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School of Urban and Public Affairs

School of Urban and Public Affairs

Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

grad students

The UPPP Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 48 credit hours beyond the master's degree, including 39 credit hours of coursework and a minimum of 9 dissertation credit hours. The 39 credit hours of coursework include: 21 hours in the required core of urban planning and public policy, 9 hours of methods courses and 9 hours of elected specialization courses. Courses and credit hours may be waived for students with relevant previous coursework upon approval of the dissertation supervisor and program director.

Coursework in the required core, which covers core knowledge and competencies in planning and policy, prepares students for the Comprehensive exam. Upon successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam, students take the remaining coursework in methods and their specialization, in preparation for the dissertation. Prior to taking the Comprehensive Exam, students complete the Diagnostic Evaluation.

Curriculum and Degree Requirements

Required Core Courses (21 credit hours):

  • URPA 5304 Urban Politics
  • URPA 5305 Theories of Urban Society
  • URPA 5306 The Urban Economy
  • URPA 5311 Social Policy Formation
  • CIRP 5300 Foundations of Urban Theory
  • CIRP 5303 Planning History and Theory
  • CIRP 5310 Introduction to Urban Structure, Policy, and Planning

Methods Courses (9 hours):

  • CIRP 5317 Intermediate Data Analysis (also offered as URPA 5342)
  • CIRP 5346 Qualitative Methods (also offered as URPA 5344)
  • CIRP 6301 Theoretical Foundations and Ph.D. Workshop (also offered as URPA 6301)

Urban Planning and Public Policy Specialization Courses (9 hours):

Students take 9 hours of courses in their elected specialized area of planning and/or policy, preparing the student for the dissertation. Courses are determined in consultation with the student's dissertation supervisor and committee.

Dissertation (minimum 9 hours)

For more information, see Dissertation.