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MURP Program

• appropriate course work in descriptive and inferential statistics, or acquisition of such background prior to enrollment in PLAN 601 and PLAN 605*
• graduate program supplemental information form (download form)
• statement of objectives (download form)
• two letters of recommendation
• interview (Recommended for applicants residing in Hawai'i.)
• official GRE General Test scores
• official TOEFL scores — 500/173/61 or above (Required of most non-native speakers of English. Click here for information on exemptions.)

* Applicants with course deficiencies who are otherwise qualified may be admitted. They must make up the deficiencies before they may be advanced to candidacy.

PhD Program

• graduate degree (equivalent to the master's level at UHM) in planning*
• GPA of 3.5 or above
• graduate program supplemental information form (download form)
• statement of objectives (download form)
• sample of academic writing (research report or sole-authored plan)
• two letters of recommendation
• interview (Recommended for applicants residing in Hawai'i.)
• official GRE verbal, math and analytic test scores
• official TOEFL scores — 500/173/61 or above (Required of most non-native speakers of English. Click here for information on exemptions.)

* Exceptional applicants with only an undergraduate degree may be admitted, if they have either advanced research background or exceptional professional experiences. They may be required to take additional course work or pass additional exams.

A dynamic and evolving field, urban and regional planning emerged out of the convergence of the provision of urban infrastructure and social reform through spatial planning. Today, urban and regional planning includes the development, implementation and evaluation of a wide range of policies, while at the same time maintaining its underlying focus on community well-being.

Urban and regional planners, in both developing and developed countries, are concerned with the following issues:

• land use planning and environmental management, especially between rural and urban uses, in coastal zones, among contemporary urban functions, and with regard to urban form;
• the design of the city and the surrounding region;
• regional planning, with particular interest in global-local interaction, uneven spatial development, industrial location and regional economic growth;
• the identification of social needs and the design and provision of services and facilities to meet them;
• the distribution of benefits and costs of resource allocation and use among people;
• citizen participation in planning and decision making processes;
• policy and program evaluation.

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM) offers graduate programs leading to the master's degree and the PhD. In addition, the department offers the Professional Certificate in URP and the Graduate Certificate in planning studies.

The department emphasizes theory, methodology and practice in community planning and social policy, land use and infrastructure planning, and environmental planning. The department's multi-disciplinary approach to education in URP acknowledges the importance and relevance of related disciplines, such as architecture, civil engineering, law, politics, public health, social work, and the various natural and social sciences. In addition, the department's curriculum addresses the human aspects of URP, such as value differences that lie at the heart of most planning problems, and the importance and elusiveness of critical concepts to URP, such as "the public interest,"

The department's faculty and students are actively involved in research that focuses on the application of planning methodologies and implementation of planning endeavors. They are also extensively engaged in community service projects both in Hawai'i and in the broader Asia-Pacific region. Graduates of the department hold a variety of planning and related positions in public agencies, nonprofit organizations, private firms, and institutions of higher education. Several master's degree graduates have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees in URP, geography, political science, and economics; or professional degrees in law.

The MURP and PhD in urban and regional planning programs participate in the Western Regional Graduate Program administered by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The program enables legal residents of WICHE member states to enroll in selected out-of-state professional or graduate programs at reduced tuition rates. For more information, see Financial Matters < WICHE Program.

MURP Degree Requirements
Students may select Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis).

• Plan A requires 42 credits (including nine credits of thesis research), a written thesis and defense of the thesis.
• Plan B requires 42 credits.
• Both plans require a final exam.

PhD Degree Requirements
The PhD program requires the following:

• completion of the MURP course work requirements and 15 credits of course work beyond the MURP,
• comprehensive exam,
• qualifying exam,
• dissertation,
• final oral exam / defense of dissertation.

Courses
To view a listing of courses offered, visit www.catalog.hawaii.edu/courses/departments/plan.htm.