Program Overview

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Master of Regional Planning in Urban and Regional Planning

The Master of Regional Planning (MRP) program at the University at Albany prepares students to assist community leaders, elected officials, and the public with issues of neighborhood change and preservation, environmental conservation, mobility and accessibility, comprehensive planning and zoning. Students will also learn about emerging issues, such as how to reimagine community development, ensure equitable planning strategies, and understand the impacts of extreme weather.

Program of Study

This 48-credit program prepares students for a professional urban planning career with neighborhood, community, state, and federal agencies, environmental consulting firms, commercial developers, transportation consulting firms, and urban housing and economic development groups. Students can choose from three areas of specialization in the master’s planning program: environmental and land use planning, transportation planning, and community planning, with opportunities to use data-driven, open-source, web-based tools to detect trends and monitor policy outcomes.

Required Courses

• Planning History and Philosophy
• Urban and Metropolitan Structure and Functions
• Computer Applications in Planning
• Statistical Methods
• Planning Processes, Plans, and the Design of Communities
• Planning Law
• Planning Studio
• Planning internship
• Specialization courses (see below)
• Elective courses (see below)
• Comprehensive exam
• Master's research paper

Elective Course Options

• Planning Ethics
• Urban Ecology
• Energy, Environment, and Climate Change
• Remote Sensing I and II
• CAD in Planning
• Introductory MapInfo
• Geographic Information Systems
• Advanced GIS
• Geographic Information Systems Applications
• Metropolitan Governance and Planning
• Studio Report and Implementation

Specializations

Environmental and Land Use Planning

• Required courses:
  • Plan Implementation and Development Management
  • Environmental Planning
• One or more of the following:
  • Environmental Assessment and Permitting
  • Parks, Preservation and Heritage Planning
  • Water Resources Planning
  • Environmental Restoration and Brownfields Redevelopment
  • Site Planning
  • Urban Design and Public Space
  • Topics in Environmental and Land Use Planning

Community Planning

• Required courses:
  • Urban Community Development
  • Urban Policy in the United States
• One or more of the following:
  • United States Housing Policy
  • Local Economic Development Strategies and Technologies
  • Planning for Jobs, Housing, and Community Services in Third World Cities
  • Parks, Preservation and Heritage Planning
  • Environmental Restoration and Brownfields Redevelopment
  • Plan Implementation and Development Management
  • Topics in Housing, Local Economic Development, and Community Planning
  • Regional Theories and Techniques
  • Independent Study in Community Planning

Transportation Planning

• Required courses:
  • Transportation Planning
  • Urban and Metropolitan Transportation Planning
• One or more of the following:
  • Transportation Technologies Practicum
  • The Role of Transportation in Emergency Preparedness
  • Public Transportation Planning
  • Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Planning
  • Topics in Transportation Planning
  • Independent Study in Transportation Planning

Applied Learning

The Albany Visualization and Informatics Lab (AVAIL) is the applied research lab in data science and regional planning at UAlbany, in the Lewis Mumford Center. Here, students gain hands-on experience applying their knowledge of computing, data science, and analytic methods and instruments to develop innovative solutions for commercial and public projects.

Career Paths

Within one year after commencement, 70% of UAlbany MRP graduates are employed in planning-related jobs, often in fields aligned with their area of specialization.

Common Job Titles of Regional Planning Program Alumni

• City Planner
• Community Development Specialist
• Environmental Impact Consultant
• Transportation Planner
• Planning Project Manager
• Housing Policy Analyst
• Director of Planning and Economic Development

Funding Opportunities

The Endowed Scholarship in Urban and Regional Planning

This scholarship provides support for graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning. Recipient(s) must demonstrate academic achievement and financial need.

Graduate Assistantships in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability

Assistantships are used to employ full-time graduate students as teaching and administrative assistants.

The Paul Marr Award for Excellence in Planning Scholarship and Practice

The Paul Marr Award for Excellence in Planning Scholarship and Practice is presented to a student who best represents and honors the memory of Paul Marr, a Geography professor at the University at Albany who started the Planning program.

Geography, Planning and Sustainability for the Capital Region Endowed Scholarship

The Geography, Planning and Sustainability for the Capital Region Endowed Scholarship supports graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability, and conducting research on Albany, NY and the Capital Region.

The Carson Carr Graduate Diversity Fellowship

The Carson Carr Graduate Diversity Fellowship Program is a competitive, merit-based program for full-time graduate students who will contribute to the diversity of the student body in the graduate or professional program in which they will be enrolled.

Fellowship on Women & Public Policy

Female students near the end of their degree program can apply for this program run by the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society (CWGCS) at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.

Admissions Requirements

Deadlines

• Departmental Assistantship Consideration:
  • Fall: March 15
  • Spring: Not Available
  • Summer: Not Available
• No Departmental Assistantship Consideration:
  • Fall: Rolling
  • Spring: Rolling
  • Summer: Not Available

Required Application Materials

• Transcripts from all schools attended
• Three letters of recommendation
• Statement of goals

Student Learning Objectives

• Acquire knowledge of general planning history, principles, and practice.
• Learn examples of planning processes and documents, and integrate tools and techniques used in plan making, plan implementation and plan evaluation.
• Develop knowledge in one of several alternative fields of specialization.
• Develop effective research and writing skills, technical skills and proficiency in the most current planning support systems, including statistics, GIS, and other analytic and visualization tools.
• Gain experience working in professional teams and with persons of different disciplinary background to better understand planning ethics, justice and equity, and the complexities of diverse populations.