Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy
Program Advisor: Enid Arvidson
Request program brochure from: Linda Slaughter – slaughter@uta.edu
See also:
UPPP Student Manual 
The Ph.D. Program in Urban Planning and Public Policy (UPPP) integrates the academic disciplines of urban planning and public policy, providing students with a rich core of substantive and procedural knowledge concerning policy and planning. The Program combines theoretical inquiry and analysis with application, offering students diverse approaches to policy and planning issues. Faculty interests include economic, social, environmental, transportation, land use, international, and political specializations. Students are encouraged to pursue dissertation research using either or both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and the Program offers extensive preparation in these modes of inquiry. The Program prepares doctoral students for careers in university teaching and research, and also for senior public or non-profit sector positions.
Students follow a recommended curriculum of coursework designed to facilitate the taking and passing of doctoral exams. Specific courses are determined through consultation with faculty advisors during the Diagnostic Exam which is held near the end of the second semester. The Program recommends 60 hours of course work: 18 hours in each of two core fields, urban planning and public policy, and 15 and 9 hours respectively in each of two support fields, research and an elected specialization. Recommended courses in the urban planning core field are listed below under “Urban Planning.” Recommended courses in the public policy core field are listed below under “Public Policy” (for course descriptions, see the UTA Graduate Catalog). Courses from other programs, such as social work, political science, sociology, architecture, business, environmental science, etc. may be substituted for core field courses if appropriate. Recommended courses for the research support field are listed below under “Research and Analysis.”
Coursework prepares students for written and oral comprehensive examinations in the core areas of study and for a written proficiency exam in the research support area. Following successful completion of exams, students devote the remainder of their time in the program to conducting research and writing the dissertation.
New Ph.D. students are admitted to begin in the Fall semester. Application deadline is April 1 for the following Fall.
Applications may be submitted online. A complete application includes transcripts from previous graduate work, GRE scores, TOEFL scores (for non-native English speakers only), 3 letters of recommendation from academic sources, a personal statement about why you want to earn a doctorate in Urban Planning and Public Policy, plus all additional materials required by the Graduate School. To qualify for unconditional admission, applicants must have a graduate GPA of 3.6 or above, a Verbal GRE of at least 500 and a Quantitative GRE of at least 500, strong letters of recommendation, a strong personal statement, and 550 or higher on the TOEFL (213 or higher on the computer-based test). Applicants who do not meet these minimum qualifications may be admitted on a probationary basis if space permits.
Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy Degree Components and Courses
Urban Planning (18 hours)
Required:
CIRP 5303 Planning History and Theory
CIRP 5310 Urban Structure and Planning
Choose one of the following:
CIRP5304 Plan Implementation
CIRP5316 Land Use Law
Choose one of the following:
CIRP 5305 Land Use Management and Development
CIRP 5345 Planning and Real Estate
Choose one of the following:
CIRP 5311 Elements of Urban Design
CIRP 5350 Environmental Planning
Choose one of the following:
CIRP 5306 Urban Redevelopment (also offered as URPA 5313)
CIRP 5322 Economic Development
Recommended during the semester of the written comprehensive exam in Planning:
CIRP 6305 Seminar in Urban Planning Processes
Public Policy (18 hours)
Choose two of the following:
URPA 5304 The Urban Political System
URPA 5305 Theories of Urban Society
URPA 5306 The Urban Economy
Choose two of the following:
URPA 5309 Intergovernmental Relations
URPA 5310 Urban Policy
URPA 5311 Social Policy Formation
URPA 5312 Economic Policy
URPA 5363 Civil Rights and Urban Minorities
CIRP 5347/URPA 5319 Urban Problems
Choose two of the following:
URPA 5364 Institutional and Other Radical Economic Theories
CIRP 5324/URPA 5313 Community Development
CIRP 5342/URPA 5317 Urban Environmental Policy
CIRP 5313 Urban Growth Policies
CIRP 5315 Transportation Policies, Programs and History
CIRP 5354 Housing Planning, Policy and Finance
CIRP 5364 Economic Base and Industrial Development Policy
Recommended during the semester of the written comprehensive exam in Policy:
URPA 6305 Seminar in Urban Policy Processes
Research and Analysis (15 hours)
Required:
URPA 6301 Theoretical Foundations of Urban Affairs
URPA 5345 Evaluation Research
CIRP 5317/URPA 5342 Research and Forecasting Methods
CIRP 5346/URPA 5344 Qualitative Research Methods
CIRP 6346/URPA 6346 Advanced Data Analysis
Support Area (9 hours)
Students are required to take 9 hours of planning and policy courses in their specialized area.
General Academic Schedule
The following schedule is a general calendar a student could expect to follow over four academic years.
Fall #1
URPA 6301, Theoretical Foundations of Urban Affairs.
Policy or Planning course.
Spring #1
URPA 5345, Evaluation Research.
Policy or Planning course.
Students sit for Diagnostic exam near end of semester.
Summer #1
Policy or Planning course.
Policy or Planning course.
Fall #2
URPA 5342 (CIRP 5317), Strategies of Urban Research.
CIRP 5346, Qualitative Research Methods.
Spring #2
URPA 6346, Advanced Data Analysis.
Policy or Planning course.
Written Research Comprehensive Examination.
Summer #2
Policy or Planning course.
Policy or Planning course.
Fall #3
Policy or Planning course.
Policy or Planning course.
Spring #3
Policy or Planning course.
Policy or Planning course.
Summer #3
Policy or Planning course.
Policy or Planning course.
Fall #4
URPA 6305, Seminar in Urban Policy Processes.
Written Public Policy Comprehensive Examination.
Spring #4
CIRP 6305 Seminar in Urban Planning Processes.
Written Urban Planning Comprehensive Examination.
Summer #4
Oral Comprehensive Examination
Begin Dissertation