Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning

The Program in Urban and Environmental Planning balances professional planning skills and urban studies with a liberal arts education emphasizing interdisciplinary study. Students take courses in the social and natural sciences, the humanities, and in design fields that are complemented by professional planning and elective courses. Program graduates begin work in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors in urban and rural areas ranging from city and county planning offices to real estate and development firms to economic development agencies. Some students continue for graduate professional studies.

The scope of the planner's work encompasses present and future urban and environmental concerns, including such diverse issues such as environmental impact, quality of life, urban design, transportation, and the public and private costs of development and land use. Public sector planners work for all levels of government, formulating plans to redevelop or rehabilitate downtowns and neighborhoods, develop land aesthetically and profitably, create sustainable transportation plans, and regulate private development and impact to protect public interests. Planners frame long-range designs and shorter-term strategies that meet community plans and goals. Private sector planners employed with land developers, utilities, banks, property management firms, industries, architectural and design firms and other major corporations do similar work according to the particular concerns of each business. Planners in the nonprofit sector represent a variety of environmental, citizen advocacy, and community and economic development organizations. Many of these concerns are integrated with the department's focus on sustainable community development, social equity, and environmental planning, and pressing global challenges.

High School Transcripts.
Typically, the most important factor in the admission evaluation process is demonstrated academic achievement in a challenging secondary school program.
The admission committee looks for applicants who have completed the most rigorous academic courses available in their secondary schools and recommends that prospective students should exceed minimum high school graduation requirements. We require an official transcript. The secondary program should include no fewer than 16 academic courses and must include the following courses:

English 4 units
Mathematics 4 units
Foreign Language 2 units
Science (from among biology, chemistry, and physics) 2 units (*)
Social Studies 1 unit

A TOEFL or IELTS score should not be more than two years old. Depending on the school, most admitted graduate students attain a minimum total score of 90 on the internet-based (iBT) TOEFL (including sectional minimums of 22 in speaking, 22 in writing, 23 in reading and 23 in listening). The minimum paper-based TOEFL score requirement is usually 600, and the minimum IELTS score requirement is 7.0.