“I look back at how much fun I had at DURP, and how good the program is at preparing students for the professional world.”
– Jorge Puente, Class of 2018
The Master of Science in Planning (MSP) degree is the professional degree of most planners in the United States. The graduates of our program work in more than 40 states and about 30 foreign countries, with the largest proportion working in Florida. Click here to learn more about our program’s measures of student achievement.
MSP Program of Study
The principal aim of the MSP program is to train students for professional careers in planning, allowing them to function in both generalist and specialist roles. The MSP degree is normally obtained after two years of full time study, involving the completion of at least 48 semester hours of course work and 400 hours of work as a planning intern. Part-time students can also be accommodated. Course work is organized into the following curriculum components:
Specialization Courses (minimum of 9 credit hours)
All students complete a 400 hour professional planning internship. The intent of the internship is to give students a unique learning opportunity, allowing them to put many of the concepts and methods learned in the classroom into practice in a realistic professional setting
- Environmental Planning
- Neighborhood Planning and Community Design
- Planning for Developing Areas
- Real Estate Economic Development
- Transportation Planning
Core Curriculum (21 credit hours)
Students take courses in planning statistics, growth and development of cities, planning theory and practice, plan implementation, plan making, urban and regional information systems, and planning methods. Students are also required to take two semesters of our 0-credit hour professional topics speaker series course during their course of study.
Collaborative and Participatory Methods (3 credit hours)
Students select from courses on dispute resolution, collaborative governance, and community involvement and citizen participation.
Planning Internship(0 credit hours)
All students complete a 400 hour professional planning internship. The intent of the internship is to give students a unique learning opportunity, allowing them to put many of the concepts and methods learned in the classroom into practice in a realistic professional setting.
Capstone Project/Paper/Thesis (3-6 credit hours)
The capstone research project, paper, or thesis is designed to give students an opportunity to pursue a particular topic in depth and in an integrated fashion before assuming professional employment. All students are required to successfully complete and defend a group studio project, research paper, thesis, or student-initiated professional project.
Elective Courses (6-15 credit hours)
Students take additional elective courses to complete their minimum 48 credit hours of MSP study.
Typical DURP Two-Year Full-Time Program
| First Fall | First Spring | Second Fall | Second Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| URP 5211 Planning Statistics | URP 5125 Local Government Land Use Law | URP 5101 Planning Theory and Practice | Specialization, Participatory Methods, or Elective |
| URP 5847 Growth and Dev. of Cities | Planning Technical Methods 2: Forecasting and Alternatives Analysis | URP 5316 Land Use (Plan Making) | Specialization, Participatory Methods, or Elective |
| URP 5272 Urban and Regional Information Systems | Specialization, Participatory Methods, or Elective | Specialization, Participatory Methods, or Elective | Specialization or Elective |
| Specialization, Participatory Methods, or Elective | Specialization or Elective | Specialization, Capstone, or Elective | Specialization or Elective |
| URP 5930 Professional Topics | URP 5930 Professional Topics |