City and Regional Planning

The Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was established in 1946. It was among the first seven planning education programs in the United States. The original bases of the department and its program were ideas about regionalism, broad-scale development planning, and the application of social science methods to practical problems of government being explored on the Chapel Hill campus in the 1930s and 1940s. This was the first planning department to be established with its principal university base in the social sciences, rather than in landscape design, architecture, or engineering. The department has retained and strengthened that social science legacy through its faculty's multidisciplinary research and teaching programs.

At the start of the program in 1946, planning was defined as "the union of modern social science, design, and engineering. It utilizes social science techniques to analyze the adjustments between people and their physical environment, and adjustments among people in their efforts to meet human needs. Through the planning process, ways and means of meeting these needs are developed through social organization and the application of design and engineering techniques."

From an original concern for applications of social science to regional development needs, the department has broadened its scope to include urban, state, and community planning and to cover physical, social, economic, and natural environmental concerns. The implementation and management aspects of planning–carrying out public policy through programs, projects, budgeting and finance, regulatory controls, and other actions–are also emphasized.

The concept of development as a goal of planning remains central to the department's mission. Whether the objectives are improved physical, social, economic, or environmental conditions or more efficient and equitable policies and programs, planning is a way to effectively marshal resources to achieve public development objectives. The professional planner combines an understanding of urban and regional theory grounded in a spatial context with a grasp of the planning and management methods necessary to guide development toward desired goals. These skills have taken on added importance with the emergence of expanded state and local responsibilities and increased public-private development ventures.

Graduates of the program apply their professional knowledge in a variety of organizations and settings. To be an effective professional in these varying contexts requires a continuously updated knowledge base; therefore, the practitioner must be supported by active researchers. Thus, the overall mission of the department is twofold: to educate practitioners and researchers who will become tomorrow's leaders in planning and to expand the frontiers of knowledge about the effects of public and private actions on development processes through faculty research and service.

The program leading to the degree of master of city and regional planning prepares the candidate for professional planning practice. The curriculum covers social and institutional problems and settings and planning and management skills.

Satisfactory completion of the degree requires completion of a minimum of 51 credit hours, including an area of specialization and a master's project in that area. The normal course load is 12 to 15 credit hours per semester. Thirty-nine of the required 51 credits must be taken in the Department of City and Regional Planning.

Coursework for the degree is divided into core requirements, area of specialization, and electives. Each student is assisted by a faculty advisor in designing an educational program. The advisor helps select courses appropriate for the student's educational interests and goals.

General Course Requirements

All master's degree students are expected to meet certain general course requirements. These consist of courses covering planning theory, urban spatial theory, applied microeconomics, analytical methods, law, and a planning workshop. These basic course topics constitute a core of knowledge and skills necessary to completion of the master's degree program.

The planning theory requirement is met by completing PLAN 704. The analytical methods requirement is met by completing PLAN 720. PLAN 714 fulfills the spatial theory requirement. The economics requirement is met by completing PLAN 710. All students are required to take a law course. There are many ways to fulfill this requirement. The department offers PLAN 724 (Law for Planners) once a year. Students should consult their advisors and instructors in other programs (e.g., LAW and MBA) to ensure that they can enroll in specific courses. Students select a planning workshop (PLAN 823) during their second year.

Areas of Specialization

Each student develops an area of specialization in planning in consultation with faculty advisors. The area of specialization identifies the fields of professional practice in which the student expects to develop competence and begin a professional career.

Areas of specialization offered by the department reflect a combination of current practice, employment opportunities, available faculty resources, and longer-term societal needs. As these factors change, specialization content is adjusted. Specialization offers different blends of technical knowledge, planning and management skills, philosophies about the role of the planner, and theories for understanding relevant problems and contexts.

The department offers four specializations associated with professional planning practice. Sustainable development is the overarching concept for these specializations. Each emphasizes equity, environmental quality, economic viability, and social participation and grapples with the interconnections among these dimensions of sustainability.

• Economic development focuses on planning for functional and sustainable regional economies and issues of income and jobs for central city areas.
• Housing and community development is concerned with the supply of affordable housing, the revitalization of urban neighborhoods, project development, and central city redevelopment.
• Land use and environmental planning addresses growth management at the urban and regional scales, environmental management, and policy analysis with emphasis on water resources.
• Transportation planning provides concepts and tools relevant to transportation policy and planning and in-depth knowledge of the reciprocal relationship between transportation decisions and land development.

It is also possible for master's students in city and regional planning to take additional courses in other University departments. These courses could be part of University-wide programs, such as graduate certificate programs in international development and in geographic information systems, or as part of a program in a given department such as the Department of Public Policy's minor. Taking a real estate or urban design track within the Department of City and Regional Planning is also an option.

Generally, specialization courses account for 15 credit hours. Thus, in the 51-credit-hour program, about two-thirds of the credits fulfill basic requirements or specialization requirements, while the rest are electives chosen by the student in consultation with faculty advisors.

General Electives

Additional courses are required beyond the general required courses and courses in the area of specialization. General electives may be used to

1. complement and support the area of specialization,
2. specialize in another area of professional planning,
3. develop skills in a discipline (e.g., economics, design, management) or another professional program represented on campus (e.g., public administration, health administration, environmental engineering, or business), or
4. develop general competence for professional practice through courses selected both within the department and from the regular offerings of the University.

Up to 12 credits may be taken outside the department.

Summary of Course Requirements

Master's Project

The required master's project constitutes original work involving substantial independent research and analysis of a topic related to planning practice. The requirement may be met by a paper of standard format. The requirement can also be fulfilled with a product in some other form, such as a plan or audiovisual presentation. Ordinarily students submit an individually prepared paper. The student submits the paper topic and outline to the director of the student's focus area. The director approves the topic and assigns a faculty member to serve as major advisor for the project. The student may invite another faculty member to serve as a reader. Both must approve the final project. The project is completed during the final semester in residence and is filed by the department as part of the permanent record of the student's work.

• Application fee (non-refundable $85)
• Transcripts (complete, not selected courses)
  • One unofficial transcript from each university attended must be uploaded within the application. All unofficial transcripts must be uploaded to your application in order for your application to be reviewed. Please do not mail transcripts as part of your admission application; we only accept unofficial uploads for application evaluation. If you are offered admission, one official transcript for each university attended will be required prior to the first day of the term.
• Current letters of recommendation
  • The email address of three recommenders will be required within the application for electronic submission.
• Standardized test scores
  • (GRE, GMAT, etc.; no more than 5 years old.)
• Statement of purpose
• Resume/CV
• TOEFL or IELTS score (no more than two years old)
• Completed financial certificate

In addition to the University’s required application materials, applicants should review the information below for additional expectations or application requirements.

1. Personal Statement – Describe your interests in planning, your reasons for wanting to enter the profession (or academy, if you are a PhD applicant), and relevant direct or indirect planning experience. In the admissions process, we look for evidence of academic distinction and commitment to the planning profession (and/or scholarship for PhD applicants), but we are also committed to having diversity of thought, experience, and background. You are encouraged to include autobiographical information (e.g., geographic background, family background, leadership skills, ability to overcome great obstacles, etc.), which would help us place your planning interests in context. If you experienced any unanticipated events that affected your academic or professional career (e.g. low GPA, gap in employment), offering an explanation for how the events affected you may help us better understand your application. For PhD applicants, please be sure to discuss your interests in working with specific DCRP faculty. Your personal statement is a critical part of your application, so compose your statement carefully. Please limit your statement to a maximum of two single-spaced pages.
2. Most Recent Resume or CV
3. Please upload a completed version of the Supplemental Questionnaire with your online Graduate School Application.  No action can be taken on your application until both this Supplemental Questionnaire and the Application for Admissions to The Graduate School are complete.

Scholarships

• Graduate School Fellowships