Most certificates in planning are offered at the graduate level, to students who already hold a bachelor’s degree. You may wish to earn a certificate in order to fulfill continuing education requirements, amass course credits for a master’s, specialize in a particular area (e.g. real estate development, landscape development, etc.), or hone your skills.

Important Accreditations

Regional accreditation.

Overall, we recommend you attend a regionally accredited college or university. Regional accreditation is a “seal of approval” granted to institutions by one of 6 regional accrediting bodies (e.g. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools).

You can learn more about the difference between national accreditation and regional accreditation in: Accreditation: Understanding the Difference Between Real Schools and Diploma Mills .

Benefits of Regional Accreditation

By attending a regionally accredited school, you will find it easier to:

• Transfer credits (many regionally accredited schools don’t accept credits from nationally accredited institutions)
• Qualify for scholarships, funding, student loan, and tuition reimbursement
• Apply for respected graduate schools
• Look good in the eyes of headhunters and recruiters

Remember that regional accreditation is given to an overall institution. To see if the planning program is accredited, you should look for PAB accreditation as well.

Planning Accreditation Board

The Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) is the sole body that accredits university programs in North America that offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in planning. Every year, the PAB reviews new programs and decides whether they meet certain standards for the profession. These standards have been created with input from the public and the American Planning Association (APA), the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).

Do you need to go to a PAB-accredited program in order to get a job? No. However, it tells prospective employers that you have:

• Knowledge in areas such as the structure and functions of urban settlements; the history and theory of planning processes and practices; the administrative, legal, and political aspects of plan-making and policy implementation; and a specialization of your choice
• Skills in quantitative analysis and computers, problem formulation and solving, plan-making and program design, ethics, communication, and application of knowledge to practice

In addition, graduates of a PAB-accredited program can take the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification exam earlier in their careers than students from non-accredited programs.

Find a PAB-accredited professional program .

Licensure & Certification

State licensure.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) :

“As of 2012, New Jersey was the only state that required planners to be licensed, although Michigan required registration to use the title ‘community planner.’”

You can learn more about these licensing processes from New Jersey’s State Board of Professional Planners and Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs .

AICP Certification

Once you have your degree in hand, you might consider becoming board certified through the APA’s professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) . You’ll often see these initials after the job titles of professional planners. Some employers like to see AICP certification, since it tells them that you have met certain schooling/experience requirements and have mastered a set of planning skills.

How to Become AICP-Certified

In order to earn AICP certification, you must:

• Be a current member of the American Planning Association (APA)
• Be engaged in professional planning, either currently or in the past, as defined by AICP
• Have completed one of the combinations of education and corresponding years of professional planning experience ( listed on the AICP site )
• Pass the AICP Comprehensive Planning Examination
• Pay AICP dues
• Maintain your certification every 2 years through continuing education

AICP also offers Advanced Specialty Certification in transportation planning, environmental planning, and urban design.

AICP certification is a great planning credential, but you may not need it for a job. For instance, if you’re interested in running a large planning agency, you may wish to focus your attention on law, public policy, and business management. Talk to your mentors about your options. Regardless of your choice, you should still consider becoming a member of the American Planning Association (APA) . This is a major networking hub for planners.

Helpful Planning Organizations

• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
• American Planning Association (APA)
• Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
• Data Sources for Our Rankings
• collegescorecard.ed.gov/data
• clep.collegeboard.org
• getcollegecredit.com
• nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter
• How it works

MA & PhD in Architecture

Ucla architecture and urban design offers two academic graduate degrees: the master of arts in architecture (ma) and doctor of philosophy in architecture (phd)..

The programs produce students whose scholarship aims to provoke and operate within architecture’s public, professional, and scholarly constituencies. Both programs are supported by the Standing Committee, made up of five faculty members: Michael Osman (MA/PhD program director), Cristóbal Amunátegui , Dana Cuff , Samaa Elimam , and Ayala Levin . A number of visiting faculty teach courses to expand the range of offerings.

Applications for the MA/PhD program (Fall 2024 matriculation) are completed via the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission , and are due January 6, 2024. Candidates will be notified of decisions in March 2024; admitted candidates who wish to accept the offer of matriculation must submit their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by April 15, 2024.

All MA and PhD students are required to enroll in a two-year colloquium focused on methods for writing, teaching, and researching in the field of architecture. The six courses that constitute the colloquium train students in the apparatus of academic scholarship. Over the two-year sequence, students produce original research projects and develop skills in long-format writing.

Research Opportunities

The intellectual life of the students in the MA and PhD programs are reinforced by the increasing number of opportunities afforded to students through specialized faculty-led research projects. These include cityLAB-UCLA and the Urban Humanities Institute .

MA in Architecture

This program prepares students to work in a variety of intellectual and programmatic milieus including historical research, cultural studies, and interdisciplinary studies with particular emphasis on connections with geography, design, art history, history of science and literary studies, as well as studio and design based research.

Beyond the core colloquium, MA students take a series of approved courses both at UCLA AUD and across campus. The MA program is a two-year degree, culminating in a thesis. The thesis is developed from a paper written by the student in their coursework and developed in consultation with the primary advisor and the standing committee. In addition to courses and individual research, students often participate in collective, project-based activities, including publications, symposia and exhibitions.

The program is distinguished by its engagement with contemporary design and historical techniques as well by the unusual balance it offers: fostering great independence and freedom in the students’ courses of study while providing fundamental training in architectural scholarship.

Recent MA Theses

• Jacqueline Meyer, “Crafting Utopia: Paolo Soleri and the Building of Arcosanti.”
• Joseph Maguid, “The Architecture of the Videogame: Architecture as the Link Between Representational and Participatory Immersion.”
• Meltem Al, “The Agency of Words and Images in the Transformation of Istanbul: The Case of Ayazma.”
• Courtney Coffman, “Addressing Architecture and Fashion: On Simulacrum, Time and Poché.”
• Joseph Ebert, “Prolegomena to a Poiesis of Architectural Phenomenology.”
• Jamie Aron, “Women Images: From the Bauhaus Weaving Workshop to the Knoll Textile Division.”
• Gustave Heully, “Moldy Assumptions.”
• Brigid McManama, “Interventions on Pacoima Wash: Repurposing Linear Infrastructure into Park Spaces.”

MA Typical Study Program

PhD in Architecture

This program prepares students to enter the academic professions, either in architectural history, architectural design, or other allied fields. PhD students are trained to teach courses in the history and theory of architecture while also engaging in studio pedagogy and curatorial work. In addition to the colloquium, PhD students take a series of approved courses both at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design and across campus. They select these courses in relation to their own research interests and in consultation with their primary advisor. The priorities for selection are breadth of knowledge and interdisciplinary experience that retains a focused area of expertise. To this end, the students identify Major and Minor Fields of study. The Minor Field is generally fulfilled by satisfactorily completing three courses given by another department and the Major Field by five courses offered by UCLA Architecture and Urban Design.

Once coursework is completed, PhD students move to the Comprehensive Exam, Qualifying Exam, and the writing of a dissertation, and final defense, if deemed appropriate by the doctoral committee. In the transition from coursework to exams, PhD students work on one paper beyond its original submission as coursework. The paper begins in the context of a departmental seminar, but often continues either in the context of an independent study, summer mentorship, or a second seminar with faculty consent. Upon the research paper’s acceptance, students begin preparing for their comprehensive exam. Before their third year, students must also satisfactorily complete three quarters of language study or its equivalent according to University standards. The particular language will be determined in consultation with the Standing Committee. The Comprehensive Exam is administered by at least two members of the Standing Committee and at most one faculty member from another Department at UCLA, also a member of the Academic Senate.

The Comprehensive Exam tests two fields: the first covers a breadth of historical knowledge—300 years at minimum—and the second focuses on in-depth knowledge of a specialization that is historically and thematically circumscribed. Students submit an abstract on each of these fields, provide a substantial bibliography, and prepare additional documentation requested by their primary advisor. These materials are submitted to the committee no less than two weeks before the exam, which occurs as early as the end of the second year. Students are encouraged to complete the Comprehensive Exam no later than the end of their third year of study.

The Comprehensive Exam itself consists of two parts: an oral component that takes place first, and then a written component. The oral component is comprised of questions posed by the committee based on the student’s submitted materials. The goal of the exam is for students to demonstrate their comprehensive knowledge of their chosen field. The written component of the exam (which may or may not be waived by the committee) consists of a written response to a choice of questions posed by the committee. The goal of this portion of the exam is for students to demonstrate their research skills, their ability to develop and substantiate an argument, and to show promise of original contribution to the field. Students have two weeks to write the exam. After the committee has read the exam, the advisor notifies the student of the committee’s decision. Upon the student’s successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam, they continue to the Qualifying Exam.

Students are expected to take the Qualifying Exam before the beginning of the fourth year. The exam focuses on a dissertation prospectus that a student develops with their primary advisor and in consultation with their PhD committee. Each student’s PhD committee consists of at least two members of the Standing Committee and one outside member from another department at the University (and a member of the Faculty Senate). Committees can also include faculty from another institution. All committees are comprised of at least three members of UCLA Academic Senate. The prospectus includes an argument with broad implications, demonstrates that the dissertation will make a contribution of knowledge and ideas to the field, demonstrates mastery of existing literature and discourses, and includes a plan and schedule for completion.

The PhD dissertation is written after the student passes the qualifying exam, at which point the student has entered PhD candidacy. The dissertation is defended around the sixth year of study. Students graduating from the program have taken posts in a wide range of universities, both in the United States and internationally.

Recent PhD Dissertations

• Marko Icev, "Building Solidarity: Architecture After Disaster and The Skopje 1963 Post-Earthquake Reconstruction." ( Read )
• Anas Alomaim, "Nation Building in Kuwait, 1961-1991."
• Tulay Atak, “Byzantine Modern: Displacements of Modernism in Istanbul.”
• Ewan Branda, “Virtual Machines: Culture, telematique, and the architecture of information at Centre Beaubourg, 1968–1977.”
• Aaron Cayer, "Design and Profit: Architectural Practice in the Age of Accumulation"
• Per-Johan Dahl, “Code Manipulation, Architecture In-Between Universal and Specific Urban Spaces.”
• Penelope Dean, “Delivery without Discipline: Architecture in the Age of Design.”
• Miriam Engler, “Gordon Cullen and the ‘Cut-and-Paste’ Urban Landscape.”
• Dora Epstein-Jones, “Architecture on the Move: Modernism and Mobility in the Postwar.”
• Sergio Figueiredo, “The Nai Effect: Museological Institutions and the Construction of Architectural Discourse.”
• Jose Gamez, “Contested Terrains: Space, Place, and Identity in Postcolonial Los Angeles.”
• Todd Gannon, “Dissipations, Accumulations, and Intermediations: Architecture, Media and the Archigrams, 1961–1974.”
• Whitney Moon, "The Architectural Happening: Diller and Scofidio, 1979-89"
• Eran Neuman, “Oblique Discourses: Claude Parent and Paul Virilio’s Oblique Function Theory and Postwar Architectural Modernity.”
• Alexander Ortenberg, “Drawing Practices: The Art and Craft of Architectural Representation.”
• Brian Sahotsky, "The Roman Construction Process: Building the Basilica of Maxentius"
• Marie Saldana, “A Procedural Reconstruction of the Urban Topography of Magnesia on The Maeander.”
• David Salomon, “One Thing or Another: The World Trade Center and the Implosion of Modernism.”
• Ari Seligmann, “Architectural Publicity in the Age of Globalization.”
• Zheng Tan, “Conditions of The Hong Kong Section: Spatial History and Regulatory Environment of Vertically Integrated Developments.”
• Jon Yoder, “Sight Design: The Immersive Visuality of John Lautner.”

A Sampling of PhD Alumni and Their Pedagogy

Iman Ansari , Assistant Professor of Architecture, the Knowlton School, Ohio State University

Tulay Atak , Adjunct Associate Professor, Pratt School of Architecture

Shannon Starkey , Associate Professor of Architecture, University of San Diego

Ece Okay , Affiliate Research, Université De Pau Et Des Pays De L'adour

Zheng Tan , Department of Architecture, Tongji University

Pelin Yoncaci , Assistant Professor, Department Of Architecture, Middle East Technical University

José L.S. Gámez , Interim Dean, College of Arts + Architecture, UNC Charlotte

Eran Neuman , Professor, School of Architecture, Tel Aviv University

Marie Saldana , Assistant Professor, School of Interior Architecture, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Sergio M. Figueiredo , Assistant Professor, Eindhoven University of Technology

Rebecca Choi , Assistant Professor of Architecture History, School of Architecture, Tulane University

Will Davis , Lecturer in History, Theory and Criticism, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore

Maura Lucking , Faculty, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Kyle Stover , Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Montana State University

Alex Maymind , Assistant Professor of Architecture and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Architecture, University of Minnesota

Gary Riichirō Fox , visiting faculty member at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and lecturer at USC School of Architecture

Randy Nakamura , Adjunct Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Francisco

Aaron Cayer , Assistant Professor of Architecture History, School of Architecture + Planning, University of New Mexico

Whitney Moon , Associate Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Todd Gannon , Professor of Architecture, the Knowlton School, Ohio State University

Dora Epstein Jones , Professor of Practice, School of Architecture, the University of Texas at Austin

Sarah Hearne , Assistant Professor, College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver

PhD Typical Study Program

*The choice of language to fulfill this requirement must be discussed with the Ph.D. Standing Committee

Our Current PhD Cohort

AUD's cohort of PhD candidates are leaders in their fields of study, deepening their scholarship at AUD and at UCLA while sharing their knowledge with the community.

Adam Boggs is a sixth year Ph.D candidate and interdisciplinary artist, scholar, educator and Urban Humanist. His research and teaching interests include the tension between creativity and automation, craft-based epistemologies, and the social and material history of architecture at the U.S.-Mexico border. He holds a BFA in Sculpture Cum Laude from the Ohio State University, and an MFA in Visual Art from the State University of New York at Purchase College. Prior to joining the doctoral program at UCLA he participated in courses in Architecture (studio and history) at Princeton University and Cornell University. His dissertation analyzes the history of indigenous labor during the Mexican baroque period to form a comparative analysis with the 20th century Spanish revival architecture movement in Southern California and how the implementation of the style along the U.S.-Mexico border might function as a Lefebvrian “thirdspace” that disrupts binary thinking. In Spring 2024 he will teach an undergraduate seminar course at AUD on the history of architecture at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the CUTF program.

Hanyu Chen is a second-year doctoral student at UCLA AUD. Her research focuses on the intersection between (sub)urban studies, heritage conservation, and the genders of the space. Specifically, it concerns the dynamics of genders in (sub)urban areas and how these dynamics are conserved as heritage. Born and raised in China for her first 18 years, Hanyu chose the conservation of comfort stations in China as her master's thesis at the University of Southern California, where she earned her master’s degree in Heritage Conservation and officially started her journey in architecture. Her thesis discusses the fluidity and genders of comfort stations and how they survive in contemporary China’s heritage conservation policies.

Hanyu also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in AMS (Applied Mathematics and Statistics) and Art History from Stony Brook University.

Yixuan Chen

Yixuan Chen is an architectural designer and a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA. Driven by an impulse to demystify both the grand promises and trivial familiarities of architecture, her research embarks on the notion of everydayness to elucidate the power dynamics it reveals. She investigates the conflicts between these two ends and focuses on modernization across different times and places.

Prior to joining UCLA AUD, she was trained as an architect and graduated from the University of Nottingham's China Campus with a first-class honors degree. Her graduation project “Local Culture Preservation Centre,” which questioned the validity of monumental architecture in the climate crisis, was nominated for the RIBA President's Medal in 2016.

She also holds a Master of Arts degree with distinction in Architectural History from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Her dissertation, “Shijing, on the Debris of Shijing,” explores the vanishing shijing places, or urban villages, where rural migrant workers negotiate their urban identity in Chinese cities, revealing shifting power relations. Additionally, she authored an article in Prospectives Journal titled "Architectural Authorship in ‘the Last Mile,’" advocating for a change to relational architectural authorship in response to the digital revolution in architecture.

Pritam Dey is an urban designer and second-year doctoral student at UCLA AUD. His research interest lies at the intersection of colonial urbanism, sensorial history, and somatic inquiries. His architecture thesis investigated the crematorium and temple as sensorial infrastructure, and was presented at World Architecture Congress at Seoul in 2017. Previously Dey worked in the domain of urban design, specifically informal markets, as a shaper of urbanism in Indian cities. Prior to joining the AUD doctoral program, his past research focused on investigating the role of informal and wholesale markets in shaping up urbanity in the Indian city cores and co-mentored workshops on Urbanity of Chitpur Road, Kolkata with ENSAPLV, Paris which was both exhibited at Kolkata and Paris. He also co-mentored the documentation of the retrospective landscape of Hampi with the support of ENSAPLV and French Embassy. His investigations on the slums of Dharavi title ‘The tabooed city’ was published in the McGill University GLSA Research series 2021 under the theme: the city an object or subject of law?

An urban designer and architect, Pritam Dey pursued his post graduation from School of planning and Architecture, Delhi. During his academic tenure at SPA, he was the recipient of 2018 Design Innovation Center Fellowship for Habitat design allowing him to work on the social infrastructure for less catered communities in the Sub Himalayan Villages. In 2022 He mentored a series of exhibitions on the theme of Water, Mountains and Bodies at Ahmadabad.

He was the 2022-23 Urban Humanities Initiatives Fellow at UCLA and recipient of 2023 UCLA Center for India and South Asia fellowship for his summer research.

Carrie Gammell

Carrie Gammell is a doctoral candidate working at the intersection of architectural history, property law, and political economy. Her research focuses on claims, investments, and intermediary organizations in the United States, from the Homestead Act of 1862 to the Housing Act of 1934.

Carrie is also a Senior Research Associate at cityLAB UCLA, where she studies state appropriations for California community college student housing. In the past, she contributed to Education Workforce Housing in California: Developing the 21st Century Campus, a report and companion handbook that provides a comprehensive overview of the potential for land owned by school districts to be designed and developed for teachers and other employees.

Prior to joining AUD, Carrie worked as an architectural designer in Colombia and the United States, where she built a portfolio of affordable housing, multi-family residential, and single-family residential projects as well as civic and cultural renovations and additions. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University and a Master in Design Studies (Critical Conservation) from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Anirudh Gurumoorthy

Anirudh Gurumoorthy is a PhD candidate at UCLA AUD. His dissertation, tentatively titled (Un)Certain Tropics and the Architecture of Certain Commodities, 1803-1926, focuses on the spatial and environmental histories of natural history/sciences in the long-nineteenth century as it related to the political economy of empire within South Asia. He is interested in the ways the materiality of commodity extraction and production contends with how, where, and why certain ‘tropical’ animals, vegetables, and minerals are attributed with a metropolitan sense of ‘value’. Moving from the United States to Britain (and back) through various parts of the Indian Ocean world as markets for singular forms of ice, rubber, and cattle form, peak, and collapse, the dissertation ultimately aims to reveal interconnected spatial settings of knowledge, control, regulation, display, and labor where knowledge systems, technical limits, human and nonhuman action/inaction, differentiated senses of environments and value continually contend with each other to uphold the fetishes of the world market. Gurumoorthy holds a B.Arch. from R.V. College of Architecture, Bangalore, and an M.Des in the History and Philosophy of Design and Media from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Chi-Chia Hou

Chi-Chia Hou is a doctoral candidate in his sixth year at UCLA AUD. His working dissertation, “New Frontier: Architecture and Service 1893-1960,” explores his interest in architecture and wealth, changing ideas of profit and management, and social scientific discourses for measuring work and worker, self and others, and values of landed property.

His research locates moments of theorizing methodologies to manage income-generating properties in schools of agriculture, home economics, and hotel studies. The schools taught their students theories, while instilling the imminence of faithful direction of oneself, of self-as-property. The pedagogies, existing beyond the purview of Architecture, were of immense architectural consideration.

Chi-Chia Hou took a break from school in the previous academic year to learn from his daughter and has now returned to school to learn from his brilliant cohorts.

Adam Lubitz

Adam Lubitz is an urban planner, heritage conservationist, and doctoral student. His research engages the intersection of critical heritage studies and migration studies, with an emphasis on how archival information can inform reparations. His community-based research has been most recently supported by the Columbia GSAPP Incubator Prize as well as the Ziman Center for Real Estate and Leve Center for Jewish Studies at UCLA.

Prior to joining AUD, Adam worked at World Monuments Fund within their Jewish Heritage Program, and taught GIS coursework at Barnard College. His master's thesis applied field research with experimental mapping techniques in the old town of a municipality in Palestine. Adam holds MS degrees in Historic Preservation and Urban Planning from Columbia University and a BA in Urban Studies from New College of Florida.

José Monge is a PhD candidate in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design. His dissertation, titled Maritime Labor, Candles, and the Architecture of the Enlightenment (1750-1872) , focuses on the role that whale-originated illuminants, specifically spermaceti candles and oil, played in the American Enlightenment as an intellectual project and the U.S. as a country. By unravelling the tension between binaries such as intellectual and manual labor–the consumers that bought these commodities and the producers that were not able to afford them–the project understands architecture as a history of activities that moved from sea to land and land to sea, challenging assumptions about the static “nature” of architecture.

Kurt Pelzer

Kurt Pelzer is a fourth-year PhD candidate at UCLA AUD. Their research explores the relational histories, material flows, and politics of land in and beyond California in the long nineteenth century during the United States parks, public lands, and conservation movements.

Their current scholarship traces the settler possession and exhibitionary display of a Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in the 1850s; an act that contested the ways Miwok peoples ancestral to California's Sierra Nevada knew and related to life and land. Their broader interests include histories of colonialism and capitalism in the Americas, environmental history, and Blackness and Indigeneity as a methodological analytic for political solidarities and possibilities.

Prior to arriving at UCLA, Pelzer worked at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the Architecture and Design Curatorial Department participating in exhibitions, programming, and collections work. Pelzer completed a Master of Advanced Architectural Design in the History, Theory, and Experiments program from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, and earned their Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from the College of Design at Iowa State University.

Shota Vashakmadze

Email Shota Vashakmadze

Shota Vashakmadze is a sixth-year PhD candidate at UCLA AUD. His dissertation traces the conjoined histories of architectural computing, environmental design, and professional practice in the late 20th century, adopting critical approaches to architecture’s technical substrates—the algorithms, softwares, and user protocols of computation—to examine their social and political dispositions. In his scholarship and pedagogy, he aims to situate forms of architectural labor within the profession’s ongoing acculturation to environmental crisis. Most recently, he has been leading the development of the interdisciplinary “Building Climates” cluster, a year-long course sequence at UCLA, and co-organizing an initiative dedicated to fostering discourse on climate change and architecture, including a two-day conference entitled “Architecture After a Green New Deal.”

His research has been supported by the Canadian Centre for Architecture and appeared in journals including Architectural Theory Review , The Avery Review, and Pidgin Magazine. He is currently completing a contribution to a collection on landscape representation and a chapter for an edited volume on architecture, labor, and political economy.

Shota holds an MArch from Princeton University and has a professional background in architecture, landscape, and software development. Before coming to UCLA, he researched methods for designing with point cloud data and wrote Bison, a software plugin for landscape modeling.

Alexa Vaughn

Alexa Vaughn (ASLA, FAAR) is a first year PhD student in Architecture + Urban Design and a Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow , from Long Beach, California. She is a Deaf landscape designer, accessibility specialist, consultant, and recent Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (2022-23). She is a visionary speaker, thought leader, prolific writer and researcher, and the author of “ DeafScape : Applying DeafSpace to Landscape,” which has been featured in numerous publications.

Her professional work is centered upon designing public landscapes with and for the Deaf and disabled communities, applying legal standards and Universal Design principles alongside lived experience and direct participation in the design process. She is an expert in designing landscapes for the Deaf community (DeafScape) and in facilitation of disabled community engagement. Prior to joining the A+UD program, Alexa worked for several landscape architecture firms over the course of six years, including OLIN and MIG, Inc.

Through a disability justice lens, her dissertation will seek to formally explore the historical exclusionary and inaccessible design of American urban landscapes and public spaces, as well as the response (activism, policy, and design) to this history through the present and speculative future. She will also actively take part in activist- and practice-based research with cityLAB and the Urban Humanities Institute .

Alexa holds both a BA in Landscape Architecture (with a minor in Conservation and Resource Studies) and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the University of California, Berkeley, with specialization in accessible and inclusive design. Much of her work can be found at www.designwithdisabledpeoplenow.com and on Instagram: @DeafScape.

Yashada Wagle

Yashada Wagle is a third year PhD student in Critical Studies at UCLA AUD, and a recipient of the department's Moss Scholarship. Her research focuses on imperial environmental-legislative regimes in British colonial India in the late nineteenth century. She is interested in exploring questions around the histories of spaces of extraction and production as they network between the metropole and the colony, and their relationship with the conceptions of laboring bodies therein. Her master's thesis focused on the Indian Forest Act of 1865, and elucidated the conceptualization of the space of the ‘forest’ through the lenses of its literary, legislative, and biopolitical trajectories, highlighting how these have informed its contemporary lived materiality.

Wagle holds a Bachelor in Architecture (BArch) from the Savitribai Phule Pune University in India, and a Master in Design Studies (History and Philosophy of Design and Media) from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was previously a Research Fellow at the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA) in Mumbai, India.

In her spare time, Wagle enjoys illustrating and writing poetry, some of which can be found here .

Dexter Walcott

Dexter Walcott is a registered architect currently in his fifth year with the Critical Studies of Architecture program at UCLA. His research focuses on the Latrobe family and early nineteenth century builders in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. He is interested in the role of the built environment in histories of labor, capitalism, steam-power, and industry.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Joy is a fifth-year PhD student in architecture history. Her research explores geology as antiquity from early 19th – 20th century British colonial Hong Kong and China. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature with a focus in German from Middlebury College in 2017, and is a graduate of The New Normal program at Strelka Institute, Moscow in 2018. Previously, she has taught in the Department of Architecture at University of Hong Kong, as well as the Department of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

After working as a curatorial assistant at Tai Kwun Contemporary in 2019, she has continued the practice of art writing and translation, collaborating with many local Hong Kong artists as well as international curators such as Raimundas Malašauskas. In her spare time, she practices long-distance open water swimming. In 2022, she completed a 30km course at the South of Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

The MA and PhD programs welcome and accept applications from students with a diverse range of backgrounds. These programs are designed to help those interested in academic work in architecture develop those skills, so we strongly encourage that you become familiar with fundamental, celebrated works in the history and theory of architecture before entering the program.

Applicants to the academic graduate programs must hold a Bachelor’s degree, or the foreign equivalent. All new students must enter in the fall quarter. The program is full-time and does not accept part-time students.

Applications for the MA and PhD programs (Fall 2024 matriculation) will be available in Fall 2023, with application deadline of January 6, 2024; please revisit this page for updates. Accepted candidates who wish to enroll must file an online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by April 15, 2024.

How to Apply

Applying to the MA and PhD programs is an online process via the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission (AGA).

Completing the requirements will take some time, so we strongly recommend logging in to the AGA in advance to familiarize yourself with the site and downloading the documents and forms you will need to complete your application.

You can also download this checklist to make sure you have prepared and submitted all the relevant documents to complete your application.

Your Statement of Purpose is a critical part of your application to the MA and PhD programs. It is your opportunity to introduce yourself and tell us about your specific academic background, interests, achievements, and goals. Our selection committee use it to evaluate your aptitude for study, as well as consideration for merit-based financial support.

Your statement can be up to 1500 words in length. Below are some questions you might want to consider. You don’t need to answer every question; just focus on the elements that are most relevant to you.

• What is your purpose in applying to the MA or PhD program? Describe your area(s) of research interest, including any areas of concentration and specialization.
• What experiences have prepared you for this program? What relevant skills have you gained from these experiences? Have your experiences led to specific or tangible outcomes that would support your potential to contribute to this field (e.g. performances, publications, presentations, awards or recognitions)?
• What other information about your past experience might help the selection committee in evaluating your suitability for this program? E.g. research, employment, teaching, service, artistic or international experiences through which you have developed skills in leadership, communication, project management, teamwork, or other areas.
• Why is UCLA Architecture and Urban Design the best place for you to pursue your academic goals?
• What are your plans for your career after earning this degree?

Your Personal Statement is your opportunity to provide additional information to help the selection committee evaluate your aptitude for study. It will also be used to consider candidates for UCLA Graduate Division fellowships related to diversity. You can read more about the University of California Diversity Statement here .

Your statement can be up to 500 words in length. Below are some questions you might want to consider. You don’t need to answer every question; just focus on the elements that are most relevant to you.

• Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Have any of these experiences provided unique perspective(s) that you would contribute to your program, field or profession?
• Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education. What motivated you to persist, and how did you overcome them? What is the evidence of your persistence, progress or success?
• How have your life experiences and educational background informed your understanding of the barriers facing groups that are underrepresented in higher education?
• How have you been actively engaged (e.g., through participation, employment, service, teaching or other activities) in programs or activities focused on increasing participation by groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education?
• How do you intend to engage in scholarly discourse, research, teaching, creative efforts, and/or community engagement during your graduate program that have the potential to advance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education?
• How do you see yourself contributing to diversity in your profession after you complete your academic degree at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design?

A Curriculum Vitae (résumé of your academic and professional experience) is recommended but not required.

Applicants must upload a scanned copy of the official transcripts from each college or university you have attended both in the U.S. and abroad. If you are accepted into the program you will be required to submit hard copies. These can either be sent directly from each institution or hand-delivered as long as they remain in the official, signed, sealed envelopes from your college or university. As a general rule, UCLA Graduate Division sets a minimum required overall grade-point average of 3.0 (B), or the foreign equivalent.

As of this Fall 2023 cycle, the GRE is NOT required as part of your application to UCLA AUD. No preference will be given to those who choose to submit GRE scores as part of their application.

However, if you do take the GRE exam and wish to include it as part of your application: More information on this standardized exam can be found at www.ets.org/gre . In addition to uploading your GRE scores, please direct ETS to send us your official score sheets. Our ETS codes for the GRE are below:

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Institution Code: 4837 Department Code: 4401

We recommend you take the exam at least three weeks before the application deadline as it usually takes 2-3 weeks for ETS to send us the test scores.

If you have received a Bachelor’s degree in a country where the official language of instruction and primary spoken language of daily life is not English, you must submit either a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Exempt countries include Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This is a requirement that is regardless of your visa or citizenship status in the United States.

To be considered for admission to the M.Arch. program, international students must score at least a 92 on the TOEFL or a 7 on the IELTS exam. Because processing, sending, and receiving TOEFL and IELTS scores can take several weeks, international students must schedule their exam no later than October 31 in order to meet UCLA deadlines. TOEFL scores must be sent to us directly and uploaded as part of the online submission. Our ETS codes for the TOEFL are below:

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Institution Code: 4837 Department Code: 12

If your score is less than 100 on the TOEFL or 7.5 on the IELTS, you are also required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE) on arrival at UCLA. The results of this test will determine any English as a Second Language (ESL) courses you need to take in your first term of residence. These courses cannot be applied towards your minimum course requirements. As such, you should expect to have a higher course load than students not required to take ESL courses.

If you have earned a degree or completed two years of full-time college-level coursework in the following countries, your TOEFL / IELTS and ESLPE requirements will be waived: U.S., U.K., Canada (other than Quebec), Australia, and New Zealand. Please provide official transcripts to demonstrate course completion. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any other documentation to demonstrate language proficiency.

Three (3) letters of recommendation are required. These letters should be from individuals who are familiar with your academic and professional experiences and can evaluate your capacity to successfully undertake graduate studies at UCLA. If you do not have an architecture background please note that we are looking for letters that evaluate your potential as a graduate student, not necessarily your architecture experience.

Letters of recommendation must be sent electronically directly to UCLA by the recommender. When logged in, you can enter the name and email address of each of your recommenders. They will be contacted by email with a request to submit a letter on your behalf. You can track which letters have and have not been received. You can also send reminders to your recommenders to send their letters.

Writing samples should illustrate an applicant’s capacities for research, analytical writing and scholarly citation. Texts may include seminar papers, theses, and/or professional writing.

Please complete and submit the Department Supplement Form to confirm your intention to apply to the MA or PhD program.

2024-2025 Catalog

Doctoral degrees.

The University of Idaho awards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in recognition of high achievement in scholarly and research activity. The degree of Doctor of Education is granted for high scholarly attainment and in recognition of the completion of academic preparation for professional practice. See the "Ph.D. and Ed.D. Procedures" tab for more details. The Doctor of Athletic Training is offered through the College of Education and the Department of Movement Sciences (see the "DAT Procedures" tab for more details).

The major professor and program offering a particular doctoral program indicate the general philosophy of the degree program, the objectives of courses and seminars, the research specialties available, and requirements unique to the department. Admission to the doctoral program is granted only to those who have a recognized potential for completing the degree.

Requirements for Doctoral Degrees

Credit requirements.

For the Ph.D. and Ed.D., a minimum of 78 credits beyond the bachelor's degree is required.; At least 52 credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least 33 of the 78 credits must be in courses other than 600 (Doctoral Research and Dissertation). A maximum of 45 research credits in 600 (Doctoral Research and Dissertation) including 6 credits of 599 (Non-thesis Research) or 500 (Master's Research and Thesis) may be in the 45 research credits used toward the degree. For the D.A.T., a minimum of 66 credits is required and follows a prescribed set of courses set by the program.

Courses numbered below 300 may not be used to fulfill the requirements for a doctoral degree; courses numbered 300-399 may be used only in supporting areas and are not to be used to make up deficiencies. Individual programs may require additional course work. Applicants having a doctoral degree may obtain a second doctoral degree subject to the approval of the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council will establish the requirements for the second degree.

Credit Limitations for Transfer, Correspondence Study, and Non-degree

For the Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees, a student must complete at least 39 of the 78 required credits at the University of Idaho (U of I) while matriculated in the College of Graduate Studies. Credits can be transferred to U of I with the consent of the student's major professor, the committee (if required by the program), the program's administrator, and the dean of the College of Graduate Studies. Credits can be transferred only if the institution from which the credits are being transferred has a graduate program in the course's discipline. All credits used toward graduate degrees must be from regionally accredited American institutions or from non-US institutions recognized by the appropriate authorities in their respective countries. Transfer credits are subject to all other College of Graduate Studies rules and regulations. Correspondence study courses may be applied to the degree only with the prior written approval of the College of Graduate Studies. Courses used toward an undergraduate degree, professional development courses, and courses on a professional development transcript are not available to be used toward a doctoral degree.

Time Limits

Of the credits submitted to satisfy the requirements for a Ph.D. or Ed.D. degree, a maximum of 30 may be more than eight years old when the degree is conferred, provided the student's committee and program administrator determine that the student has kept current in the subjects concerned. Graduation must occur no later than five years after the date on which the candidate passed their preliminary or general examination. These time limitations can be extended only on recommendation of the committee and approval by the Graduate Council.

Awarding Doctoral Degrees to Members of the Faculty

Regulations are outlined in Section 4920 of the Faculty-Staff Handbook.

Particular Requirements for the Ed.D. Degree

A period of professional practice is required for the Doctor of Education degree; the period involved is determined by the student's supervisory committee. While the Ed.D. is a College of Education degree, you should consult with the departments in the College of Education to learn of specific emphasis requirements.

Procedures for Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Education Degrees

Appointment of major professor and committee.

Refer to " Appointment of Major Professor and Committee for All Degree Seeking Graduate Students " in the preceding General Graduate Regulations section. In addition, a doctoral supervisory committee consists of at least four people: the major professor as chair and at least one additional UI faculty member from the program, the balance of the committee may be made up of faculty members from a minor or supporting area, and faculty members from a discipline outside the major. If the committee has a co-chair, the minimum number of committee members is five.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination is a program option and serves to assess the background of the student in both the major and supporting fields and to provide partially the basis for preparation of the student's study program. A particular program may or may not require a master's degree as a prerequisite for the qualifying evaluation. As soon as the program's qualifications are met, a supervisory committee is appointed.

Preparation of Study Plan

Refer to " Preparation and Submission of Study Plan " in the preceding General Graduate Regulations section.

Preliminary Examination for Ph.D. Degree

The preliminary examination should be scheduled only after the student has completed the majority of the courses on their study plan. The student is required to be registered during the semester the preliminary examination is taken. The student's committee certifies to the College of Graduate Studies the results of the preliminary examination and if passed, the student is advanced to candidacy. Graduation must occur no later than five years after the date on which the candidate passed their examination. If the preliminary examination is failed, it may be repeated only once; the repeat examination must be taken within a period of not less than three months or more than one year following the first attempt. If a student fails the preliminary examination a second time, or the program does not allow the student to repeat the examination after the first failure or the student does not retake the examination within one year, the student is automatically moved to unclassified enrollment status and is no longer in the degree program.

General Examination for Ed.D . Degree

When the student approaches the end of their course work, has completed the professional experience requirement, and has outlined the dissertation subject in detail, the supervisory committee approves the holding of the general examination. The student is required to be registered during the semester the general examination is taken. The examination is both written and oral and is intended to assess progress toward degree objectives. The student's committee certifies to the College of Graduate Studies the results of the general examination and if passed, the student is advanced to candidacy. Graduation must occur no later than five years after the date on which the candidate passed their examination. If the general examination is failed, it may be repeated only once; the repeat examination must be taken within a period of not less than three months or more than one year following the first attempt. If a student fails the general examination a second time, or the program does not allow the student to repeat the examination after the first failure or the student does not retake the examination within one year, the student is automatically moved to unclassified status and is no longer in the degree program.

See the General Graduate Regulations section regarding application for advanced degree, registration requirements, final defense and dissertation requirements.

Procedures for Doctor of Athletic Training

The culminating clinical project.

Students enrolled in the Doctor of Athletic Training (D.A.T.) will engage in research projects during the curricular phase of the program. These project(s) will lead to at least two publication ready manuscripts, and all students must meet professional authorship requirements (regardless of order). See the  Department of Movement Sciences and Doctor of Athletic Training webpages for more information.

The Team (Committee)

All D.A.T. project team committees will have at least four committee members: two members of the athletic training faculty (all with graduate faculty status), the student's attending clinician (who is the student's on-site mentor during the student's residency), and an expert in the student's chosen area of clinical research. The athletic training faculty members will always chair the CCP, provide research guidance, and serve as the experts in the development of advanced practice in Athletic Training. A situation may arise in which one or both of the members of the committee that are outside of the AT program faculty may have a degree less than that of which the student is seeking; however, the intent of the third and fourth D.A.T. committee membership is to provide outside validation of the student's progress toward advanced practice and clinical utility of action research studies.

Culminating Clinical Project Hours

These dissertation hours may be used in instances when the CCP has not been successfully completed and the curricular phase of program has been completed.

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