Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning
The Program in Urban and Environmental Planning balances the development of professional planning skills with a liberal arts education emphasizing interdisciplinary study. Students are prepared for public, private, and non-profit sector professional work upon graduation.
CURRICULAR FOCUS
The curriculum integrates professional courses, both theoretical and technical, with a liberal arts education focused on understanding our cities and environments. In particular the Program introduces students to the theories of planning, methods of analysis, effective means of communication, planning processes, and creative strategies for implementation. Some key areas of study include:
- Sustainable community development
- Environmental impacts
- Public and private costs of development
- Neighborhood planning and community development
CURRICULUM
Students typically take courses in the social and natural sciences, the humanities, and in design fields that complement professional courses in planning practice and theory. Graduates either begin work in the public or private sectors or go on to graduate professional studies in a number of fields including Business, Law, and Public Administration.
The scope of the planner’s work encompasses present and future urban and environmental concerns, including such diverse issues as environmental impact, quality of life, and the public and private costs of development. Public sector planners work for all levels of government, formulating plans to redevelop or rehabilitate downtowns and neighborhoods, develop land aesthetically and profitably, and regulate private development to protect public interests. Although planners frame long-range designs, anticipating futures five to fifteen years away, they are also deeply involved in choosing among current projects. Private sector planners employed with land developers, utilities, banks, property management firms, industries, and other major corporations do similar work according to the particular concerns of each business. Many of these concerns are integrated with the department’s focus on sustainable community development.
Students must have a minimum of 122 credits, or 40 courses, with at least a 2.0 average in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning degree. Required planning courses make up 8 of these, with an additional 4 courses in professional electives and one planning application course elective. These core planning courses are supported by general skill and knowledge courses taken outside of the Department including statistics, economics, and other social sciences. The remainder of the courses are liberal arts courses, some of which are social or natural sciences and others of which are open electives. Electives provide frequent opportunity for interdisciplinary exchange with students in other programs and with graduate students in planning.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
FIRST YEAR
Fall Semester
- English1 (3)
- ARCH 1010 Language of Architecture2 (4)
- Math/Science3 (3–4)
- Social Science Elective4 (3)
- PLAN 1030 Introduction to Urban and Environmental Planning (3)
- Total Credits: 16–17
Spring Semester
- English (or Second Writing)1 (3)
- ARCH 1020 Language of Architecture2 (4)
- Math/Science3 (3–4)
- Social Science Elective4 (3)
- Humanities (3)
- Total Credits: 16–17
SECOND YEAR
Fall Semester
- PLAN 2110 Digital Visualization for Planners (4)
- Math/Science3 (3–4)
- ECON 2010 Microeconomics (3)
- Humanities Elective7 (3)
- Open Elective (3)
- Total Credits: 16–17
Spring Semester
- Plan 2020 Planning Design (4)
- Math/Science3 (3–4)
- ECON 2020 Macroeconomics (3)
- Statistics8 (3)
- Open Elective7 (3)
- Total Credits:16–17
THIRD YEAR, Fall Semester
- PLAN 3030 Neighborhoods, Communities and Regions (3)
- PLAN 3060 Land, Law and the Environment (3)
- Politics Elective4 (3)
- Open Elective7 (3)
- Open Elective (3)
- Total Credits: 15
Spring Semester
- PLAN 3050 Planning Methods (3)
- Professional Elective5 (3)
- Politics Elective4 (3)
- Open Elective7 (3)
- Open Elective (3)
- Total Credits: 16
FOURTH YEAR
Fall Semester
- Professional Elective5 (3)
- Professional Elective5 (3)
- PLAC 4010 Neighborhood Planning Workshop6 (3)
- Social Science Elective4 (3)
- Open Elective7 (3)
- Total Credits: 15
Spring Semester
- PLAN 4040 Planning in Government (3)
- PLAC Planning Application Course6 (3)
- Social Science Elective4 (3)
- PLAN Plan Elective or Fourth Year Project (3)
- Open Elective7 (3)
- Total Credits: 15
Degree Total: 122
Notes:
Students must have a minimum of 122 credits with at least a 2.0 average in order to graduate with a Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning Degree. A minimum of C– is required of all PLAN/PLAC courses.
1. Proficiency at ENWR 1100 level plus a second writing requirement.
2. Select two from among ARCH 1010, ARCH 1020, AR H 1010, and AR H 1020.
3. MATH and EVSC, especially EVSC 3200 are encouraged. (Some EVSC are classed as Social Science however.)
4. Majors take six credits of Politics and 12 other credits of Social Science in addition to ECON 2010 and 2020
5. A Professional Elective related to planning can be taken in a professional school, at the 3000–level or above, with advisor’s permission.
6. Planning applications courses are designated as PLAC. They emphasize fieldwork, analysis, plan development, document preparation, and formal presentation. PLAC 4010 is designed for planning undergraduates as a culminating workshop.
7. One Non–Western Studies included.
8. In addition to the general Math requirement, students are required to take a statistics course. Students are encouraged to select one of the following courses to fulfill this requirement: STAT 1100, 1120, ECON 3710, and SOC 3130.
DECLARING THE MAJOR
Students wishing to major in Urban and Environmental Planning must be admitted to the School of Architecture and then declare Planning as their major. Students with an interest in declaring the major should take at least one course in Planning and meet with the Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies to review curriculum requirements. Appointments can be arranged through the Department Assistnat, Mrs. Adela Su in Campbell 226. The curriculum is organized so that students can transfer into the Planning Program in the second or beginning of their third year and still complete their degree in the usual four years. Students may apply for transfer for the spring or fall semesters. The first two years of the curriculum closely follow the College of Arts and Sciences general core requirements. If other prerequisites have been met, it is possible for transfer students to complete the required planning courses in two years.
FOURTH YEAR PROJECT
The Fourth Year Project is an optional three credit course taken in the Spring semester of the fourth year. You may choose to explore a project of your own definition. The objectives of a Fourth Year Project are to: provide the student the opportunity to explore in depth a subject or topic related to the planning major; demonstrate the ability to undertake a major academic and professionally focused work of substantial creative or scholarly quality; and receive close and thorough mentoring and evaluation from a full-time faculty member.
CONTINUING FOR A MASTER OF PLANNING
Some Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning students may consider pursuing the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree, which may be accomplished in fewer than four graduate semesters, the standard completion time for the Masters. The core curricula of the undergraduate and graduate programs are similar in focus and subjects. Interested students should discuss this option with their advisor or another Planning Faculty member. Students must have a GPA of 3.5 in planning classes to qualify for this program.