The Master's of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy Program, Courses, and Faculty

The Master of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy program began the accreditation process in the fall of 2005. In the fall of 2008, the program received tentative accreditation pending final review. The program was notified in the Spring Semester of 2011 that it was provided a 7 year status (one of the longest) expiring December 31, 2018.

The UPEP Masters Program, trains students to become policy-oriented planners and environmental policy analysts and to assume leadership positions in planning and environmental policy-related organizations. The program places special emphasis on issues significant to communities and regions of the Southwest. The goal of the MUPEP is to prepare future professionals with analytical and policy formulation skills that allow them to address - with vision and foresight - the land use, ecological, and policy issues necessary to affect change that addresses our current situations while keeping in mind the need to plan and prepare for generations yet to come.

The major objectives of the MUPEP program are:

1. Train students for professional careers in planning and equip them to function in generalist and specialist roles
2. Provide students with an understanding of the history and theory of cities and urban regions and the environmental influences on city and regional planning
3. Prepare students with life-long analytical, research and communication skills
4. Provide students with the specific knowledge and skills needed to become successful, practicing planners in a wide range of planning areas
5. Educate students about the relationship between the developed environment and the natural environment
6. Provide students with scientific and technical skills that can be applied professionally to solve environment problems

Program Overview

For individuals wishing to pursue careers in university teaching, research or highly specialized practice, the Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy provides advanced knowledge, skills, and extensive experience working closely with an interdisciplinary faculty in teaching and research. The program emphasizes preparation in research methods, spatial and regional analysis, development theory, historical processes, analytic and policy formulation skills, and the critical appraisal of alternative causes of change, all of which are necessary for the critical examination of the nature of urban planning and environmental policy.