BA in Environmental Studies/Accelerated Master of Urban Planning
Only current KU undergraduate students are eligible to apply to the Accelerated Master of Urban Planning/B.A. in Environmental Studies program. If you are not a current undergraduate student at KU, please review the admission requirements the Master of Urban Planning.
The Accelerated Master of Urban Planning/B.A. in Environmental Studies is designed for students who have a passion for sustaining both our natural and built environments. It allows well-qualified students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years, rather than the six years it would take to earn each degree separately. This program combines in-depth training in environmental studies and analysis with a professional degree in urban planning. Graduates are prepared for careers in environmental planning in the public, private and not-for profit sectors.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Only current KU undergraduate students are eligible to apply to the Accelerated Master of Urban Planning/B.A. in Environmental Studies. If you are not a current undergraduate student at KU, please review the admission requirements for the Master of Urban Planning. Please note, any Environmental Studies major getting a B.G.S. or B.S. can take advantage of the Accelerated Master of Urban Planning/any College of Liberal Arts & Sciences major program.
Careful course selection and steady progression through the undergraduate career is necessary to ensure all requirements for both degrees may be completed within the 5-year time frame. All prospective students should discuss their interest with the undergraduate advisor for Environmental Studies and the School of Public Affairs & Administration Graduate Program Coordinator as soon as possible and submit an Accelerated Master's Inquiry Form. A meeting with the Graduate Program Coordinator should take place no later than the student’s junior year to discuss application and admission to the accelerated master's program.
Prospective students are eligible to apply to the graduate program in spring semester of their junior year. The following requirements must be met by this time:
- On track to complete all requirements for a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies from KU by the spring semester of the senior year
Students apply for admission into the Accelerated Master's program through submission of an application through the Graduate Admission application system. The following information should be gathered in advance and uploaded with the application:
- A current resume;
- Statement of interest that succinctly summarizes the students’ interests, education, their long-term career goals, and how the accelerated degree program will help them achieve those goals;
- A copy of the student’s advising report;
- The names and email addresses of three persons qualified to comment on the applicant’s academic abilities and probable success in graduate study. These individuals will be asked to provide a letter of recommendation. At least two should be faculty members who have had the student in class.
Upon review of the application for admission, the Urban Planning Program will notify the student of their eligibility to begin coursework in the program. Final acceptance to the Master of Urban Planning graduate program will be contingent upon the following:
- Successful completion of all requirements for the bachelor’s degree;
- Grades of B or above in all Urban Planning (UBPL) graduate-level coursework.
Any student who does not meet this minimum grade requirement may continue in the program but must repeat any graduate course for which they did not earn a B or above. Students should still aim to complete all requirements by the end of year 5. Students may also elect to earn only the bachelor’s degree and re-apply to the graduate program at a later time.
This accelerated master's program uses a carefully planned combination of prerequisite coursework, graduate-level courses taken for both undergraduate and graduate credit in Year 4, and graduate credit courses taken in Year 5. The student must be approved to begin coursework toward the master’s prior to enrolling in any classes that are to count for both undergraduate and graduate credit.
For undergraduate requirements, please see the Academic Catalog pages for the B.A. or B.S. degree in Environmental Studies.
M.U.P. Requirements
The Master of Urban Planning (M.U.P.) requires a total of 42 hours and allows for the following 2 degree completion options:
- Portfolio Exam
- Master's Thesis and Final Defense
While completing the following degree requirements, students are expected to understand and follow Office Graduate Studies policies relevant to their student status and academic standing.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| During the Senior Year (Year 4), the student must take the following Urban Planning graduate coursework, in addition to the Major Requirements noted above: | 18 | |
| Urban Economic Theory and Analysis | ||
| Sustainable Land Use Policy and Planning 1 | ||
| Planning Law and Institutions | ||
| Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking | ||
| Applied Data and Spatial Analysis | ||
| History and Theory of Planning | ||
| In Year 5, after the conferral of the undergraduate degree, the student will complete a total of 24 post-baccalaureate graduate credit hours, consisting of the following: | ||
| MUP Core Courses: | 9 | |
| Politics and Planning | ||
| Equity, Justice, and American Cities | ||
| Climate Change and Hazards Planning | ||
| MUP Topic Areas - To complete degree requirements, students must select a substantive topic area and complete the courses listed below for a total of 9 credit hours. | 9 | |
| Housing & Development: | ||
| Housing Policy and Planning | ||
| Community and Neighborhood Revitalization | ||
| Real Estate Development | ||
| Sustainable Land Use: | ||
| Sustainable Land Use Policy and Planning 1 | ||
| Environmental Planning Techniques | ||
| Site Planning and Design | ||
| Transportation: | ||
| Complete Streets: Bikeways, Transit, and Public Space Design | ||
| Transportation Policy and Planning | ||
| Transportation for Livable Cities | ||
| Multidisciplinary Planning: | ||
| City and County Planning | ||
| Transportation Policy and Planning | ||
| Real Estate Development | ||
| MUP Electives - Any UBPL class outside the student's topic area or any SPAA graduate-level course can be taken as an elective. Graduate level classes taken outside of SPAA require Urban Planning Director approval. 1 | 6 | |
| Directed Readings | ||
| GIS Applications for Design and Planning | ||
| Data Driving Transportation | ||
| Creative Placemaking | ||
| Special Topics in Urban Planning: ______ | ||
| Foundations of the Nonprofit Sector | ||
| Collaboration in Public Administration | ||
| Creating Good Public Policy | ||
| Urban Policy and Administration | ||
| Nonprofit Management and Policy | ||
| Human Resource Management | ||
| Managing Public Money | ||
| Data Informed Decision-Making | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Topics in Public Administration: _____ | ||
| Context, Ethics and Legal Environment of Public Administration | ||
| Managing Public Organizations | ||
| Infrastructure Management | ||
| Policy Analysis | ||
| Innovation and Organizational Change | ||
| Performance Management and Governance | ||
| Performance Audit | ||
| Emergency Management in the United States: Theory and Practice | ||
| Program Evaluation | ||
| Reflections on Practice | ||
| Leading to Create a Culture for High Performance | ||
| Research Seminar in Public Administration and Democracy | ||
| Research Seminar in Public Management | ||
| Seminar in the Intellectual History of Public Administration | ||
| Research Methods in Public Administration | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods for Public Administration | ||
| Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation | ||
| Qualitative Methods in Public Administration | ||
| Topics in Public Administration: _____ | ||
| Constitutional Foundations of Public Administration | ||
| Directed Reading on Public Administration | ||
| Total Hours | 42 | |
1 Note that UBPL 720 is completed as a part of MUP Year 4 and EVRN B.A./B.G.S. major requirements so the number of electives and MUP topic courses will depend on the student's chosen topic area. If a student selects the Sustainable Land Use topic area, it will consequently impact the courses selected in the 5th year.
M.U.P. Electives:
Any School of Public Affairs & Administration (SPAA) class can be taken as an elective. UBPL 767 and UBPL 730 are strongly suggested as electives because they are applied skills classes covering all of the topic areas. Graduate level classes taken outside of SPAA require Urban Planning Director approval
Portfolio Exam
The Portfolio Exam offers the student a learning opportunity to integrate the knowledge acquired through coursework and demonstrate their competence as a planner. The portfolio entails compiling coursework and any relevant planning-related work completed during their studies. The portfolio should demonstrate the practices, knowledge, skills, and behaviors that support the student’s success in the planning profession. Additionally, it requires students to reflect on their learning. For the work samples selected, students will reflect upon and write about why they chose the work sample giving a brief overview of the work and describing what they learned from it. This should include a discussion of the specific skills they gained referencing the Urban Planning Program Learning Objectives table. Ultimately, the portfolio and reflection should illustrate that they have the necessary foundation to pursue a career in planning.
The examination consists of the student completing the portfolio and written reflective narratives summarizing how the work samples demonstrate competency in planning practices, knowledge, skills, and behaviors. The Urban Planning faculty committee appoints a 2-member portfolio exam committee for each student's portfolio. The grading committee is selected from the full-time faculty in the Urban Planning Program. One grader teaches at least one of the core courses and is outside the student's chosen topic area, and the other grader teaches within the student's topic area . The portfolio exam committee assesses and grades the exam with Honors, Pass, or Unsatisfactory with options to retake. Up to two retake attempts are permitted. The department will determine an appropriate minimum interval between exam attempts.
Progression Requirements
Each student’s progress will be monitored at various points during the program:
- Upon pre-admission acceptance to the accelerated masters, the student will meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator to plan the final year of undergraduate courses, graduate UBPL courses to be taken for elective undergraduate credit, and to outline the schedule of courses.
- In the final spring semester of undergraduate study (Year 4), the student will meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator to review the student’s performance in UBPL courses. The student must earn a grade of “B” or better in these courses to be eligible for regular admission to the Master of Urban Planning degree.
- Following completion and award of the undergraduate degree (end of Spring Semester Year 4), the admitted student will again meet with the Graduate Program Coordinator to review the course plan for the fifth year of study and update progress as needed. The student’s performance in the graduate-level courses taken as an undergraduate will be evaluated. To continue in the program, students must earn a combined minimum GPA of 3.0 for these courses.
- For those students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 in the first semester of Year 5 an alternative plan of study to address the student’s deficiencies may be developed, at the department’s sole discretion. Students may also be dismissed from the program.
- If the baccalaureate degree is not completed at the end of Year 4, the student will not be permitted to enroll in courses for graduate credit toward the M.U.P. degree until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.
Students should complete all requirements for the master’s degree within one year of receiving the bachelor’s degree. If unforeseen circumstances prevent the timely completion of the master’s degree, the student must consult with the Graduate Program Coordinator and Urban Planning Director to develop an alternative plan for completion.
| Senior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| UBPL 720 | 3 | UBPL 705 | 3 |
| UBPL 741 | 3 | UBPL 736 | 3 |
| UBPL 785 | 3 | UBPL 742 | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Year 5 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| UBPL 777 | 3 | UBPL 763 | 3 |
| Topic Area Course (1 of 3) | 3 | UBPL 780 | 3 |
| Topic Area Course (2 of 3) | 3 | Elective Course | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | Topic Area Course (3 of 3) | 3 |
| 12 | 12 | ||
| Total Hours 42 | |||
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- analyze environmental systems using interdisciplinary approaches and methods.
- demonstrate disciplinary and/or thematic depth of training.
- use environmental knowledge in being an active, engaged citizen/professional.
- communicate effectively orally and in writing for diverse audiences, including scientists, policy makers, and fellow citizens.
- Understand the evolution and current practice of planning in communities, cities, regions, and nations; how planning has advanced and hindered the attainment of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; past and present conceptions of the future, including the relationship between planning and the future. (Planning History)
- Understand the expectations about planning outcomes in different local and national contexts; conceptual models about what planning is and how it works; the role of planning in responding to the global climate crisis. (Planning Theory)
- Understand the behaviors and structures available to bring about sound planning outcomes; mechanisms and practices for ensuring equitable and inclusive decision-making; legal and institutional contexts within which planning occurs in the U.S. and/or internationally. (Planning Law & Institutions)
- Understand the political, economic, social, and environmental explanations of and insights on historical, present, and future development; relationships between the built and natural environments and individual and community health and well-being; planning responses to mitigate climate change, reduce risks, and recover from climate-exacerbated impacts; interactions – flows of people, materials, ideas, and cultures – across world regions. (Urban & Regional Development)
- Understand the planning process and community and stakeholder engagement; plan creation and implementation; methods of design and intervention to understand and influence the future. (Planning Process & Engagement)
- Develop research and critical analysis skills for preparing and conducting research; quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, analysis, and forecasting; methods of geo-spatial analysis, mapping and data visualization; data analytics and urban technology. (Analytical Skills & Tools)
- Work in teams and with professionals in allied fields; professional leadership in the planning context; written, oral, and graphic communication. (Professional, Communication, & Leadership Skills)