Master of City and Regional Planning
Department website: http://www.planning.gatech.edu/master-city-and-regional-planning
The Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) degree program prepares students to excel as professionals capable of understanding and resolving complex urban planning problems. The curriculum gives students both a broad understanding of the urban and regional environment and a foundation of skills needed to plan for this environment.
The MCRP program strives for a careful balance between the theoretical, historical, and conceptual knowledge about urban and regional development on the one hand, and the acquisition of practical skills and methods of analysis on the other. The program offers six specializations as well as dual degree program options with architecture, civil engineering, law, and public policy.
The applied studio course allows students to synthesize their planning knowledge and skills in a real-world situation ranging from neighborhood to metropolitan regions. Our studios are conducted locally throughout Atlanta, which provides an excellent laboratory, as well as nationally and internationally. Finally, a thesis or applied research paper provides an opportunity for focused study in the student's major area of specialization.
Students are admitted to the MCRP program to begin studies in the fall term only. With rare exceptions, involving transfer students and dual degree students, applicants will be considered for spring term admission. Applications must be completed by January 15 to ensure consideration for merit-based financial aid, and by February 15 if no financial aid is sought.
For more information about the MCRP program, contact:
Academic Advisor
Graduate Student Admissions, Advising, and Graduation Clearance
School of City and Regional Planning
College of Design
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0155
Email: crp@design.gatech.edu
The curriculum is a two-year, fifty-five-semester-hour program. The curriculum requirements include seven core courses, a specialization, electives, and an internship. Two options exist for completing the curriculum: the thesis or the applied research paper.
The core courses are designed to impart fundamental planning knowledge applicable to wide sectors of the discipline. These include courses examining planning theory, planning methods, planning law, economic analysis, and planning practice. Students must earn a grade of C or better in all core courses to meet the core course requirements.
In the specialization coursework and the internship, the student develops skills focused on a particular aspect of city and regional planning. To enable students to focus their education on a consistent and cumulative body of knowledge, the program offers seven specializations: economic development, environment and health planning, global development, housing and community development, land use planning, transportation planning, and urban design.
In addition to the core and specialization areas, the curriculum includes electives that can be used to deepen the student's knowledge in a specialization or to broaden exposure to additional areas of planning. Students may take electives within the school, within the College of Design, in other schools at Georgia Tech (e.g., Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Public Policy, Information Systems, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences), or at other area universities such as Georgia State University or Emory University. Through the cross-registration system, students are allowed to enroll in a number of courses that are not offered at Georgia Tech.
Applied Research Paper Option
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| CP 6035 | Theory and History of Planning | 3 |
| CP 6036 | Community Dynamics and Engagement | 2 |
| CP 6025 | Advanced Planning Methods | 4 |
| CP 6514 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| CP 6037 | Planning Law, Regulation and Implementation | 3 |
| Approved course (from list of methods courses) | 3 | |
| CP 6031 | Economic Analysis for Planning | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 5-6 | |
| Planning Studio | ||
| Applied Planning Studio (Urban Design) | ||
| Specialization Requirements 1 | 12 | |
| Capstone | ||
| CP 8990 | Applied Research Paper | 4 |
| Electives | 12-13 | |
| Internship 2 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 55 | |
- 1
A minimum of 4 courses and 12 credit hours in one of the following Specializations: Economic Development, Environment & Health Planning, Housing & Community Development, Land Use, Transportation, Urban Design, Global Development.
- 2
All students are required to have planning-related work experience prior to graduation. Internships are designed to give the student practical experience through on-the-job training. The internship requirement can be satisfied through employment for the equivalent of at least eight full-time weeks.
Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| CP 6035 | Theory and History of Planning | 3 |
| CP 6036 | Community Dynamics and Engagement | 2 |
| CP 6025 | Advanced Planning Methods | 4 |
| CP 6514 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| CP 6037 | Planning Law, Regulation and Implementation | 3 |
| Approved course (from list of methods courses) | 3 | |
| CP 6031 | Economic Analysis for Planning | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 5-6 | |
| Planning Studio | ||
| Applied Planning Studio (Urban Design) | ||
| Specialization Requirements 1 | 12 | |
| Thesis Hours | ||
| CP 7000 | Master's Thesis | 10 |
| Electives | 12-13 | |
| Internship 2 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 55 | |
- 1
A minimum of 4 courses and 12 credit hours in one of the following Specializations: Economic Development, Environment & Health Planning, Housing & Community Development, Land Use, Transportation, Urban Design, Global Development
- 2
All students are required to have planning-related work experience prior to graduation. Internships are designed to give the student practical experience through on-the-job training. The internship requirement can be satisfied through employment for the equivalent of at least eight full-time weeks.
Students pursuing the Master of City and Regional Planning have options to pursue other degrees by sharing coursework credit. The following programs have agreements:
Master of City and Regional Planning and Master of Architecture
The curriculum consists of the core requirements for each of the two professional programs and, in addition, a set of dual requirements that focus upon urban design as a common ground linking the theory and practice of the two disciplines. The curriculum builds upon five major bodies of material:
- Design studios as a basis for exploring architectural, urban design and development issues utilizing theory, method and professional practice paradigms
- Urban history and design theory as a way of understanding the formal and architectural order of the city
- Economics and development methods as a basis for formulating development projects
- Process and methods as a means of understanding professional practice and of designing policies and strategies that can be implemented in a private market regulated by public bodies
- The performance of design interventions in achieving specified economic, social, and environmental objectives
Click here for more information about the MCRP/MArch Option
Master of City and Regional Planning and Master of Science in Civil Engineering
The program in City and Regional Planning and Civil Engineering [Transportation Systems Engineering (TSE)] prepares students for careers influencing public policy and private investment in transportation systems. Such systems (including urban, suburban, ex-urban and rural highways, railways, public transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, rights‐of‐way, ports, terminals, parking and intermodal linkages) involve design and policy coordination that benefits from both engineering and planning. Graduates from this program become instrumental in bringing perspectives from one profession into the lexicon and tools of the other profession.
Click here for more information about the MCRP/MSCE Option.
Master of City and Regional Planning and Master of Science in Geographic Information Science and Technology
The programs in City and Regional Planning and Geographic Information Science and Technology (MCRP/MS-GIST) prepare students for employment in careers related to both geospatial technologies and city planning. This option enables graduates to address problem of planning (economic development, environment and health planning, global development, housing and community development, land use planning, transportation planning, and urban design) with a strong foundation of technology skills centered on the acquisition, management, analysis, and dissemination of information that is spatially-referenced to locations on, above, and below the surface of the earth.
Students completing both MCRP/MS-GIST degree programs will typically complete the program in two years and one semester. This option requires a total of 76 credit hours rather than the 89 credit hours required for separate completion of the two degrees. Other than counting 13 credits toward both degrees, students must meet all other program requirements for each separate degree, so graduates receive the full curriculum for both degrees.
Click here for more information about the MCRP/MSGIST Option.
Master of City and Regional Planning and Master of Science in Public Policy
The degree programs in Public Policy and City and Regional Planning prepares students for policy analysis and planning work at the national, state, and local levels. Graduates work in public, private, and non-profit settings building on the complementary perspectives and skills of the two professions.
In addition to providing interdisciplinary professional training, this option also provides the opportunity to step toward Ph.D. programs in either Public Policy or Planning with an emphasis on Urban, Environmental, or Economic Development Policy.
All students must complete a minimum combined requirement of 75 credit hours to meet requirements for both programs. Students receive a diploma for each program.
Click here for more information about the MCRP/MSPUBP Option
Master of City and Regional Planning and Juris Doctor Program (Cooperative Agreement with Georgia State University)
The cooperative J.D./MCRP program supports the interests of students who wish to pursue study in the fields of both law and city and regional planning, provides a focal point for exploring the connections between the two disciplines through the research and instruction between the two programs; and provides an educational opportunity that reflects the fact that land management law and city and regional planning have become increasingly integrated and interdisciplinary in nature. The program promotes a broader educational experience for today’s land use law or planning professionals, by providing expertise in both disciplines.
The cooperative J.D./MCRP program will permit students to use credit hours earned in one program to satisfy some of the elective course requirements of the other program, thus permitting them to earn both degrees in a shorter time than would be possible pursuing both degrees separately.
Click here for more information about the MCRP/JD (with Georgia State University).