The School of Environmental Design in the College of Liberal Arts is pleased to announce that Temple’s MS in Community and Regional Planning offered at the Ambler Campus is now accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.
The School of Environmental Design has revised and expanded the CRP graduate program. In doing so, we have sought to reflect our strengths in sustainability, environmental planning, regional planning, and advanced computer applications. We are specifically building on the late Ian McHarg’s notion of ecologically-based planning, taking advantage of the fact that two CRP faculty members studied with Professor McHarg at the University of Pennsylvania.
The concept of an ecologically-based planning program involves placing a greater emphasis on the physical sciences than is found in most US planning programs. Our program is in a unique position to pursue this approach given our close relationship with the Center for Sustainable Communities which provides students opportunities to financially support their studies and gain valuable experience by working on ecologically-based research and service projects. Faculty involvement in the Center’s research also yields rich case studies for classroom and studio projects.
The revised curriculum offers 15 to 18 credits of electives. Students have the option of pursuing two transcripted concentrations in Transportation Planning or Sustainable Community Planning; additional concentrations will be added over time.
The MS in Community and Regional Planning is available at both the Ambler and Harrisburg campuses of Temple University.
Community and Regional Planning Competencies
Graduates of the MS in Community and Regional Planning are expected to have the following competencies upon completion of their studies:
Be prepared for professional planning practice and career advancement in the public, private, or non-profit sectors.
Have strong analytical skills and the capacity to apply them in understanding American communities with respect to their social, economic, and physical conditions, the problems they face, and the opportunities they can build upon.
Have strong interpersonal and communication skills and know how to apply them to define, develop, and implement planning goals.
Understand the political, social, environmental and economic dynamics of American communities.
Understand the unique values, roles, and responsibilities of the planning profession with particular emphasis on considerations of the environment, equity, and economy as framed by the concept of sustainability.
Have a skill set and knowledge appropriate to specialization within the field of planning.
MS in Community and Regional Planning Curriculum (45 credits)
CORE (21 credits)
CRP 5524 Spatial Analysis Tech/GIS (3)
CRP 8013 Planning History & Theory (3)
CRP 8014 Planning Politics & Administration (3)
CRP 8016 Planning Law (3)
CRP8213 Environmental Planning (3)
CRP 8413 Planning Communications (3)
CRP8513 Planning Analysis (3)
CAPSTONE
CRP9889 Planning Studio (6)
ELECTIVES
CRPGraduate Courses (18 credits)
WORK EXPERIENCE
All students must complete 180 hours of professional planning work or supervised internship.
CONCENTRATIONS (Optional)
Sustainable Community Planning (12)
Required:
CRP5256 Sustainable Community Design and Development (3)
CRP8276 Regional Development (3)
Select two of the following:
CRP 8155 Ecological Planning and Development (3)
CRP 8156 Neighborhoods, Cities, and Regions (3)
CRP 8255 Sustainability in Suburban Communities (3)
CRP 8257 Environmental Policy (3)
CRP 8266 Sustainable Business Practices (3)
CRP 8355 Environmental Infrastructure and Management (3)
CRP 8476 Collaborative Planning (3)
CRP 8755 Introduction to Emergency Management (3)
One other graduate course in consultation with advisor (3)
Additional selections may be added.
Transportation Planning (12)
Required:
CRP8655 Transportation Planning (3)
Select three of the following:
CRP8276 Regional Development (3)
CRP8656 Integrated Transportation and Land Use Planning (3)
CRP8657 Non-motorized Transportation Planning (3)
CRP8666 Travel Demand Modeling (3)
One other graduate course in consultation with advisor (3)
Additional selections may be added.
Community and Regional Planning Certificate Programs
Sustainable Community Planning Certificate
The core courses in the graduate certificate in Sustainable Community Planning program introduce students to the broad range of issues and topics relevant to planning for sustainable development of our cities and regions. Elective courses provide the opportunity to deepen knowledge and training in specific areas of sustainability and environmental planning.
Students in the graduate certificate in Sustainable Community Planning will: 1) gain knowledge of the historical evolution of the concept of sustainable development and its multiple definitions; 2) understand the discourse of theory and practice of sustainable development at the local, regional and global level; 3) be able to develop indicators to monitor and evaluate the sustainability of site, community and regional actions, plans and designs; 4) recognize models of sustainability and know how to use such models to inform their professional practice; 5) understand how to incorporate sustainability principles into planning practice to address the interrelationships between social, economic and environmental factors; and 6) have improved research, writing, and communication skills.
This certificate meets the needs of public and private agency employees who work in the field of environmental planning without academic degrees in planning.
QUALIFIED STUDENTS
This certificate is open to both matriculated and Non-degree seeking (non-matriculated) graduate students.
Non-degree seeking (non-matriculated) students register by submitting a standard form along with a copy of their undergraduate or graduate transcript indicating degree awarded. Students can take up to nine credits as Non-degree seeking (non-matriculated) students. When they complete these nine credits, they will have to declare their intention to complete the Sustainable Community Planning Certificate by filling out the Graduate School form “Request to Exceed Nine Semester Hours of Graduate Coursework for Personal or Professional Enrichment.”
Matriculated Temple University graduate students may take certificate classes as electives for their program with the approval of their program advisor. Note: Matriculated students in the M.S. in Community and Regional Planning program may elect to take these courses as a transcripted concentration within the M.S. degree.
AVAILABLE LOCATIONS
The certificate is available at the both the Ambler and Harrisburg campuses.
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
The Sustainable Community Planning Certificate requires four courses, a total of 12 credits:
Note: There is a prerequisite of an Environmental Planning course. This may be taken concurrently with the required courses for the certificate. Students complete this prerequisite by taking CRP 2213 or 8213, through comparable undergraduate or graduate courses, or through self study that achieves the stated course competencies from CRP 2213/8213, Environmental Planning.
Two requiredcourses (6 credits):
CRP 5256 Sustainable Community Design and Development
CRP 8276 Regional Development
Select two of the following (6 credits):
CRP 8155 Ecological Planning and Development
CRP 8156 Neighborhoods, Cities, and Regions
CRP 8255 Sustainability in Suburban Communities
CRP 8257 Environmental Policy
CRP 8266 Sustainable Business Practices
CRP 8355 Environmental Infrastructure Planning and Management
CRP 8476 Collaborative Planning
CRP 8755 Introduction to Emergency Management
One other relevant graduate course in consultation with a Community and Regional Planning faculty advisor (3credits)
This graduate certificate will introduce the broad range of issues and topics relevant to transportation planning and the specific relationships between transportation planning and land use planning. Through elective courses, the certificate also will provide the opportunity for students to deepen knowledge and training in specific areas of transportation planning.
The Transportation Planning Certificate program will develop: 1) knowledge of the key contemporary transportation and travel behavior challenges facing transportation planners and engineers; 2) critical thinking skills to address these challenges and analyze important debates in the field; and 3) familiarity with and basic competence in transportation planning methodologies.
This certificate meets the needs of public and private agency employees who work in the field of transportation planning without academic degrees in transportation planning or transportation engineering.
QUALIFIED STUDENTS
This certificate is open to both matriculated and Non-degree seeking (non-matriculated) graduate students.
Non-degree seeking (non-matriculated) students register by submitting a standard form along with a copy of their undergraduate or graduate transcript indicating degree awarded. Students can take up to nine credits as Non-degree seeking (non-matriculated) students. When they complete these nine credits, they will have to declare their intention to complete the Transportation Planning Certificate by filling out the Graduate School form “Request to Exceed Nine Semester Hours of Graduate Coursework for Personal or Professional Enrichment.”
Other matriculated Temple University graduate students may take certificate classes as electives for their program with the approval of their program advisor. Note: Matriculated students in the M.S. in Community and Regional Planning program may elect to take these courses as a transcripted concentration within the M.S. degree.
AVAILABLE LOCATIONS
The certificate is available at the both the Ambler and Harrisburg campuses.
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
The Transportation Planning Certificate requires four courses, a total of 12 credits:
One requiredcourse (3 credits)
CRP 8655 Transportation Planning
Select two of the following (6 credits):
CRP 8276 Regional Development
CRP 8656 Integrated Transportation and Land Use Planning: Context-Sensitive Design Solutions
CRP 8657 Non-motorized Transportation Planning
CRP 8666 Travel Demand Modeling
One other relevant graduate course in consultation with Community and Regional Planning faculty advisor (3 credits)
