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:

  1. Have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college.
  2. 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.
  3. Show evidence of motivation, maturity, work ethic, academic excellence, and intellectual ability through references (3 letters required), work experience, and other life experiences.
  4. Submit a representative 5-10 page example of a self-authored paper or project to demonstrate writing ability.
  5. 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.
  6. CV/Resume
  7. 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 2024:  The application period for Fall 2024 is open October 1, 2023 and ends May 1, 2024 (International students' application period ends April 1, 2024).  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.

Winter 2024:  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:

MCRP Program Video

CAED Program Video (College of Architecture and Environmental Design)

Graduate Admissions

Cal Poly Graduate Education Office

Application Deadlines

Financial Aid Information


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?

    A: You should find everything you need at the graduate education website (https://admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/graduate/process.html)

 

3. Q: What documents are required to apply for the CRP Masters Degree Program?

    A: A completed Cal State Apply Application, 3 Letters of Recommendation, Writing Sample, Statement of Purpose and CV/Resume. See specific information below regarding these required documents.

 

4. Q: Where do I submit my letters of recommendation?

    A: All (3) letters of recommendation MUST be uploaded to Cal State Apply directly by the person writing the recommendation, by the deadline for your application. Letters of recommendation should not be sent by you on behalf of your recommenders or directly by your recommenders to the department. Letters of recommendation are uploaded in Quadrant 4 under the “Evaluators” tab.

 

5. Q: Can applicants add additional contacts for letters of recommendations? I would like to submit two academic and two professional references if possible.

   A: Yes

 

6. Q: How long should the writing sample be?

    A: Self-authored writing samples are to be 5-10 pages of writing. Graphics are acceptable but the majority of the sample must demonstrate your writing abilities. Upload your sample in Quadrant 4 “Program Materials”.

 

7. Q: Would a professional document, such as a report or grant application, be an appropriate writing sample or is an academic paper preferred?

    A: Yes, as long as you are the sole author and it demonstrates your writing abilities.

 

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?

    A: On the Cal State Apply Application under quadrant #4, Program Materials, is where you will upload your writing sample.

 

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?

    A: No, this is just the limit set within the application. You are more than welcome to upload your Statement of Purpose under quadrant #4, Program Materials.

 

10. Q: Are GRE scores required when applying for the MCRP program?

     A: No

 

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?  

     A: Unofficial transcripts MUST be uploaded by all applicants, including Cal Poly SLO undergraduates, thru Cal State Apply. As a Cal Poly SLO graduate, you will NOT need to send your official transcripts to the Admission office. If you graduated from any OTHER institution, other than Cal Poly SLO, you will NEED to send your Official transcripts to the Cal Poly SLO Admissions Office.

 

12. Q: Do you accept winter applications?

      A: Yes, we do accept winter quarter applications.

 

13. Q: I am looking for the deadline for the Master of CRP applications.

      A: Please visit the Graduate education website at https://admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/graduate/deadlines.html for deadline to apply.

 

 

Click here for a printable version of the Frequently Asked Questions

Resources

  Catalog and Courses

  


  Other Resources

 


 


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.

 

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Our MCRP Program

Video for MCRP Program

MCRP Program Video

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