Other Opportunities - Urban and Environmental Planning

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4+1 Option
Graduates of accredited undergraduate planning programs will be considered for the 4+1 option (previously advanced standing) in special cases. A minimum of 30 graduate credits must be completed beyond the bachelor degree (and not applied to any other degree) 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 4+1 option is intended for students with strong undergraduate records and at least a 3.4 cumulative GPA.

Dual J.D. - M.U.E.P.
The Law School offers a combined program with the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning of the School of Architecture, in which the student may earn both the degrees of Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (M.U.E.P.) and the J.D. in four years. A student must be independently admitted both to the Law School and to the School of Architecture, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning. The student spends one full year in the School of Architecture in the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program. Twelve credits earned in planning courses may be counted toward the J.D. and 20 credits earned in Law School courses may be counted toward the M.U.E.P. Prospective applicants to the Law School who are interested in the J.D.-M.U.E.P. program should contact The Chair of The Department of Urban and Environmental Planning. The Law School faculty advisor for this program is Professor Thomas R. White, III.

Dual Degrees in Other Fields
Dual degrees are available also between Planning and each of the programs in the School of Architecture as well as the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and other schools at the University of Virginia.

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 teaches students in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning a conflict resolution skills. The Institute sponsors visiting mediation practitioners, offers courses in negotiation skills and public involvement, and provides training opportunities through assistantships. More information about the institute is available on the web at www.virginia.edu/ien.

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.

Advanced Standing (4+1 Option)

CONTINUING FOR A MASTER OF PLANNING DEGREE
Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning students may consider pursuing the Master’s Degree through advanced standing.

The standard Master of Urban & Environmental Planning degree program is a two-year course of study oriented toward students coming from arts and science or design backgrounds. The graduate curriculum consists of core courses, specialized courses representing functional areas of planning, applied courses emphasizing the synthesis of planning analysis and values in specific settings, and a professional internship.

The core curricula of the undergraduate and graduate programs are similar in focus and subjects. The differences are found in the breadth and depth of material covered in individual courses depending on the level of offering. The elective courses focusing on the functional planning elements are offered to both upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students design a concentration in consultation with a faculty member. Undergraduates are not required to have a Planning Concentration or an internship.

Admission
Admission to the 4+1 Master’s Program will be determined through the regular formal graduate admissions procedure. Letters of Recommendation, and a Letter of Intent will be required. Careful attention will be given to the Letter of Intent which should indicate the rationale for a specific course of study. The program is intended for students with strong undergraduate records.

Prospective students may apply for 4+1 Master’s Program after graduating from the University of Virginia BUEP Program, or other accredited Bachelor of Planning Programs.

4+1 Option
Only students having a cumulative overall GPA of 3.4 will qualify for 4+1. Those not meeting this requirement for 4+1 would still be able to waive specific courses by following the procedure for waivers (see below). The grade in an individual course for which a waiver is granted must be at least a B.

General Curriculum Requirements for Students Receiving Advanced Standing
A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level courses is required in order to complete the MUEP degree.

A program permitting the 4+1 option to holders of undergraduate degrees in Urban & Environmental Planning would retain the main components of the Master of Urban & Environmental Planning curriculum. The 4+1 option requires students to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work taken after receipt of a Bachelor of Urban & Environmental Planning Degree at UVA (or a degree in planning from another accredited Bachelor of Planning Program.).

These will include:
The core courses, or their equivalents, required for the Master of Urban & Environmental Planning Degree.
A professional internship usually completed the summer prior to enrollment or during the school year.
PLAC 6090

Waivers

When a student has previously completed a course, earning a grade of B or better, which has a demonstrated counterpart master’s core course at UVA, the Department Chair, upon consultation with the instructor of the course to be waived, may eliminate the requirement for that student to take the UVA master’s core course. No reduction in total credit hours for the Master’s degree results from waiving a course.

For UVA BUEP students, 4+1 generally enables the waiving PLAN 6050 Law, Land, and the Environment. Some students also waive SARC 6720 Design Computation, GIS, if they have had an equivalent course at the undergraduate level. Credits still need to be taken to achieve 30 credits in total for the advanced standing degree.

Joint Degrees
This curriculum could permit students to start on a second Master’s Degree. Admission and acceptance of such courses must be approved by the administrators of the second Master’s Degree.

One-Year Program Summary for 4+1 Option

The one-year leading to the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning degree would follow this general pattern.

Fall Semester - Credits: 16

PLAN 6040 - Quantitative Methods of Planning Analysis, Credits: 4
SARC 6710 - Design Computation I, Credits: 3
PLAN 6050 - Law, Land and the Environment, Credits: 3 *
PLAN 6060 - Collaborative Planning Process for Sustainability, Credits: 3
PLAN 6070 - Planning Theory and Practice, Credits: 3

Spring Semester - Credits: 14

PLAN 6020 - Methods of Community Research and Engagement, Credits: 3
PLAC 6090 - Planning Practicum, Credits: 4
SARC 6720 – Design Computation II, GIS, Credits: 3
Elective Course, Credits: 3
Elective Course, Credits: 1

*Waived for BUEP degree holders, substitute 3 credit elective