Master's In City and Regional Planning

General Characteristics

The Master of City and Regional Planning degree program (MCRP) is professionally oriented and 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 planning, as well as in a particular area of 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 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 159 of the Cal Poly catalog).

The master's program 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 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:

CSC 110 Computers and Computer App Windows
  The computer as a problem-solving tool. A working introduction to microcomputers and fundamental computer concepts. Use of applications software. Credit not allowed for CSC or Software Engineering majors. 2 lectures, 1 activity. Prerequisite: Completion of ELM requirement.

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. Give indications 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; and
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 for classified standing requirements may be admitted on a conditionally classified basis, depending on the results of an individual analysis of their applications.

Course of Study

Required Courses

First Year
CRP 501 Foundations of Cities and Planning (4)
  Origins and evolutionary stages of settlement patterns and the use of land and natural environment. Changing spatial structure in the development of cities and regions. Beginnings and the historical development of the planning profession. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
CRP 510 Planning Theory (4)
  Theory of planning. Development of contemporary planning thought from varying sources and perspectives. Political and social context of planning. Alternative professional roles, and planning processes. Values and ethical issues in planning. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
CRP 513 Planning Research Methods (4)
  Application of research design to planning issues. Comparison of case study, comparative and problem-solving methods. Primary and secondary data sources, including field survey techniques. 3 seminars, 1 supervision. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, STAT 221 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
CRP 514 Computer Applications for MCRP (2)
  Microcomputer applications used by planners. Focus on planners' adaptations of spreadsheets, statistical applications, data base systems, graphic presentation.. 2 laboratories. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
CRP 515 Presentation/Communic Techniques (3)
  Basic techniques used in effective planning presentations. Introduction to various drawing media and delineation techniques for planners, three-dimensional visualization, graphic skills. Integration of visual and electronic media in presentations. 3 laboratories. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
CRP 516 Quantitative Methods in Planning (4)
  Problem recognition, data selection, analysis and synthesis with applications of system design, statistical techniques and symbolic modeling to urban design and regional growth and development policies. 3 seminars, 1 laboratory. Prerequisite: CRP 514, graduate standing or consent of instructor.
CRP 518 Policy Analysis for Planners (4)
  Analysis of the social, economic, environmental, political contexts of public policy decisions. Public policy issues and use of concepts and tools related to monitoring and assessment. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: CRP 501 or POLS 360 or consent of instructor.
CRP 525 Plan Implementation (4)
  Theory and practice of plan implementation. Regulatory and non-regulatory frameworks for plan implementation. Growth management, development regulation, capital improvement programs, redevelopment. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: CRP 510 or consent of instructor.
CRP 552 Community Planning Laboratory (4)
  Application of planning theory and methods to community planning. Analysis of issues, consideration of future alternatives, preparation of plan elements. Interrelationships and impacts of natural and built environments, economic and social conditions. Field trips. Individual, team and interdisciplinary approaches. 4 laboratories. Prerequisite: CRP 501.

Second Year
CRP 409 Planning Internship (2)
  Work experience as a supervised employee in a planning-related agency or private firm. Prior contract specifying the product of internship required between student, agency and faculty. Thirty hours work experience per unit of credit. Total credit limited to 4 units. Credit/No Credit grading. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
CRP 420 Land Use Law (4)
  Public controls protecting natural environmental systems. Land use and environmental controls. Review of control mechanisms. State and federal legislation. Legal implications of controls, public planning and policy issues. 4 lectures. Prerequisite: senior standing, or consent of instructor.
CRP 530 Planning Agency Management (3)
  Preparation for mid-level and higher positions in public planning agencies and private firms. Applications of organization theory to planning agencies and firms. Work programs, staff development, budgets, contracting, proposal preparation, conflict management. Relationships with other agencies and firms, clients, public and media. 3 seminars. Prerequisite: CRP 501, CRP 510 or consent of instructor.
CRP 553 Project Planning Laboratory (4)
  Project-scale planning problems. Arranging structures, circulation systems, utilities and plant material on natural and urban sites to support human activity while minimizing disruption to natural systems. Includes planned unit developments, waterfronts, hillsides, campuses and commercial centers. Field trips. 4 laboratories. Prerequisite: CRP 515, CRP 548.
CRP 554 Regional Planning and Analysis (4)
  Application of planning theory and methods to regional problems and issues. Research, analysis, synthesis and implementation practice. Interrelationships between natural, economic and political regions, technology, resource use. Field trips. Individual, team and interdisciplinary approaches. 3 seminars, 1 laboratory. Prerequisite: CRP 501.
EITHER CRP 597 Policy, Planning, and Management (4) and comprehensive exam
  This course provides a synthesis of the M.C.R.P. program. Expansion and integration of material on planning principles, practice, theory and quantitative methods. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: CRP 409, CRP 420, CRP 510, CRP 516, CRP 518, CRP 525, CRP 530, CRP 552, CRP 554 and advancement to candidacy.
OR CRP 596 Prof Project (4) or CRP 599 Thesis/Project (6) 11
  Completion of professional project based on a real world planning task or carefully constructed simulation. Requires demonstration of planning judgment and competence through application of a defined and rigorous planning approach. Can be taken in lieu of a thesis. Prerequisite: CRP 553, advancement to candidacy, and consent of department head.

Emphasis Area (select one)
Land Use Planning
CRP 520 Feasibility Studies in Planning (4)
  Fundamental analysis for assessing feasibility of public and private development projects. Principles and techniques for analyzing markets and assessing cash flow for individual projects. Economic, fiscal and tax impacts as factors determining public participation in private projects. 4 seminars. Prerequisite: CRP 501 or consent of instructor.
CRP 548 Principles of City Design (3)
  Introduction to the philosophy and theory particular to city design. Exploration of evaluation criteria and critical analysis of the human environment related to physical design requirements. Spatial and form relationships, scale, human activities, concept formation, visual organization of the city, landscaping and architecture. 3 seminars.
AND Urban electives (4)

Environmental Planning
CRP 545 Env Planning, Policies and Principles (4)
  Environmental planning as a field of inquiry and action. Review and application of policies and techniques used in environmental planning, especially within the land use planning context. Application of California Environmental Quality Act and environmental impact assessment methods. 3 seminars, 1 laboratory. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
AND Environmental electives (7)

AND Adviser approved electives