Degree

Master of Science

School

Public Administration

Overview

Build your career with a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning (M.S.URP) from the School of Public Administration. Our degree emphasizes sustainability and socially responsible planning and provides students with a wealth of hands-on experience.

  • 42 credit hours
  • Online, hybrid and face-to-face classes
  • Evening classes
  • Can be completed within two years
  • Gain direct experience through the M.S.URP Studio

Curriculum

The master’s degree in urban and regional planning requires 42 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including nine core courses and two capstone courses. Students are also required to take nine credit hours of electives. The curriculum focuses on areas such as environmental planning, transportation planning and planning for healthy communities.

The Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning (MSURP) program is a face-to-face program.  Face-to-face classes are offered in the evenings at UCF Downtown for the convenience of working students. Through the M.S.URP Studio, also referred to as the capstone course, students work with local governments, conduct research and develop applied planning projects.

This course covers the issues of urbanization, regional development, land use and comprehensive planning, environmental planning, and social planning.
Offered in fall
This course covers planning techniques such as planned unit developments, capital improvements planning, and growth management, and planning methods, including needs assessment and graphic design.
Offered in fall
Students will review national and local aspects of the legal underpinnings of urban planning aspects such as zoning, growth management, and environmental regulation.
Offered in spring
This course provides an overview of economic development activities focusing on policy and managerial issues at the local level.
Offered in spring
This class covers data collection, analytical methods and techniques of report presentation for population and economic analysis.
Offered in fall
This courses covers the underlying concepts, approaches and critical issues in the field of environmental planning and management.
Offered in spring
This courses provides and examination of the process of public policy formulation and implementation in the field of transportation.
Offered occasionally
This class addresses the impact of community design on health and provision of health care to the population.
Offered in spring
This capstone course synthesizes previous planning coursework through the development of a service learning project proposal.
Prerequisites: PAD 5336, PAD 5337, PAD 5338, PAD 5356, PAD 6316, PAD 6353, PAD 6387, PAD 6847
Offered in fall
This capstone course implements the service learning project proposal where students collect and analyze data and make planning recommendations.
Prerequisites: IDS 6953
Offered in spring

Course Sequence – Fall Admission

Fall, Year 1 (12 credit hours)
PAD 6316 Planning Methods
PAD 5336 Introduction to Urban Planning
PAD 6716 Information Systems for Public Managers and Planners (GIS)
PAD 5337 Urban Design

Fall, Year 2 (9 credit hours)
PAD 6387 Transportation Policy
IDS 6953 URP Capstone I
Elective (3)

Spring, Year 1 (12 credit hours)
PAD 5338 Land Use and Planning Law
PAD 5930 Global Cities
PAD 5356 Managing Community % Economic Development
PAD 6353 Environmental Planning & Policy

Spring, Year 2 (9 credit hours)
IDS 6954 URP Capstone II
Elective (3)
Elective (3)

For more information on the curriculum, visit the UCF Graduate Catalog.

Certificates

Students accepted into a graduate program within the School of Public Administration may apply some applicable credits toward a graduate certificate. Students must apply separately for the certificate program. View the graduate certificates offered by the School of Public Administration.

Admissions and Advising

Prospective students seeking enrollment in the Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning should submit the following for consideration:

  • An official, sealed transcript of each college or university attended, showing a GPA of 3.0 or better
  • A current resume
  • Three letters of recommendation from former professors or supervisors.
  • A goal statement, no longer than two pages, addressing the following:
    • What is your reason for pursuing this degree and how does it fit into your future goals and plans?
    • What specific areas of urban planning interest you?
    • What previous work experience do you have in the field?

For more information on admissions, please contact our graduate advisor, Edlira Dursun.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applications

Jul 1

Nov 1