The faculty shares a core pedagogic belief that the best professional education takes place in an environment of learning by doing, reinforced by classroom work and group projects. Planners must have a thorough understanding of the economic, social, political, and physical forces that shape the built environment. These beliefs are implemented through program offerings that include familiarity with the range of analytic and research techniques used by planners, a semester-long studio project, and courses in planning history and theory. Formal education is supplemented with varied extracurricular activities, which students are encouraged to attend. Evening guest lectures, the Planning lecture series, LiPS,  the student magazine URBAN, and student government (Program Council) meetings are some of the activities that enrich the graduate school experience and create a dynamic educational setting.

Students are required to complete 60 points for the M.S. in Urban Planning: 33 points in ten required courses and 27 points between courses in a sector specialization and electives of their own choosing. Students select a sector of specialization during their first year of study. A minimum of three courses must be taken within a sector to fulfill the sector specialization requirement. A student interested in concentrating in a sector not listed below may construct his or her own specialization, subject to the approval of the planning faculty. Four sectors are regularly offered in the Urban Planning Program: Housing; International Comparative Planning; Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development; and Urban Economic Development. Students may take courses offered elsewhere in the University to fulfill some or all of their sector and elective requirements. Each student is required to write a master's thesis during his or her second year of study.

Typical Two-Year Program
Term 1 (Fall) Pl A4208 Planning techniques 3 pts
Pl A4151 Foundations of urban economic analysis 3 pts
Pl 6052 Planning Law (must be taken in first year; chose fall OR spring semesters)
One or two electives or sector specialization 3 pts each
15 pts

Term 2 (Spring)
Pl A4008 History & Theory of Planning 3 pts
Pl A6911 Planning studio 6 pts
Pl 6052 Planning Law (must be taken in first year; chose fall OR spring semesters)
One or Two electives or sector specializations 3 pts each
15 pts

Term 3 (Fall)
Pl A6850 Thesis I
Three electives or sector specializations 3 pts each
15 pts

Term 4 (Spring)
Pl A6918 Thesis II 3 pts
Three electives or sector specializations 3 pts each
15 pts

Students are required to take at least one Methods course in their time here.

Methods courses include: Introduction to GIS, Advanced GIS, Fundamentals of Urban Digital Design, Presentations as Strategic Planning Tools, and Techniques of Project Evaluation.

Specializations within the Planning Degree

Housing and Community Development
International Planning and Development
Land Use, Transportation, and Environment
Urban and Economic Development

Courses Offered: 2009-2010 Academic Years

Fall Semester (required courses *)

Masters' Students:
- Foundations of Urban Economic Analysis*
- Planning Techniques*
- Planning Law*
- Thesis I Workshop*

Doctoral Students:
- Doctoral Colloquium I/III*

Elective Courses:
- Introduction to International Planning
- Issues in International Development Planning
- Tourism Planning in International Perspective
- Infrastructure of Cities in the Third World
- Site Planning and Support Systems
- Sustainable Zoning and Land Use Regulation
- Planning, Preservation, and Real Estate
- Introduction to Environmental Planning
- Urban Transportation Planning
- Introduction to Housing
- Community Development
- Introduction to GIS
- Fundamentals of Urban Digital Design
- Presentation as a Strategic Planning Tool

Spring Semester (required courses *)

Masters' students:
- History and Theory of Planning*
- Planning Law*
- Thesis II*
- Studio*

Doctoral Students:
- Doctoral Colloquium II/IV*
- Advanced Planning Theory*

Elective Courses:
- Physical Structure of Cities
- Land Use Planning
- Transportation and Land Use Planning
- Urban Mass Transportation Planning
- Introduction to Real Estate Finance
- Mortgage Foreclosures and Affordable housing
- Sustainable Urban Development
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Planning for Urban Ecosystems
- Interdisciplinary Planning for Health
- Transnational Planning
- Spaces of Migration
- Issues in International Development II
- Introduction to GIS
- Advanced GIS
- Negotiation for Planners
- Techniques of Project Evaluation
- Fundamentals of Urban Digital Design
- Urban Design for Planners