Program Overview

Introduction to the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning

The Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning is a doctoral degree with a flexible, interdisciplinary focus, training scholars for careers in higher education, research, and high-level policy positions. Graduates work in universities, government, nonprofits, and the private sector, in the U.S. and around the world.

Program History

The doctorate in planning began in 1968 as the Ph.D. Program in Urban and Regional Planning under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It was initially a university-wide Ph.D. program with faculty participation from many colleges throughout the university. In the late 1970s, the degree moved into the Rackham Graduate School. The name changed to the Ph.D. in Urban, Technological, and Environmental Planning (U.T.E.P.) in 1982. The degree moved into the College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1989 and administratively merged with the professional program in planning to form the Urban and Regional Planning Program. The degree is now known as the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning, a name change made in 2004. In nearly 60 years of existence, the program has granted over 215 Ph.D. degrees. Graduates hold faculty positions in a range of departments in universities, government, research organizations, and consulting firms.

Application Deadlines

• Application Deadline: January 15
• Intent to Enroll Deadline: April 15

Specialization

Doctoral students specialize in a wide range of possible topics. The doctoral curriculum integrates analytical methods, research design, a rigorous understanding of urbanization dynamics, and an examination of broader social theories, processes, and policies.

Primary Specialization

Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the literature, theory, and methods from a primary area of specialization. Each student defines this area of specialization in consultation with their faculty advisor(s). An area of specialization might be, for example, transportation planning, community development planning, regional planning, environmental planning, and so on. Students take graduate-level course work in the appropriate discipline(s) and complete a comprehensive examination.

• Identify Specialization: Discuss the students goals and interest in doctoral study and identify an area of specialization.
• Coursework: Develop a program of study indicating courses to be taken, or courses that have been taken, covering the appropriate literature (theory and method) for the area of specialization. Students will normally take coursework totaling approximately 9 to 12 credit hours for the area of specialization.
• Directed Study: As three of these credit hours, a student is expected to take a directed study course with their primary advisor and a second faculty reader during either the winter term of the first year or the fall term of the second year of study.

Secondary Specialization

In addition to the primary area of specialization, each student must also identify a secondary area of specialization (i.e., a minor field or outside field) in consultation with their faculty advisor(s). The secondary area of specialization is frequently from a discipline outside urban and regional planning. Sample secondary specialization areas include:

• Urban politics
• Urban history
• Urban sociology
• Demography
• Development economics, environment, behavior, etc. Students normally take at least six to nine credit hours in this secondary area. Students demonstrate sufficient knowledge in this secondary area (and their ability to integrate the secondary area into their main area of specialization) through their comprehensive examination.

Community and Connections

The program offers a large and inclusive community of students, faculty, and staff who are knowledgeable, curious, collegial, and excited about urban planning. This community serves as a sounding board, support network, and source of friendship.

Faculty Available as Committee Chairs

The following faculty members are available as committee chairs:

• Scott Campbell, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Lan Deng, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Robert Goodspeed, Chair of Urban and Regional Planning, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Joe Grengs, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Lesli Hoey, Director of Doctoral Studies in Urban and Regional Planning, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Kimberley Kinder, Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Larissa Larsen, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Sheng-Hung Lee, Assistant Professor of Urban Technology
• Jonathan Levine, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Xiaofan Liang, Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning
• Martin Murray, Professor of Urban Planning, Professor of Sociology
• Richard Norton, Professor of Urban & Regional Planning, Professor of Program in the Environment
• Ana Paula Pimentel Walker, Associate Professor in Urban and Regional Planning
• Wonyoung So, Assistant Professor of Urban Technology

Career and Professional Development

Taubman College Career and Professional Development offers a variety of programs, services, and resources to assist students and alumni in exploring careers, securing positions, and continuing skill development and management.

Funding Support and Resources

Taubman College provides full funding to all students admitted to its doctoral programs, including a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and a generous stipend package.

Scholars Program

The Future Planning Scholars (FPS) Program at the University of Michigans Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning aims to inspire and equip underrepresented students from the United States to pursue advanced studies and careers in urban and regional planning.

Ph.D. Dissertations

Graduates from the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning program have completed Doctoral Dissertations on topics ranging from Institutional Hybridity for Effective and Plural Disaster Response: On How to Govern a Polycrisis to Planning Resettlement: Assessing Governance Gaps in the U.S. Resettlement Program.