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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.
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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.
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