Dual Master of Urban Planning and Master of Arts in American Studies

This program combines the two-year Master of Urban Planning degree and the two-year Master of Arts degree in American Studies into a two and half year program. This program is designed for students interested in careers in policy planning and research involving the arts, social planning, cultural activities and facilities, and historic preservation.

Admission to Graduate Studies

An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.

Admission to the Dual M.A./M.U.P.

Students seeking admission to the dual degree must meet the admission requirements for both programs. Please see the American Studies and Urban Planning websites for their respective admission requirements.

Eligibility criteria for admission follow Graduate Studies' admission policy. To be considered for admission, a student must hold a bachelor's degree. 

Non-native speakers of English must meet Graduate Studies' English proficiency requirements.

M.U.P. Degree Requirements

The M.U.P portion of the dual degree requires 36 credit hours.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Courses		24
UBPL 705	Urban Economic Theory and Analysis
UBPL 736	Planning Law and Institutions
UBPL 741	Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking
UBPL 742	Applied Data and Spatial Analysis
UBPL 763	Politics and Public Management
UBPL 777	Equity, Justice, and American Cities
UBPL 780	Climate Change and Hazards Planning
UBPL 785	History and Theory of Planning
Elective Courses		12

M.A. in American Studies Degree Requirements

The American Studies M.A. portion of the dual degree requires 24 credit hours.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Courses		12
AMS 801	Introduction to American Studies
AMS 802	Theorizing America
AMS 803	Research Methods in American Studies
AMS 804	Research Seminar
Electives in American Studies		9
These courses will serve as the student's area of concentration, preparing them for their thesis or publishable article. Electives must have an AMS course number and must be taken at the 700-level or above.
Thesis/Article Hours		3
Students completing the dual degree program are required to defend either a thesis or publishable article in their final semester. After completing the AMS required coursework, the student enrolls in AMS 899 until their thesis or publishable article is accepted by their committee. An oral defense of the thesis or article will serve as the M.A. examination

If a student decides to complete only the M.A. or M.U.P. and withdraw from the other program, they must complete all requirements for the stand-alone degree.

Course Level Requirement

Students pursuing a dual M.U.P. and M.A. in American Studies must take 50% or more of their coursework at the 700 level or above. Core courses and thesis hours (if applicable) count toward this requirement.