Community and Regional Planning
- Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning
- Doctor of Philosophy
Facilities for graduate work
The community and regional planning program is housed within the School of Architecture, which is consistently ranked as one of the top ten schools of architecture in the nation. The program draws upon the resources available in the School of Architecture and across the University campus to offer a course of study combining current research and practice with intense student involvement in real-world projects.
Facilities for the study of community and regional planning are centrally located on campus in three adjacent and historically significant buildings: Battle Hall (1911), Sutton Hall (1918, renovated in 1982), and Goldsmith Hall (1933, expanded and renovated in 1988). The Architecture and Planning Library and the Wasserman Public Affairs Library provide excellent resources for study and research in community and regional planning. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the program also makes use of a wide range of resources available through the Bureau of Business Research, the Environmental Science Institute, the School of Social Work, the Center for Transportation Research, the Population Research Center, the Center for Research in Water Resources, and the Bureau of Economic Geology. The program’s computer laboratory provides more than seventy computer workstations, computer simulation and graphics workstations, geographic information workstations, and high-quality photographic and graphic production facilities and printers.
The program has a strong tradition of learning through service to the community, the region, the state, and the nation. A number of community planning projects and studies are produced through the program’s Center for Sustainable Development; the center facilitates the study and practice of sustainable design, planning, and development in Texas, the nation, and the world through complementary programs of research, education, and community outreach. Learning-through-service is also accomplished through the internship program administered by the Career Services Office. The program draws on the resources of state, regional, and local planning agencies to provide research and community service opportunities.
A full description of the current facilities is available at the community and regional planning Web site.
Areas of Study
In conjunction with completion of the core portion of the curriculum, students may choose to specialize in a field within urban planning. An official specialization requires completion of a minimum of four elective courses plus a thesis or professional report within the chosen field. Areas of specialization include environmental and natural resources, housing, land use and land development, economic and community development, transportation, and historic preservation (through cross-listed architecture courses). Selection of an official field of specialization is not a requirement of the degree program. Students may instead choose to tailor the choice of elective courses to their personal interests.
Graduate Studies Committee
The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2006–2007.
- Dean Johnson Almy III
- Anne Beamish
- Kent S. Butler
- Terry D. Kahn
- Tracy E. McMillan
- Steven A. Moore
- Elizabeth Mueller
- Michael Oden
- Robert G. Paterson
- Frederick R. Steiner
- Patricia Wilson
- Ming Zhang
Admission Requirements
There are no specific course prerequisites for admission to the master’s degree program. However, facility in basic computer skills (using spreadsheets and word processing) is assumed. Some entering students find introductory courses in statistics and microeconomics to be helpful, although such courses are not formal prerequisites.
To be admitted to the doctoral program, an applicant must have a master’s degree in community and regional planning or a related field, must have adequate preparation in the subject matter of the program, and must demonstrate competence in quantitative methods and planning theory.
To be admitted to any of the dual degree programs, the applicant must be admitted to each of the individual participating programs.
For more information about admission to the master’s or doctoral degree program or to any of the dual degree programs, consult the graduate adviser in care of the program or the community and regional planning Web site at http://soa.utexas.edu/.
Degree Requirements
Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning
Each student must complete forty-eight semester hours of coursework, including introductory courses on the planning process, quantitative methods, planning law, and finance of public services. The student may then choose an area of specialization; for each specialization, at least four courses are required. During the final year, the student synthesizes his or her educational experience either in a thesis or in an internship with a professional report. With the assistance of the graduate adviser, each student develops an individual program based on his or her interests; each program must include at least thirty semester hours in community and regional planning or acceptable substitutes.
Doctor of Philosophy
The doctoral degree requires forty-eight semester hours of work, including graduate coursework and directed research and the dissertation. Each student must choose a specialization from the following: economic and community development, environmental and natural resources planning, historic preservation, housing, land use and land development, transportation, urban design, or a special field defined by the supervisor and the student and approved by the community and regional planning PhD Committee. The specialization is supplemented by advanced work in an outside field; a variety of supporting (outside) fields are available through other University programs. Depth and breadth of experience in planning theory, research design, and methods are required of all doctoral students.
After completing the required coursework, the student advances to candidacy according to procedures set by the Graduate Studies Committee. Advancement to candidacy involves an evaluation of the student’s research proposal and a comprehensive written examination covering the inside field and the student’s coursework. A faculty committee reviews the student’s program of coursework and research proposal, evaluates the research in progress, and reads the dissertation.
Dual Degree Programs
The School of Architecture has approval to offer the dual degree programs described below. Further information about these programs is available from the graduate adviser in each of the participating areas.
A student seeking admission to a dual degree program must apply through the Graduate and International Admissions Center. He or she must be accepted by each individual program in order to be admitted to the dual program. Like all other graduate applicants, the student is responsible for submitting any additional information required by the Graduate Studies Committee for each program.
Master of Public Affairs/ Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning
Together with the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the community and regional planning program offers a dual degree program structured so that a student may earn a Master of Public Affairs and a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning in three academic years. A minimum of sixty-six semester hours of graduate coursework is required to complete both degrees.
Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning/Master of Arts with a Major in Latin American Studies
Together with the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, the community and regional planning program offers a dual degree program structured so that a student may earn a Master of Arts with a major in Latin American studies and a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning in three academic years. A minimum of sixty-six semester hours of graduate coursework is required to complete both degrees.
Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning/Doctor of Jurisprudence
Together with the School of Law, the community and regional planning program offers a dual degree program structured so that a student may earn the Doctor of Jurisprudence and the Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning through a 116-semester-hour curriculum. The curriculum allows the student to complete both degrees within four years of study.
Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning/Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Geography
The community and regional planning program and the Department of Geography and the Environment offer a program that leads to the Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning and then to the Doctor of Philosophy with a major in geography. This program is designed for students who are interested in the theoretical intersections between the fields of geography and urban planning. Students interested primarily in one field or the other should apply to the appropriate individual degree program rather than to this dual program.
For More Information
Campus address: Sutton Hall (SUT) 2.130, phone (512) 471-1922, fax (512) 471-2398; campus mail code: B7503
Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Program in Community and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, 1 University Station B7503, Austin TX 78712
E-mail: sarahpitre@mail.utexas.edu