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. While completing the following degree requirements, graduate students are expected to understand and follow Office Graduate Studies policies relevant to their student status and academic standing.

M.U.P. Required Core Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
UBPL 705	Urban Economic Theory and Analysis	3
UBPL 736	Planning Law and Institutions	3
UBPL 741	Foundations of Compassionate Critical Thinking	3
UBPL 742	Applied Data and Spatial Analysis	3
UBPL 763	Politics and Public Management	3
UBPL 777	Equity, Justice, and American Cities	3
UBPL 780	Climate Change and Hazards Planning	3
UBPL 785	History and Theory of Planning	3
Total Hours		24

M.U.P. Electives

Master of Urban Planning Electives:

Elective coursework can be selected from the department’s graduate course offerings focusing in the areas of housing, transportation, or sustainable land use. Additional detail of elective courses and completion requirements can be found on the MUP Degree Requirements page.  Students are encouraged to consult the UBPL Program Director when choosing elective courses. 

M.A. in American Studies Degree Requirements

The American Studies M.A. portion of the dual degree requires 24 credit hours of course work and an oral defense of the master's thesis or article.

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, selected in consultation with the faculty advisor, 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 course work, 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
Total Hours		24

Thesis Option

The thesis is an original piece of research and a contribution to the scholarly literature. It is smaller in scale than a doctoral dissertation and is not expected to have a comparable impact on the field. Theses typically range in length from 50 to 100 pages, divided into chapters, and are available to the public. 

Article Option

The article option is intended for students who plan to extend their research project to the doctoral level or other continued professional activity. The article is an original piece of research and should be around 8,000 words in length. It should be written and formatted for submission to a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal relevant to the topic and approach of the research. The article does not have to be accepted for publication as a requirement for graduation.

The Defense/M.A. Examination

The student must complete an oral defense of either the article or the thesis. The final exam committee, chosen by the student, must have at least four members; at least two from the Urban Planning area and at least two from the American Studies area. Optimally, committee members should be provided a draft of the project at least one month prior to the defense date. A majority of the committee members must approve the defense with an assessment of Pass or Pass with Honors in order for the requirement to be met.

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.

Handbook

Further details about meeting the degree requirements can be found in each department's Graduate Student Handbook. Students are also encouraged to review Graduate Studies' policies related to master's degrees for information about other requirements that may apply.

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.