MASTER of CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING  – 2001-03 Catalog
City and Regional Planning
Dexter Bldg. (34), Room 251
(805) 756-1315

General Characteristics
The Master of City and Regional Planning degree program (MCRP) is professionally oriented. It is open to students with high standards of academic achievement who wish to pursue careers in city and regional planning. It is structured to prepare graduates with competence to function in a general context of city planning, as well as in an area of special emphasis. The MCRP core courses cover planning theory, methods, law, formulation and implementation of plans and policies.

Two principal areas of study are emphasized: urban land use planning, focused on comprehensive physical planning and urban design; and environmental planning, focused on natural systems and development impacts. In addition, skills building in all aspects of planning communications (visual, verbal, written) is stressed. The City and Regional Planning Department jointly offers the MCRP degree with the Master of Science in Engineering with a specialization in transportation planning (see page 161).

The MCRP is structured to meet the needs of those who have earned baccalaureate degrees in a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to, economics, geography, architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, political science, environmental or urban studies, natural resources management, and ecology. The program is six quarters (two years) in duration and consists of 72 approved units (not including courses necessary to compensate for deficiencies). Because of the sequencing of courses, students admitted to the program are generally expected to begin their studies in the fall quarter. Students with prerequisite coursework deficiencies and those with backgrounds allowing waivers of first-year core courses may be admitted in other quarters. The degree culminates in a thesis (CRP 599), professional project (CRP 596), or synthesis course (CRP 597) and comprehensive exam.

The MCRP Program offers students an opportunity to develop close working relationships with the planning faculty. Self-directed study, tailored to the student's interests and needs, is also encouraged.

Prerequisites
Students entering the MCRP Program are expected to bring with them a background in certain basic subject areas or to make up deficiencies in these basic subject areas after admission. These include the following Cal Poly courses or their equivalents:

   STAT 221  Introduction to Probability and Statistics

   CSC 110  Computers and Computer App Windows

Applicants for admission to the Master of City and Regional Planning program are expected to:

  1. Have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college,

  2. Have attained a grade point average of 3.0 in last 90 units of undergraduate work,

  3. Provide the CRP Graduate Review Committee with the results of the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (required only if grade point average is slightly below the 3.0 requirement),

  4. Provide evidence of motivation, maturity, and high standards of academic involvement through work and references (three letters required) and submission of a project or paper demonstrating writing ability,

  5. Provide a statement (maximum of 300 words) addressing your understanding of and areas of interest in city and regional planning, your career objectives, and your educational objectives.

Applicants lacking prerequisites or other background requirements for classified standing requirements may be admitted on a conditionally classified basis, depending on the results of an individual analysis of their applications.

 

Units

Core Courses

54/56

First Year

 

CRP 501 Foundations of Cities and Planning (4)

 

CRP 510 Planning Theory (4)

 

CRP 513 Planning Research Methods (4)

 

CRP 514 Computer Applications for MCRP (2)

 

CRP 515 Planning Presentation/Communication Techniques (3)

 

CRP 516 Quantitative Methods in Planning (4)

 

CRP 518 Public Policy Analysis (4)

 

CRP 525 Plan Implementation (4)

 

CRP 552 Community Planning Laboratory (4)

 

Second Year

 

CRP 409 Planning Internship (2)

 

CRP 420 Land Use Law (4)

 

CRP 530 Planning Agency Management (3)

 

CRP 553 Project Planning Laboratory (4)

 

CRP 554 Regional Planning and Analysis (4)

 

CRP 597 Policy, Planning, and Management (4) and comprehensive exam or
CRP 596 Prof Project (4) or CRP 599 Thesis/Project (6)

Emphasis Area (select one)

11

Land Use Planning

 

CRP 520 Feasibility Studies in Planning (4)

 

CRP 548 Principles of City Design (3)

 

Urban electives (4)

 

Environmental Planning

 

CRP 545 Env Planning, Policies and Principles (4)

 

Environmental electives (7)

 

Adviser approved electives

7/5

 

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