Master of Urban & Environmental Planning
The Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program prepares students to become environmentally responsible practitioners in a variety of public, private, and non-profit settings. Graduates are eligible for certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners
after two years of professional practice.
CURRICULAR FOCUS
The Master of Planning Program emphasizes theories of planning, methods of analysis, effective means of communication, planning processes, and creative strategies for implementation. The concept of sustainability is incorporated throughout the curriculum. Planning Concentrations (PCs) include:
- Housing and Community Development
- Environmental Management and Conservation
- Land Use and Growth Management
- Historic Preservation Planning
- Public Policy and Planning
CURRICULUM
The Master of Urban and Environmental Planning requires 50 total credits: 23 credits in core courses, 15 credits in a Planning Concentration, 6 credits in planning application courses (3 of which must be in the area of concentration), and 6 credits of open electives. A typical two-year program leading to the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree would follow this general pattern:
As many as six hours of credit may be taken as independent study for approved projects or work experience. These hours are granted only when the work or subject has been approved in advance by the faculty. Normally, the independent study credit hours include periodic faculty review, appropriate readings, and a final report in the form of an analytical paper or case study.
Students are encouraged to take courses throughout the School and University. The School of Law, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences all offer a variety of courses appropriate for degree requirements.
Core Courses Required of All Students
- SARC 600 The Common Course
- PLAN 601 Planning Process and Practice
- PLAN 604 Legal Aspects of Planning
- PLAN 605 Methods of Planning Analysis
- PLAN 607 Urban Theory and Public Policy
- PLAN 609 Planning Theory and Practice
- *PLAN 551 Sustainable Communities
OR
- *PLAN 553 Environmental Policy and Planning
OR
- *PLAN 554 Environmental Ethics
*Only ONE of these three courses is required. Students may take PLAN 551, 553, or 554 any semester before graduating.
Planning Application Courses
In addition to the above courses, all students must take at least two planning application courses (PLACs). A planning application course combines theory and application through work on a team project for a hypothetical or actual client. These are listed each semester in the Course Offering Directory, with their subject matter rotating each year.
Planning Concentrations
While the core classes provide the basic curriculum, students meet with their advisors to plan a course of specialized study called Planning Concentrations (PCs). Their purpose is to guide the student in designing a coherent program with an individual focus. The Planning Concentrations listed below should not be viewed as mutually exclusive program compartments. Rather, they are umbrella categories that assist students in focusing their interests. Within these categories, students may develop subspecialties. The PCs overlap, combine, and reinforce each other, remaining flexible while suggesting the types of programs we emphasize at the University of Virginia.
Student-Designed Planning Concentrations
Although the PCs described above permit a substantial degree of flexibility, students are also free to develop planning specialties outside these categories. Students might wish to develop specializations in urban design, transportation planning, or planning and public health. Required course work is determined in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Internship
Graduate students are required to complete an internship during the summer between the first and second years of study. The internship is an approved ten-week assignment in an agency, firm, or organization engaged in planning activities. The department regularly receives announcements from organizations seeking interns and circulates those notices to students throughout the year. Students may also find their own positions, locally or in another region. Departmental assistant Bettie Hall keeps a notebook of internships for examples of the type of work our students have found over the last several years. In special circumstances, prior work experience may satisfy this requirement.
Individualized Courses
Students are welcome to pursue any of several individualized opportunities for academic credit. These include master’s theses (Thesis Guidelines), independent study, and field study. Approval in advance by a faculty advisor who will take responsibility for grading the work is required, and in some instances, the entire faculty will review the proposal. Ample time should be permitted for the process. A research report is expected in addition to a review of the literature.
Program policy permits as many as six hours of credit to be gained by work on approved projects or in work experience judged appropriate for credit. In addition, a thesis may be undertaken for up to 6 credit hours.
Accreditation
The Graduate Program in Urban and Environmental Planning is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, sponsored jointly by the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
Planetizen RANKING
Planetizen, the leading on-line network for the urban planning community, published a Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs for the first time in 2007. The University of Virginia Department of Urban and Environmental Planning ranked 15th nationally out of 75 master’s programs. Our department is distinct among those ranked higher in that we are the only department without a Ph.D. degree. We are also pleased to have been ranked 4th nationally for historic preservation and 5th nationally for environmental planning.
For further information, see the Planetizen website.
Admission
Students from a wide range of academic backgrounds are admitted to the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree program. Applicants with an accredited bachelor’s degree in the social sciences, engineering, design, or liberal arts contribute to the vitality of the program and to the field of planning. There is NO portfolio requirement for admission. For more information please see the Graduate Admissions page.
Advanced Standing
Graduates of accredited undergraduate planning programs will be considered for advanced standing in special cases. A minimum of 30 graduate credits must be completed at the University of Virginia. In combination with the undergraduate program, each of the requirements for the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree must be met, including the core courses, planning application courses, planning concentration, and internship. The advanced standing opportunity is intended for students with strong undergraduate records and at least a 3.5 GPA in planning courses.
Interdisciplinary Programs
A Certificate Program in Historic Preservation is open to graduate students enrolled in the School of Architecture. Admission is subject to the approval of the director of the program. Students must also meet all requirements for admission to, and completion of, the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning Program. Students are expected to meet the program requirements within the normal two years.
Please see Historic Preservation for more information.
Dual Degree Programs
These programs are available with the other departments in the School of Architecture and various departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, including government and environmental science. Dual degree programs are also available with the School of Law, and the School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science. Students must be admitted to each program separately. These programs permit the joint use of credit to satisfy the requirements of each degree and shorten the time required for attaining both degrees. Interested students should consult the department chair and see Dual Degree Programs for more information.
Study Abroad
Planning students may, with approval, spend a semester in one of the programs abroad when offered. Please see the Study Abroad page for further details.
Student Life
Planning students are very active in the UVA and Charlottesville communities. A number of organizations are composed primarily of planners, although students from a number of disciplines add to the dynamism of these groups. Planning organizations include: Student Planning Association, Green Grounds, Developers Anonymous, and Students for Sustainable Communities.
Every year the Student Planning Association (SPA) hosts a Department-wide Thanksgiving dinner in November, where planning students, faculty, family, and friends come together to celebrate the department as community. In 2006, SPA decided that this annual dinner would be a “100-mile Thanksgiving dinner” at which all dishes were to be prepared from foods grown within a 100-mile radius of Charlottesville. The idea was first proposed by Professor Tim Beatley to generate awareness of the importance of a local food system.
The Department also sends a number of students to a variety of professional conferences, including the American Planning Association’s national convention and the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association’s (VAPA) annual conference. In 2007, approximately twenty students traveled to Philadelphia for APA’s convention to attend three days of seminars, lectures, and social gatherings of planners from around the nation.
See photos of Planning Student Life.
