Masters in Regional Planning

The mission of the Masters Program (MRP) in Urban and Regional Planning is to provide education for professional planning practice, to research and publish on planning-related issues, and to apply planning methods to improve the quality of life in communities and regions. The Program is interdisciplinary, student-centered and participative, integrating scholarship and practice. It emphasizes the importance of creativity, public involvement, social justice, professional ethics, and environmental sustainability.  

The University at Albany's 48-credit two-year Master of Regional Planning (MRP) Program in Urban and Regional Planning was established in 1982. It began as a small program with a few students, but since the early 1990s it has grown considerably and greatly strengthened its core faculty. It currently has 316 graduates (May 2007), most of them working in professional planning jobs in the Northeastern United States. The MRP alumni also include practicing planners in other regions of the U.S., PhD students, university faculty, professionals in computer consultancy and software firms, U.S. and foreign citizens working in international development, and international alumni practicing planning in their home countries.

Currently, the Program has about 60 active matriculated students. It is strongly oriented towards professional practice, and it provides a thorough grounding in land-use planning, a range of technical skills and internship opportunities, and the opportunity to specialize in one of four alternative fields:

• Environmental and Land-Use Planning
• Housing, Local Economic Development and Community Planning
• Transportation Planning
• Urban and Regional Information Systems.

The Program is part of the Department of Geography and Planning, which offers separate graduate and undergraduate programs in each discipline. The Department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. It is located in the Arts and Sciences Building on the University at Albany's Main Campus (Uptown), with easy access to a wide range of University resources.

The University's location in the Capital City of New York State facilitates professional relations and internships with a great variety of local, regional, state and federal agencies. The MRP Program benefits considerably from proximity to the State Library, the State Legislature, the Albany Law School, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's engineering, architecture and environmental programs, and the wide range of think-tanks and advocacy organizations headquartered in Albany. Albany is at the heart of the Northeast, with easy access to New York City, Boston and Montreal, and to the scenic and wilderness areas of the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Berkshires, and Vermont. The region provides a rich and diversified context for planning education and practice, with easy access to many unique sites, projects and institutions.

MRP Program Curriculum

The M.R.P. in Urban and Regional Planning is a 48-credit program designed to prepare students for professional planning careers with government agencies, consultancy firms, developers, and nonprofit groups. Students may opt to take the degree full- or part-time, and they may begin graduate study in Fall, Spring or Summer. Full-time students can complete the degree in two years.

Students must complete a series of core courses. These provide a broad-based introduction to planning (Pln 501 through 506). They also include a group planning studio project (Pln 681), a planning internship (Pln 684) and a Master's Research Paper on a topic of the student's choice (Pln 683).

To demonstrate focus and expertise in a specific field of planning, students must complete at least three courses totaling nine or more credits in one of four alternative specializations:

• Environmental and Land-Use Planning
• Housing, Local Economic Development, and Community Planning
• Transportation Planning
• Urban and Regional Information Systems

Program of Study

In consultation with their faculty advisor, students develop individualized programs of study using the following distribution of credits and courses.

Core Courses:

Pln 501/Gog 521 Planning History & Philosophy (4) Pln 502/Gog 526 Urban & Metropolitan Structure & Functions (3) Pln 503/Gog 555 Computer Applications in Planning (3) Pln 504/Gog 502 Statistical Methods for Planning (3) Pln 505/Gog 525 Comprehensive Planning Process (4) Pln 506 Planning Law (3) Pln 681 Planning Studio (4) Pln 683 Masters Research Paper in Planning (4) Pln 684 Planning Internship (3 S/U)

Specialization Courses :

At least three courses and nine credits in one field of specialization.

Enviornmental and land-use planning

• Pln 530/Gog 532 Environmental Planning (3)
• Pln 531 Environmental Impact Assessment (2)
• Pln 532 Parks, Preservation & Heritage Planning (3)
• Pln 534/Gog 534 Water Resources Planning (2)
• Pln 535/Pub 535 Environmental Restoration & Brownfields Redevelopment (3-4)
• Pln 536 Landscape Planning (3)
• Pln 545 Transportation Corridor Planning & Management (3)
• Pln 549 Bicycle & Pedestrian Transportation Planning (3)
• Pln 562 Infrastructure Finance & Privatization (3-4)
• Pln 573/Pub 573 Metropolitan Governance & Planning (3-4)
• Pln 574 Site Planning (2)
• Pln 575 Urban Design (3)
• Pln 585 Topics in Environmental and Land-Use Planning (1-4)
• Pln 697 Independent Study in Environmental & Land-Use Planning (1-4)

• Pln523/Pos523/Pub523 Urban Community Development (3-4)
• Pln/Pos/Pub 528 United States Housing Policy (3-4)
• Pln529/Lcs529/Pub531 Planning for Jobs, Housing & Community Services in Third World Cities (3-4)
• Pln 532 Parks, Preservation & Heritage Planning (3)
• Pln 535 Environmental Restoration & Brownfields Redevelopment (3-4)
• Pln/Pos/Pub/Soc 540 Urban Policy in the United States (4)
• Pln560/Pub560 Local Economic Development Strategies (3-4)
• Pln 562 Infrastructure Finance & Privatization (3-4)
• Pln 585 Topics in Housing, Local Economic Development, & Community Planning (1-4)
• Pln 697 Independent Study in Housing, Local Economic Development, & Community Planning (1-4)

Transportation planning

• Pln 543 Transportation History & Policy (3)
• Pln 544 Urban and Metropolitan Transportation Planning (3)
• Pln 545 Transportation Corridor Planning & Management (3)
• Pln 549 Bicycle & Pedestrian Transportation Planning (3)
• Pln 585 Topics in Transportation Planning (1-4)
• Pln 697 Independent Study in Transportation Planning (1-4)

Urban & regional information systems

• Pln 551/Gog 584 Graduate Introduction to Remote Sensing of Environment (2)
• Pln 552 CAD in Planning (2) Pln 555/Gog 595 Introductory MapInfo (1)
• Pln 556/Gog 596 Geographic Information Systems (3)
• Pln 557/Gog 597 ARC/INFO Practicum (3)
• Pln 559/Gog 599 Geographic Information Systems Applications (3)
• Pln 585 Topics in Urban & Regional Information Systems (1-4)
• Pln 656/Gog 692 Seminar in Geographic Information Systems (3)
• Pln 697 Independent Study in Urban & Regional Information Systems (1-4)

Elective Courses

• PLN 520 Planning Ethics (1)
• PLN 585 Topics in Planning (1-4)
• PLN 682 Studio Report and Implementation (1-4)
• PLN 697 Independent Study in Planning (1-4)
• PLN 699 Master's Thesis in Planning (4-6 S/U)

Comprehensive Examinations

In order to receive the M.R.P. Degree, all students must take and pass a written and an oral comprehensive exam. These exams are normally taken during the final year of graduate study, and each part may be retaken once if performance is not deemed satisfactory by the examiners.

For more information on the Masters in regional planning click here for a detailed PDF file.