|
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND URBAN STUDIES |
|
Dr. Chukudi V. Izeogu,
Chairperson
|
|
MISSION
Alabama A&M University (AAMU) is a land grant institution that
combines education, research and service in professional,
vocational and liberal arts fields. The Department of
Community Planning and Urban Studies (DCPUS) fulfills the
mission of AAMU by providing a nationally accredited
research and practice-oriented planning education for
training of students from diverse backgrounds for careers
in the planning profession so that they can address
pressing problems and issues of physical, environmental,
economic and social change in urban and rural communities
in this age of advancing technology. MASTER
OF URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING (MURP)
ADMISSION
REQUIREMENTS Applicants for admission into the Master of Urban and Regional Planning
(MURP) program must meet all requirements as prescribed by
the Graduate School, and have attained an undergraduate
cumulative GPA of 2.80 (based on a 4.00 system).
Applicants with an undergraduate GPA less than the
minimum requirement may be considered for provisional
admission. Provisionally
admitted students must take deficiency courses, and
maintain a GPA of 3.0 in the first semester in order to
qualify for full graduate admission. PROGRAM
OBJECTIVES, STRUCTURE AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS The Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program (MURP) is accredited
by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB).
The program is designed to prepare students to
become professional planning practitioners who formulate
plans and policies to meet the social, economic, and
physical needs of urban and rural communities.
The objectives of the program are: to offer a core
planning curriculum that provides a firm foundation for
the generalist planner; to provide students the choice of
four areas of concentration to strengthen and focus their
generalist background; to expose students to current
local, national and international planning issues and
situations through applied research and the practical
application of the principles and techniques of planning,
and to prepare students to enter the planning profession
as competent practitioners. Program Structure The MURP degree is a two-year, 46 semester hour program, organized into
three major components: (i)
a Core of Required Courses, (ii)
an Area of Specialization, and (iii)
a Terminal Research/Thesis or Project Component. Core Course Requirements: The core requirements consist of 28 credit hours in urban and regional
planning courses, which provide the essential knowledge
and understanding to function effectively as a planning
professional. The courses
give basic consideration
to the economic, social, and legal factors which provide
the basis for planning and in turn influence the physical
environment. Also,
they include actual urban situations involving the basic processes of
planning research and analysis as well as plan preparation
and implementation. The core course requirements may vary for persons with an undergraduate
degree in planning, or with extensive demonstrable
experience in planning practice or in a specific subject
area such as computer applications, or statistics.
Students who demonstrate some level of competence
in these areas can be granted a waiver of the specific
core courses by the faculty.
Upon exemption, the student may substitute approved
electives to make up the 46 credit hours required for
graduation. Areas of Specialization: Areas of Specialization are offered to provide students with the
opportunity to develop knowledge, expertise and
professional competency within a specific area of planning
practice. The
purposes of specializations are several including: (i)
enabling students to develop their academic
interests and professional skills, (ii)
enabling students to take advantage of course
offerings in the University community, and (iii)
improving the marketability of students upon
graduation The
specializations are: Environmental Planning, Housing and
Community Development, Transportation Planning, and
International Planning and Development.
The area of specialization
and the courses which satisfy the requirements are
chosen by the student in consultation with a
faculty advisor. All specializations must include
at least two urban and regional planning courses. Terminal Research, Thesis or Project Requirements: In
addition to the planning core courses and specialization
electives, students must complete thesis,
terminal research, thesis or project requirements
for the MURP degree.
The thesis, terminal research or project component
can be met under one of three plans.
Plan A-a faculty directed terminal research paper
with a comprehensive examination, Plan B-a planning
project with comprehensive examination; Plan C - thesis
option. Plan
A, the terminal research option, is a three credit hour
study of a planning related subject of interest to the
student. Plan
A consists of
one credit hour of terminal research proposal (URP 555)
and a 2 credit-hour research paper (URP 557), enrolling in
one elective and passing a comprehensive examination.
Plan B option is a three credit hour individual
project oriented course which culminates in presentation
of an original planning project, taking one elective (3
credits), plus passing a comprehensive examination.
The student chooses the problem with the final
approval of his/her committee chairman. Plan C, the thesis
option, involves conducting a scholarly study of a
planning related issue which culminates in writing a
Master’s thesis. The thesis option requires an
original research supervised by a Thesis Committee
composed of at least four faculty members . The thesis
option is recommended for students who would like to go
for advanced degrees in planning or related areas. The Comprehensive Examination: The
comprehensive examination provides a learning experience
which encourages the student to synthesize the knowledge
gained through coursework and tests the student’s
competency as a generalist/ specialist planner.
Students are eligible to take the examination after
they have completed all core courses in the planning
program. There
are three sections to the examination: (i) Planning
section- covering questions in Planning Theory and
Practice, (ii) Planning Research Methods sections - with
applications in student’s Area of Specialization, and
(iii) Quantitative Analysis section- consisting of
questions in statistical and other analysis with
application in urban planning.
The examination is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. A
student who fails to pass any specific section of the
examination need repeat only that element. MURP Core Courses: URP 500 Fundamentals of Urban Planning 1 sem. hr. TOTAL CREDIT HOURS 28 AREAS
OF SPECIALIZATION AND ELECTIVES Environmental
Planning
RP 533 Land Use Planning 3 sem. hrs Note:
Students must take courses in asterisks and at
least one other course in specialty list. Housing
and Community Development
*URP 543 Housing Issues in Planning 3 sem. hrs URP 544 Historic Preservation and 3 sem. hrs Neighborhood Conservation URP 534 Community Facilities Planning 3 sem. hrs URP 553 Community Development Process 3 sem. hrs SWK 630 Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation 3 sem. hrs ECO 530 Economic Development 3 sem. hrs URP
556 Independent Research 3 sem. hrs Note:
Students must take courses in asterisks and at
least one other course in specialty list. Transportation
Planning URP 533 Land Use Planning 3 sem. hrs Note:
Students must take courses in asterisks and at
least one other co Planning
and International Development
*URP 564 Urban and Rural Planning in Dev. Nations 3 sem. hrs URP 561 Seminar on Economic Development Planning 3 sem. hrs URP 560 International Project Planning, Mgt. & Eval. 3 sem. hrs AGB 606 Methods and Techniques of Rural Dev. 3 sem. hrs URP 515 Regional Development Theory 3 sem. hrs URP 556 Independent Research 3 sem. hrs *URP 566 Global Environment and Populations Issues 3 sem. hrs
Note:
Students must take courses in asterisks and one
other course selected from Environmental, Housing, and
Transportation Specialties approved by advisor. Special
Electives: URP 555/557 Terminal Research Paper 3 sem. hrs |