Master of Community Planning

The following is a list of courses that URSP faculty members have approved to be taken as specialization electives. Please note that some of the categories listed below are not those in which URSP specializes, which is why there are listings of courses offered by other academic units on this campus, other schools in the University system, by schools participating in the Consortium of Universities in the Washington Metropolitan Area (see http://registrar.umd.edu/current/registration/consortium.html), and other universities. Students are able to create their own specializations. This list is organized alphabetically (by specialization). In each category, URSP classes are listed first, followed by courses listed by alphabetical order of program. For updated course descriptions from other UMCP departments and programs, please refer to the official Schedule of Classes. The list is not exhaustive; you are free to propose to your mentor other courses that are not currently on the list. This is a work in progress: we will update the list periodically.

 

Community Development

Specialization courses in community development fall into three general areas: (1) courses about the nature of communities and community development and their social, political, and economic environments; (2) courses about approaches to community development and strategies of community development, (3) courses in analytic and organizing methods and skills useful in community development. Specific courses may cover material in more than one area. Students specializing in community development should select courses with the aim of building strength in all three areas. Students specializing in community development should take as the "social planning" spread course. The following list of electives is suggestive:

 

URSP688X Recent Developments in Urban Studies; New Issues in Community (3)

• AASP621 Public Policy and Black Communities

• ANTH610 Advanced Studies in Theory and Practice of Health and Community Development

• EDPS614 Politics of Education • EDPS620 Education Policy Analysis

• EDPS621 Education Policy/Program Evaluation and Organizational Decision Making

• EDPS622 Education Policy, Values, and Social Change.

• EDPS623 Education Policy and Theories of Change

• GVPT863 Urban Political Economy

• HLTH490 Principles of Community Health II

• PUAF692 Leadership Principles and Practices

• PUAF715 Government and Non-Profit Accounting

• PUAF734 Foundations of Social Policy.

• PUAF770 Seminar in Housing and Community Development Strategies

• PUAF752 Managing Differences: Resolving Conflict and Negotiating Agreements

• PUAF753 Advanced Negotiations

• SOCY651 Gender and Development

• SOCY671 Sociology of Development

• SWOA705 Community Economic Development (School of Social Work, UM Baltimore)

• SWOA706 Multicultural Practice in Organizations and Communities (UM Baltimore)

• SWOA732 Resource Development for Nonprofit Groups (UM Baltimore)

 

Local and Community Economic Development

This specialty prepares students to work as economic development practitioners.  The curriculum emphasizes understanding of the theory and practice of urban and regional economic development. It gives special attention to understanding the economy and market failures, location decisions of population and business, development models of regional growth and decline, development politics, and techniques for development planning:

 

• URSP660

• URSP661 City and Regional Economic Development Planning (3)

• URSP664 Real Estate Development for Planners (3)

• ECON 416 Theory of Economic • ECON 454 Theory of Public Finance and Fiscal Federalism

• ECON 615 Economic Development of Less-Developed Areas

• PUAF 770 Seminar in Housing and Community Development

• PUAF 744 Environment and Development

 

Housing

The study of housing entails knowledge of the physical structure of housing; housing finance; the socioeconomic relationship between the housing unit, the user, and the community at large; and the political infrastructure responsible for the delivery of housing services. To this end, the housing specialization provides students with the intellectual background and technical skills to address problems designing, building, and delivering housing that is appropriate, affordable, and accessible. Courses for this specialization can include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

• URSP612 Geographic Information Systems for Urban Planning (3)

• URSP688M Intermediate Geographic Information Systems (3)

• URSP620 • URSP660 • URSP661 City and Regional Economic Development Planning (3)

• URSP664 Real Estate Development for Planners (3)

• HISP680 Preservation Economics (3)

• PUAF670 Finance

• PUAF770 Seminar in Housing and Community Development Strategies

 

International Urban and Regional Development Planning

Students in this specialization begin by developing two basic foundations: (a) an understanding of urbanization and urban-related conditions and change-processes, with special attention to the less well-developed countries of the two-thirds world, and (b) an appreciation of the challenges of cross-cultural and cross-national planning, including the ethical implications. Students develop special knowledge and skills in one or more focus areas on the basis of substance (e.g., international aid, the urban environment) and/or region (e.g., Africa, Latin America). Courses for this specialization can include, but are not limited to, those which offer the following: theoretical exploration of urban and regional change drawing upon international planning and social science literature, and case-study analysis of multiple challenges and opportunities facing planners and policy-makers in the urban-centered areas of less-developed countries.

 

• URSP 662: Urban and Regional Planning in Developing Countries

• ANTH610 Advanced Studies in Theory and Practice of Health and Community Development

• ANTH650 Advanced Studies in Theory and Practice of Environmental Anthropology

• ANTH688Y Contemporary Issues in Latin American Society and Culture

• GVPT406 International Organizations

• GVPT407 International Political Economy

• GVPT459A Seminar in Comparative Politics - Comparative Policy of Energy and Environment

• PUAF698Q Special Topics. Democracy and Democratization

• PUAF744 Environment and Development

• SOCY410 Social Demography

 

The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area includes the following institutions, with those preceded by an asterisk having many international courses:

• American University

• Catholic University

• Gallaudet University

• George Mason

• George Washington

• Georgetown

• Howard University

• Marymount University

• Mt. Vernon College

• Trinity College

• The University of the District of Columbia

 

Not in the consortium, but worth checking out, is Johns Hopkins University's SAIS unit in D.C.

 

Land Use and Environmental Planning

Courses in this specialization area examine a range of concepts and strategies associated with land use and environmental planning. Among the topics are land classification systems; land use and environmental ethics; the connection between land use and overall environmental quality; the concept of "sustainability"; and the range of methods for creating more sustainable metropolitan areas. Of particular concern in this specialization area are technical aspects, data base requirements, legal and constitutional issues, political conflicts, equity concerns, socioeconomic impacts and overall effectiveness of land and environmental policies and regulations. Students have the opportunity to conduct case studies of regulation at the federal, state and local levels. Courses in this specialization include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

• URSP603 Land Use Planning: Concepts and Techniques (3)

• URSP612 Geographic Information Systems for Urban Planning (3)

• URSP688M Intermediate Geographic Information Systems (3)

• URSP631 Transportation and Land Use (3)

• URSP640 Growth Management and Environmental Planning (3)

• URSP688N Urban Transportation Planning and Policy (3)

• AREC453 Natural Resources and Public Policy

• AREC455 Economics of Land Use

• AREC484 Econometric Applications in Agriculture and Environmental/Natural Resources

• AREC645 Environment and Development Economics

• AREC753 Economics of Renewable Natural Resources

• LARC450 Environmental Resources

• LARC451 Sustainable Communities

• NRSC413 Soil and Water Conservation

• NRSC414 Soil Morphology, Genesis and Classification

• PUAF740 Public Policy and the Environment

• PUAF741 Global Environmental Problems

• PUAF742 Environmental Ethics

• PUAF743 Ecological Economics

• PUAF744 Environment and Development

• PUAF745 Human Health and Environmental Policy

• PUAF746 Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Investment and Policy Making

 

Social Planning, Organization and Administration

Social planning is a broad field. It is generally concerned with designing social settings (such as organizations, communities, and programs) and developing and implementing social interventions (such as social programming, community organizing, partnership-development, and community planning). Social planners work in various substantive fields (such as health, education, child welfare, aging, and criminal justice). Social planners have a variety of roles (such as planner, organizer, researcher, and advocate). For these reasons, there is no single set of ideal social planning courses. Students specializing in social planning should try to develop strengths in three areas: (1) courses about the content and context of a specific substantive field; (2) courses in research and analytic methods for formulating and understanding issues in a substantive field; and (3) courses in methods for working with other people in groups, organizations, and communities. Specific courses may cover material in more than one area. The following list of electives is suggestive:

• URSP632

• URSP662

• URSP671

• URSP673 Community Social Planning (3)

• AASP483 Gender, Sexuality and the Black Family

• AASP621 Public Plicy and Black Communities

• ANTH607 Methods of Cultural Analysis II

• CCJS455 Dynamics of Planned Change in Criminal Justice I

• CCJS456 Dynamics of Planned Change in Criminal Justice II

• CCJS600 Criminal Justice

• CCJS635 Minorities and Criminal Justice

• EDPL614 Politics of Education Educational institutions as political entities

• EDPL620 Education Policy Analysis

• EDPL621 Education Policy/Program Evaluation and Organizational Decision Making

• EDPL622 Education Policy, Values, and Social Change

• EDPL623 Education Policy and Theories of Change

• FMST603 Programmatic Approaches to Family Problems

• FMST606 Ethnic Families • FMST660 Program Planning and Evaluation in Family Studies

• FMST750 Development and Analysis of Family Policy

• GVPT434 Race Relations and Public Law

• GVPT436 The Legal Status of Women

• HLTH460 Minority Health • HLTH471 Women's Health

• HLTH490 Principles of Community Health

• PUAF650 Moral Dimensions of Public Policy

• PUAF692 Leadership Principles and Practices

• PUAF711 Public Management and Leadership

• PUAF731 Implementation of Domestic Social Policy

• PUAF732 Policy and Politics of Education Reform

• PUAF733 Family Policy

• PUAF734 Foundations of Social Policy

• PUAF735 Health Policy • PUAF736 Managing Social Services

• PUAF737 Strategies of Equality

• PUAF752 Managing Differences

• PUAF753 Advanced Negotiations

• SOCY642 The Sociology of Mental Health

• SOCY644 Gender, Work, and Family

• SOCY682 Race, Gender and Class

• SOWK600 Social Welfare and Social Policy (UM Baltimore)

• SOWK701 Income Maintenance and Social Policy (UM Baltimore)

• SOWK706 Mental Health and Social Policy (UM Baltimore)

• SOWK713 Social Policy and Health Care (UM Baltimore)

• SOWK715 Children and Social Services Policy (UM Baltimore)

• SOWK717 Substance Abuse and Social Policy (UM Baltimore)

• SOWK726 Aging and Social Policy (UM Baltimore)

 

Transportation Planning

This specialization prepares students to work in the area of transportation planning. The curriculum emphasizes understanding of the theories, policies, and techniques related to the design, planning, and evaluation of transportation infrastructure and services. The curriculum gives special attention the requirements necessary to support a multi-modal transportation system. Theories and methods focus on forecasting demand; assessing systems performance; connection between land use, urban form and urban design; understanding relationships with social and economic trends and the ties to other planning areas.

 

• URSP688N Land Use and Transportation Planning

• URSP688F Recent Developments in Urban Studies; Negotiation and Conflict Resolution for Planning (3)

• URSP631 Transportation and Land Use (3)

• URSP688W Recent Developments in Urban Studies; Seminar in Sustainable Transit Corridor Development (3)

• URSP660

• ENCE 674: Urban Transit Planning and Rail Transportation Engineering

 

Recommended Alternative Electives:

 

• URSP603 Land Use Planning: Concepts and Techniques (3)

• URSP612 Geographic Information Systems for Urban Planning (3)

• URSP688M Intermediate Geographic Information Systems (3)

• URSP632

• URSP607

• ENCE672 Regional Transportation Planning

• ENCE688Y Advanced Travel Demand Modeling

• PUAF610 Quantitative Aspects of Public Policy

• PUAF611 Quantitative Analysis of Policy Issues

 

Urban Design

Students in this specialization explore the way people experience, understand and are affected by their physical environment. They gain an understanding of how to design environments that are pleasurable and compatible with lifestyles. City planning offices hire planners who are sensitive to design issues, and know how to develop policies and guidelines for improving the quality of the urban experience. Courses for this specialization can include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

• URSP607 Human Behavior and the Physical Environment

• URSP688K Urban Design Software

• URSP688G Recent Developments in Urban Studies; A Sustainable Baltimore-Washington Region (3)

• URSP688P

• ARCH654 Urban Development and Design Theory (3)

• ARCH655 Urban Design Seminar (3)

• ARCH678D

Prior to graduation, each MCP candidate has the option of submitting and receiving faculty approval for a professional or academic paper that is well organized, logically argued, uses evidence appropriately, and shows a command of the English language.  This paper should be strong enough to warrant publication in an academic or professional publication and should show potential employers what the student is capable of.  For this purpose, a student may submit a paper written specifically for this purpose, or a rewrite of a paper done for another course, or a paper written as independent study, or a paper based on work done during an internship, or job, or a community planning studio. The final paper must be the student’s individual and original work.

 

Topic

Papers may be directed at educators and scholars (“academic papers”), or at practicing planners and the interested public (“professional papers”). In academic papers the emphasis should be on contributing to theory and knowledge; appropriate methods include data collection and analysis, the systematic observation of activities or attitudes, and a critical review of current theory. In professional papers the emphasis should be on providing information and models that planners can apply in practice; appropriate methods include case histories and comparisons, and reviews of the nature, origin, purpose, effectiveness and consequences of particular applications or programs. Both types of papers must display a solid knowledge of relevant material in the courses of the graduate program.

 

Requirements and Format

The final paper should be 20-40 double-spaced pages with 12 point type and one-inch margins. It should include a brief abstract. It should follow conventions of style and organization required for articles in academic publications such as the Journal of the American Planning Association or the Journal of Planning Education and Research, or in professional publications such as Planning magazine and reports published by reputable planning agencies.

 

In all cases, students should demonstrate an ability to think critically and analytically, and to write clearly and concisely. As to content, the paper should:

• Define the problem or issue and indicate why it is important.
• Place the problem or issue within the context of theory and/or current discourse.
• Show familiarity with available information, the state of knowledge, and previous studies on the topic.
• Explain the methodology used.
• Spell out implications for planning theory and/or practice.
• Indicate the limitations of the paper and suggest follow-up research.

 

Approval Process

• During the first year: The student should discuss possible topics with his/her mentor.
• In the semester prior to the one in which the student plans to graduate: Inform his/her mentor, in writing, of the topic of the paper. Include a brief outline, and indicate potential sources of information.
• Three months before graduation (see dates under Deadlines): Submit completed draft to his/her mentor. The mentor will review the manuscript and may approve it, approve with changes, or require extensive additional work. The student is responsible for making needed revisions by the final deadline. 
• One month before graduation (see dates under Deadlines): Submit the completed final paper.

 

At any point in the review process the mentor has the option of giving the paper to another faculty member for review. However, it is the mentor who makes the final approval/disapproval decision, which (if negative) can be appealed to the full faculty.

 

Deadlines

For December graduation, a student should submit a final draft of the paper to her/his mentor by the end of September. This will enable the mentor to provide the student with feedback and allow sufficient time for revisions. The final, revised paper is due to the mentor by the Monday prior to the Thanksgiving break.

For Spring graduation, the final draft should be submitted to the mentor by the end of February, and the revised draft by the third Monday in April.

For Summer graduation, the final draft should be submitted to the mentor by the end of May, and the revised draft by the second Monday in July.

A student who does not meet the deadlines in an appropriately substantive manner may be denied graduation in the semester in question.

 

Academic Integrity 

In writing and submitting final papers, students are held accountable to the University of Maryland's Code of Academic Integrity. The code includes sanctions against fabrication and plagiarism. According to the code, fabrication is "intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise". Plagiarism is "intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in an academic exercise". Students who are suspected of fabrication and/or plagiarism in writing their final paper are subject to the University's formal review procedures for cases of alleged academic dishonesty.