Catalog Home Graduate College Urban and Regional Planning

Urban and Regional Planning

Urban and regional planning encompasses the development and implementation of public policies that improve the quality of life in cities and regions. Today's planners find themselves in demand for such diverse jobs as transport planner, zoning administrator, environmental analyst with a natural resources agency, economic development planner, regional solid waste management coordinator, state public health planner, neighborhood planner, state legislative analyst, and transportation consultant.

Graduate Programs

The Urban and Regional Planning Program offers a Master of Arts and a Master of Science in urban and regional planning. It also offers several joint degree programs with other academic units: B.S.E./M.A. or M.S. with the College of Engineering; J.D./M.A. or M.S. with the College of Law; M.H.A./M.A. or M.S. and M.S./M.A. or M.S. with the College of Public Health; and M.S.W./M.A. or M.S. with the School of Social Work. Students also may pursue the Certificate in Transportation Studies in conjunction with an M.A. or M.S. in planning. Joint programs and the certificate are described later in this section.

The Master of Arts and Master of Science are two-year degree programs fully accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board. Each is built on the premise that planners must be educated in methods of policy analysis and that there is a common body of knowledge, represented in the core curriculum, that provides a solid foundation for all specializations in the field.

A wide range of educational backgrounds provide good preparation for graduate study in urban and regional planning. Students with undergraduate majors such as geography, economics, English, political science, engineering, architecture, sociology, urban studies, and history currently study in the program. Usually up to 50 full-time and a few part-time students are enrolled. About half of them are women, and about 10 percent are international students.

The common core of courses and the design of the facilities allow students to get to know each other quickly. Students interact closely with faculty members in the classroom, in informal conversation, and while working on research projects.

Recent graduates of the program have taken positions with city, metropolitan, and regional planning agencies, state and federal government, nonprofit organizations, and private consulting firms. They work in all geographic regions of the United States and in several countries around the world.

Master of Arts, Master of Science

The Master of Arts and Master of Science require 50 s.h. of graduate credit, including 21 s.h. of core courses, 9 s.h. of courses in an area of concentration, and 20 s.h. of electives. Students may earn 2 s.h. for completion of an approved internship with a planning agency during summer or the academic year.

All students, including those in joint degree programs, must complete a minimum of 35 s.h. of planning courses (prefix 102).  Students must earn a grade of B-minus or higher in all core and concentration area courses and must maintain an overall graduate g.p.a. of at least 3.00.

The curriculum is based on the philosophy that planners must develop the theoretical and analytic skills that will permit them to analyze social problems and evaluate public policies. Planners also must cultivate professional skills such as report writing, oral presentation, computer use, and team management in order to work effectively in various organizational and political environments.

CORE CURRICULUM

The core curriculum helps students develop an understanding of the institutions--social, economic, political, administrative, and legal systems--that provide the context for policy analysis and constrain public choices. It also promotes development of the ability to identify social goals and normative criteria for evaluating public policies, as well as the analytic skills to perform such investigations. In total, the core accounts for 21 s.h. (14 s.h. in the first fall semester, 3 s.h. in the spring semester, and 4 s.h. in the second year).

Courses in the first semester are drawn primarily from traditional disciplines, particularly economics and statistics, together with an introduction to theories and practice of planning and to land use planning. As students proceed through the curriculum, increasing emphasis is placed on the development of critical judgment and insight, achieved through the application of theory and methods to realistic planning problems and case studies.

Core curriculum courses and required semester hours are noted in the following typical class schedule.

Students may request a waiver of selected core courses on the basis of previous course work.

First Semester 

Second Semester 

Third Semester

Fourth Semester 

CONCENTRATION AREA

Beginning in the second semester of the program, students develop an area of concentration by applying the concepts and skills developed in the core to a specific field of planning. Currently, there are five concentration areas supported by faculty and course offerings in the planning program: transportation planning, housing and community development, economic development, land use and environmental planning, and geographic information systems.

Students complete at least 9 s.h. of courses in their concentration area. Courses offered by other University departments may supplement those offered by the planning program.

Students may combine two concentration areas. Examples of combined areas are environmental and economic development planning, and transportation and community development planning. Students also may design other concentration areas, subject to faculty approval. For example, students can specialize in health services planning with appropriate course work in the Department of Health Management and Policy or Occupational and Environmental Health, or in human services planning with courses in the School of Social Work.

PORTFOLIO

Students must complete a portfolio of papers that are approved by the final exam committee.

Options

THESIS

A thesis is not required, although students may petition to write one. Students may register for up to 6 s.h. of thesis credit. In addition, they may take up to 8 s.h. of readings to develop a thesis topic and prepare a literature review. Students may apply 3 s.h. of readings to the area of concentration requirement and substitute the thesis for the portfolio.

INTERNSHIP

Students are encouraged to complete an internship in a planning agency or related organization. To earn 2 s.h. of credit for the internship, students must submit a brief paper summarizing and evaluating their experience. Internships usually are paid staff positions and are completed during the summer between the first and second years or during the academic year.

PRACTICUM

An extended internship, consisting of at least five months of full-time employment in a planning-related organization, may qualify as a practicum. A practicum generally takes place during the summer and into the fall semester of the second year. It carries 5 s.h. of credit and substitutes for the required field problems courses, 102:209 Field Problems in Planning I and 102:210 Field Problems in Planning II, and the internship.

INTERNATIONAL THEME

Many of the Urban and Regional Planning Program's elective courses have an international component.  Occasionally, the program offers a seminar on international planning issues and a course on comparative aspects of planning.  Students also may register for summer courses in Rome, Italy, through Iowa State University's College of Design.  Other study abroad options are available.  Students may earn 3 s.h. of elective credit by taking a nonintroductory-level foreign language course.

Joint Degrees and Certificate

Joint B.S.E./M.A. or M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning

Students pursuing a B.S.E. in civil and environmental engineering may apply for admission to the joint B.S.E./master's degree program with urban and regional planning, beginning in their junior year. Graduates of the joint program with engineering have technical skills and an understanding of policy development and implementation, a combination of skills that prepares them for employment as public works directors, city engineers, transportation engineers, or in public utilities.

For information on B.S.E. requirements, see Bachelor of Science in Engineering (College of Engineering) in the Catalog.

Separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they can be admitted to the joint degree program. See Civil and Environmental Engineering (College of Engineering) in the Catalog.

Joint J.D./M.A. or M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning

The Juris Doctor/Master of Arts or Master of Science is the planning program's most popular joint degree. Its graduates typically seek employment as city managers, city attorneys, city planners, planning administrators, or positions as land use or environmental law specialists in legal firms or advocacy organizations.

The joint J.D./M.A. or M.S. requires a minimum of 113 s.h. of graduate credit, including 78 s.h. for the J.D. and 35 s.h. for the M.A. or M.S. It normally is completed in four years. Completion of both programs separately requires a total of 140 s.h. and five years.

Separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they can be admitted to the joint degree program. See College of Law in the Catalog.

Joint M.H.A./M.A. or M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning

Students interested in community and health planning may pursue a joint master's degree offered by the Urban and Regional Planning Program and the Department of Health Management and Policy in the College of Public Health. This three-year program requires 76 s.h. of graduate credit and leads to an M.A. or M.S. in planning and an M.H.A. (Master of Health Administration). Completing the joint program takes one year less than completion of the two programs separately. Separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they can be admitted to the joint degree program.

The health management and policy degree enables students to strengthen their credentials as health planners or expand their job options to include administrative positions in the health field as well as health planning jobs. Graduates of the joint program typically find employment in hospitals, state departments of health, and other private, nonprofit, or public health agencies. See Health Management and Policy (College of Public Health) in the Catalog.

Joint M.S. in Occupational and Environmental Health/M.A. or M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning

Students interested in environmental health may elect to pursue a joint master's degree offered by the Urban and Regional Planning Program and the College of Public Health. This option results in an M.A. or M.S. in planning and an M.S. in occupational and environmental health. The joint program requires 65 s.h. of credit, including 35 s.h. earned in urban and regional planning and 30 s.h. earned in occupational and environmental health. The program can be completed in five semesters. Separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they can be admitted to the joint degree program.

Graduates of the program typically find employment in the public health field, with state health and human services departments, or as health or environmental planners. See Occupational and Environmental Health (College of Public Health) in the Catalog.

Joint M.S.W./M.A. or M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning

For those interested in a career in social service delivery or human services planning, a joint program is offered by urban and regional planning and the School of Social Work, leading to an M.A. or M.S. in planning and an M.S.W. in social work. Up to 12 s.h. earned in one discipline can be applied to the other. It is possible to complete the program in three years, although some students may require an additional semester. Separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they can be admitted to the joint degree program.

Graduates of this joint program find careers as human services planners for local planning agencies, nonprofit social service agencies, and state governments. See Social Work (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in the Catalog.

M.A. or M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning/Certificate in Transportation Studies

Urban and regional planning students who satisfactorily complete a prescribed set of transportation courses can earn the Certificate in Transportation Studies. The certificate program includes courses in urban and regional planning, engineering, and economics. Completion of the certificate is noted on the student's transcript.

The Transportation Studies Program is administered through the University's Public Policy Center. See Transportation Studies (Graduate College) in the Catalog.

Admission

Admission to the Urban and Regional Planning Program is open to students from any undergraduate major or concentration area.

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog.

Admission is based on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing), letters of recommendation, previous academic performance, and a written statement of purpose. International applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit official TOEFL scores.

Applicants should submit the application form, GRE General Test scores, TOEFL score (for students whose first language is not English), recommendation letters, statement of purpose, and transcripts. For fall admission, applications should be submitted to arrive early in the year (preferably by January 15), although applications are accepted until July 15 (April 15 for international students). Applications for spring admission should be received by October 1 and no later than December 1. Fall admission is strongly preferred. Students applying for financial aid should submit their materials by January 15.

Financial Support

Students in the Urban and Regional Planning Program receive financial support from the program primarily in the form of teaching or research assistantships and contract or grant-funded assistantships. Assistantships typically require 10 hours of work per week under the direction of a faculty member. A few full or partial tuition scholarships also are available.

Students initiate applications for financial support, and awards are made on the basis of merit, experience, and interests. Assistantships may be renewed for a total of up to four semesters. The planning program has been successful in providing support to the majority of its students.

Students applying for financial support are encouraged to submit application materials and requests for support by January 15. Students who apply after that date are considered only as remaining funds permit. Financial support usually is not available for students beginning the program in the spring semester.