Advanced Standing Graduates of accredited undergraduate planning programs will be considered for advanced standing in special cases. A minimum of 30 graduate credits, in addition to the undergraduate degree, must be completed at the University of Virginia. This must be constructed so that, combined with the undergraduate program, each of the requirements for the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree is met, including the core courses, planning application courses, planning concentration, and internship. The advanced standing opportunity is intended for students with strong undergraduate records and at least a 3.5 GPA in planning courses.
Dual Degrees These programs are available with the departments in the School of Architecture and various departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, including government and environmental science. Dual degree programs are also available with the School of Law, the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, and the School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science, and depend upon admission to each program under the appropriate requirements. These programs permit the joint use of credit to satisfy the requirements of each degree and shorten the time required for attaining both degrees. Interested students should consult the department chair.
Programs Abroad Planning students may, with approval, spend a semester in one of the programs abroad when offered.
Institute for Environmental Negotiation Negotiation and mediation are increasingly important in policy making and in the resolution of development controversies. The Institute for Environmental Negotiation of the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning is a major resource for the provision of these conflict resolution skills. The Institute sponsors visiting mediation practitioners, offers courses in negotiation skills and public involvement, and provides training opportunities through assistantships. The Mediator, newsletter of the institute, is available on the web at www.virginia.edu/ien.
Historic Preservation Certificate Program Students wishing to enter the Historic Preservation Certificate program must be admitted to one of the graduate degree programs in the School of Architecture. In order to ensure proper academic advising and program coordination, students interested in the Historic Preservation Program should attend the program meeting at the start of the fall semester. Upon arriving at the Architecture School they should also file a program participation form with the Architecture School’s registrar. Students who complete the required 21 credits of preservation course work receive a Certificate in Historic Preservation, in addition to their master’s degree program. Individual courses that fulfill the requirements of the historic preservation certificate curriculum may also fulfill requirements within the urban and environmental planning program curriculum. Thus, students normally complete the course work for the historic preservation certificate during the same period in which they complete their degree program. For example, with the approval of the planning program chair, one of the two planning application course requirements may be satisfied by an appropriate preservation course.
American Urbanism Certificate Program This program is open to qualified degree candidates who wish to engage in a focused study of the issues and questions central to the interpretation of the American urban landscape and to the creation of new paradigms of urban design. The program’s curriculum is intentionally flexible to provide students the opportunity to develop individual programs of study with the review and guidance of the program director. Because of the special nature of the program interested candidates are strongly advised to arrange an interview with the program director.
Accreditation The Graduate Program in Urban and Environmental Planning is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, sponsored jointly by the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.
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