Department of Community & Regional Planning, MS

There is an urgent need in this region and throughout the nation for professionals involved in developing plans for the growth and revitalization of urban, suburban, and rural communities. This program helps students understand how to create and evaluate plans that make the best use of a community´s land and resources for commercial, institutional, residential, and recreational purposes.

Graduate work leading to the Master of Science degree can now be completed at Temple University Harrisburg. The primary purpose of the program is to develop skilled practitioners for the dynamic and growing field of community and regional planning in government, non-profit, and private sectors. Students develop an understanding of the physical and economic issues of planning, sensitivity to the social and environmental impact of planning decisions and knowledge of the governmental structures as they apply to planning. These skills place students in the front lines of efforts to create and maintain sustainable communities. The program builds on the traditions already established in the Center for Sustainable Communities located at Temple University Ambler.

Temple University Ambler College is pleased to announce a new curriculum for the MS in Community and Regional Planning to begin Fall Semester 2009.

In revising and expanding the CRP graduate program, 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.

This curriculum takes us one step closer to achieving accreditation by the Planning Accreditation Board. Currently the only accredited planning program in Pennsylvania is at the University of Pennsylvania.

Areas of Specialization

Planners must understand how cities, towns, and regions are structured and how to create and evaluate plans that maintain and improve the quality of life in those communities.

The M.S. in Community and Regional Planning (CRP) addresses problems affecting large portions of the American population. CRP courses help students to develop skills to address issues like difficulties associated with population increases, the exponential growth of schools without an adequate tax base; the stress on groundwater and other aspects of the natural environment; the loss of open land to tract housing; the construction of shopping malls and the accompanying decline of small central towns; and the emphasis on the automobile at the expense of public transportation by emphasizing the preparation of the urban/suburban land use plan. These skills include data collection, site analysis and evaluation of location, market, transportation, and environmental factors.

Private, public and non-profit employment opportunities are strong for graduate degree holders based on current need and a projected growth for the next decade.

Application Deadlines

A rolling admission policy makes it possible to apply until July 1 for the fall term and November 1 for the spring term. However, a student may chose to take up to nine credits as a non-matriculated student before applying to the program. To sign up for classes a non-matriculated student, the student must present a copy of a transcript from a Bachelor´s Degree or higher to the Community and Regional Planning Department for approval.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must hold a bachelor´s degree from an accredited school and must submit transcripts from all institutions of higher learning previously attended as well as scores from the three sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or scores from the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT). Along with two letters of recommendation from persons in positions to evaluate their past work and/or the ability to do graduate work, students should submit a personal statement outlining reasons for pursuing the Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning.

The candidate will be expected to identify goals that are appropriate to a professional degree program in an essay that indicates an ability to communicate in written English on a professional level. Minimum requirements for consideration for admission are an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better (based on a 4.0 scale) and GRE scores of 500 or more in both verbal and mathematical testing or equivalent scores on the GMAT. Applicants whose native language is not English must score a minimum of either 575 on the paper and pencil version or 230 on the computer-based version (CBT) of the TOEFL. Students admitted with TOEFL scores below either 600 on the paper and pencil or 250 on the CBT will be required to take and pass an English skills course during their first semester at Temple University. Applicants having an undergraduate degree conferred by an American university are exempt from the TOEFL requirement. However, applicants having a graduate degree conferred by an American university are not exempt from the TOEFL requirement.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete thirty-six semester hours of course work: 15 semester hours (s.h.) in required core courses (CRP 401,403,410,413, and 501); 12 s.h. of electives approved by the faculty adviser; and 9 s.h. in a combination of internship in planning and thesis/ project (CRP 525 and 599). Students will have the option of doing 6 s.h. of internship and 3 s.h. of thesis/ project; or 3 s.h. of internship and 6 s.h. of thesis/project. The internship emphasizes the acquisition and application of practical skills in planning. Internship placements will be at public agencies, nonprofit institutions, and private firms. The Master´s thesis or project provides the terminal evidence of mastery of the field. The thesis is based on planning theory, methodology, and history and the project will be practice-based.

The Graduate Program - Degree Outline - Fall 2009

RECOMMENDED COURSE SEQUENCING for students matriculating in Fall 2009 and after

(Total of 45 semester hours is required for the M.S.)