Master’s Program
The Master’s Program is designed to successfully prepare students for professional planning practice. The curriculum covers social and institutional problems, settings and planning, and management skills. The program provides a core of planning theory and methods, in-depth coverage of methods, techniques and institutions in an area of specialization, and elective courses to broaden and/or deepen knowledge and skills.
Program performance for the department’s Masters of City and Regional Planning program.
If you have questions concerning your application or application procedures, contact us at dcrp-admissions@unc.edu.
Dr. Yan Song is Director of Master’s Program & Admissions the MCRP Program
Meet Our Students
Through his work, James hopes to transform the built environment through consideration of holistic impacts of development on communities and … Read more
Course of Study
The master’s degree is typically completed in two years. Satisfactory completion of the MCRP degree requires students to pass a minimum of 51 graduate credit hours, including core courses, required courses in one area of specialization, a capstone workshop, and a master’s project. A minimum of 36 semester credit hours must be from PLAN courses (33 for dual-degree students). Our Policies and Procedures page details important information for all master’s students. The following provides a quick summary of the requirements to earn a Master’s Degree in City & Regional Planning.
4 Core Courses
Planning Theory, Urban Spatial Structure, Microeconomics, Planning Methods
4 Specialization Courses
1 Law Course
6 Electives
Master’s Project & Capstone Workshop
Specializations
Master’s degree students must specialize in at least one field offered in the curriculum. Each specialization emphasizes equity, environmental quality, economic viability, and social participation and grapples with the interconnections among these dimensions of sustainability. Have a question? Ask one of our student coordinators!
Tracks
Tracks allow students to take a short sequence of courses to acquire cross-cutting skills and expertise in substantive areas. Courses in each track are usually taken as a set of electives. Carolina Planning offers Natural Hazards, Design and Real Estate tracks. Unlike a specialization, students are not required to complete a track.
Master’s Project & Capstone Workshop
In their final year in the program, students must submit a final project of professional quality on a topic in their area of specialization. This master’s project serves to demonstrate the student’s capabilities in his/her area and his/her readiness for professional practice. Completed in the student’s second year of the program, this is an individual project. See the Master’s Project Guide for more details and a timeline of milestones.
Students also must complete a problem-solving, team-oriented, client-based course designed to give students experience in applying planning theory and methods to needs of real-world clients in economic development, housing and community development, real estate, environmental planning, land use, and transportation.
Featured Student Projects
Where Do DCRP Graduates Go?
Current Affiliations of DCRP Master’s Graduates