Master of City & Regional Planning Program
MCRP Mission Statement
The MCRP Program cultivates talent, leadership, innovation and action-oriented research in the place making education of civic minded and diverse students. We provide an applied, comprehensive, professional planning education with, community, regional, and global awareness. We prepare planners to develop communities and regions that are socially, ecologically and economically sustainable.
General Characteristics
The Master of City & Regional Planning degree (MCRP) is an applied, comprehensive, and professionally-based program. 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 to function in a general context of city planning. The core courses cover planning theory, methods, law, and formulation and implementation of plans and policies.
In addition, skill building in all aspects of planning communications (visual, verbal, written) is stressed. The City & Regional Planning Department jointly offers the MCRP degree with the Master of Science in Engineering with a specialization in transportation planning.
The MCRP program is structured to meet the needs of those who have earned baccalaureate degrees in a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to, environmental studies, economics, business, 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 a community planning studio (CRP 556).
Students have an opportunity to develop a close working relationship with the planning faculty. Self-directed study, tailored to the student's interests and needs, is also encouraged.
Please contact our Graduate Coordinator with any questions:
- Adrienne Greve (agreve@calpoly.edu)
- Have questions about our MCRP program? To speak with Adrienne Greve regarding the MCRP program, please set up an appointment at https://calendly.com/greve/mcrp
- For current students, you can set up an appointment with Adrienne Greve during her office hours at https://calendly.com/greve/office-hours
- Need more information? Sign up for our MCRP monthly newsletter. It includes news, information links, upcoming deadlines, and notice of any Zoom informational sessions for the MCRP program. You can unsubscribe or change your email preferences at any time by clicking on the link at the bottom of the email. Click here to sign up for the MCRP newsletter.
Requirements: Students entering the MCRP program are required to have a basic working knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software.
Applicants for admission to the Master of City and Regional Planning program are expected to:
- Have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college.
- Demonstrated academic excellence by earning at least a 3.0 (out of 4.0) grade point average in the last 90 quarter (60 semester) units of undergraduate work.
- Show evidence of motivation, maturity, work ethic, academic excellence, and intellectual ability through references (3 letters required), work experience, and other life experiences.
- Submit a representative 5-10 page example of a self-authored paper or project to demonstrate writing ability.
- Demonstrate understanding of, and areas of interest in, city and regional planning from the perspective of their career and educational objectives, through the statement of purpose.
- CV/Resume
- We do not require GRE exam scores to apply to the MCRP program.
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.
Fall 2025: The application period for Fall 2025 is open October 1, 2024 and ends May 1, 2025 (International students' application period ends April 1, 2025). Initial review of applications and all additional required documents will begin the first part of January, after the holiday break. The admissions committee will consider applications submitted after that date on a rolling basis. Please click here to visit the Graduate Education website for more information.
Special Note: For the Concurrent CE-MS/MCRP with Specialization in Transportation Planning program, applications are due by February 1, 2025
Winter 2025: The application period for Winter 2025 begins June 1, 2024 and closes September 30, 2024. Please click here to visit the Graduate Education website for more information.
To apply to our MCRP Program go to https://www2.calstate.edu/apply.
Other helpful links for more information:
CAED Program Video (College of Architecture and Environmental Design)
Cal Poly Graduate Education Office
Frequently Asked Questions for Applying to MCRP
1. Q: When does the application review process start?
A: For Fall, CRP starts reviewing MCRP applications around the second week in January.
2. Q: Where can I find the instructions and details for Cal State Apply?
3. Q: What documents are required to apply for the CRP Masters Degree Program?
4. Q: Where do I submit my letters of recommendation?
5. Q: Can applicants add additional contacts for letters of recommendations? I would like to submit two academic and two professional references if possible.
6. Q: How long should the writing sample be?
7. Q: Would a professional document, such as a report or grant application, be an appropriate writing sample or is an academic paper preferred?
8. Q: I am applying to Cal Poly’s MCRP Program and want to know where the writing sample should be uploaded to in the online application?
9. Q: The online application’s statement of purpose character limit is 3,700. Is this in-line with the program’s expectations for length?
10. Q: Are GRE scores required when applying for the MCRP program?
11. Q: I am getting ready to graduate from or have already graduated from Cal Poly SLO. Will I still need to submit my unofficial and official transcripts to the Registrar?
12. Q: Do you accept winter applications?
13. Q: I am looking for the deadline for the Master of CRP applications.
Click here for a printable version of the Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
Catalog and Courses
Other Resources
- MCRP Flowchart 2022-2026 (pdf)
- Graduate Education Handbook (pdf)
- Graduate Program Guides / Forms
- CRP Computer Requirements for CRP Students
Related Websites
- American Planning Association
- Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
- ACSP Planning School Guide
For additional information and clarification, see Janet Murrieta (jmurriet@calpoly.edu) in the CRP office located in building 5, room 313 for administrative issues and Prof. Adrienne Greve, MCRP Program Coordinator (agreve@calpoly.edu) in building 21, room 116C, for advising, scheduling and program issues.
