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Master of City Planning
The Master of City Planning (MCP) prepares students for a wide variety of professional roles in planning for urban and regional development. The professional regional city planner frequently functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team and may be involved in such tasks as the analysis of policy alternatives, formulation of public investment programs, forecasting and monitoring urban and regional systems performance, development of joint programs among various public and private sector institutions, and plan design and implementation.
The course of study emphasizes a theoretical and methodological core common to the numerous roles and specializations within the urban and regional planning field, as well as coursework specialized for several career options. The core of required courses provides training in analytical and evaluative skills, application of those skills to urban and regional public policy problems, and preparation of proposals for action.
The program accommodates students on both a part- and a full-time basis. The 64 credits required for the degree may be earned within two years of full-time study and must be earned within a maximum of seven years. Students are encouraged to participate in selected fieldwork internships for course credit.
For more information visit the City Planning/Urban Affairs website.
Admission Information
Candidates for admission to the degree program are selected on the basis of academic transcripts, academic and personal references, and interviews or statements of intent. Applicants with an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) lower than 3.0 are encouraged to submit additional information to demonstrate their capacity to succeed in graduate school.
International students are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-Based Test (iBT). A minimum score of 100 is required, with scores in each section as follows: Reading—25; Listening—25; Speaking—25; and Writing—25. International applicants are also urged to submit their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, although these are not formally required.
There are no fixed application deadlines. The program allows for students to submit applications on a rolling basis, although all students are encouraged to submit a complete application no less than one month prior to the start of the semester in which they desire to commence studies. Admission decisions are announced promptly, pending receipt of all application materials.
Waivers
Master of City Planning students may pursue studies in Commercial Real Estate and Real Estate Finance at Boston University’s Center for Professional Education (CPE). MCP students who earn a CPE certificate in Commercial Real Estate or Real Estate Finance will be granted a waiver of three graduate-level elective courses (12 credits) toward their degree.
Students may also pursue the Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability as part of their degree. The Applied Sustainability certificate consists of four courses distributed across three Metropolitan College departments: Applied Social Sciences (Urban Affairs and City Planning), Administrative Sciences, and Computer Science. Each course will count toward both the MCP degree and the graduate certificate requirements.
Additional Information
A maximum of one graduate course (4 credits) in an urban discipline may be transferred from another accredited institution for credit toward the degree. No credit is allowed for courses used to fulfill another degree. Up to three courses (12 credits) taken at Boston University outside the City Planning program may be applied to the degree, with prior approval of the department coordinator.
A maximum of two City Planning or Urban Affairs (UA) courses (8 credits) taken at Metropolitan College before acceptance into the degree program may be applied toward the degree. The courses must be of graduate level, with a grade of B– (2.7) or higher.
The minimum passing grade for a course in the graduate program is B- (2.7), but a grade average of B (3.0) must be maintained to satisfy MCP degree requirements. Students who earn a grade of C+ or lower in a Core Requirement must retake that class and earn a grade of B- or higher in order for it to count towards the degree.
Degree Requirements
A total of 64 credits is required, distributed as follows:
Core Requirements
(Six courses/24 credits)
- MET UA 515 History and Theory of Urban Planning
- MET UA 701 Urban Problems and Policy Responses
- MET UA 702 Urban Analytical Methods
- MET UA 703 Urban Research Methods
- MET UA 704 Urban Economic Issues and Analysis
- MET UA 761 Planning Thesis or
MET UA 805 Boston Urban Symposium
Electives
(Ten courses/40 credits)
Elective courses are selected with the advice of the department coordinator or faculty advisor.
Sample City Planning Elective Courses
- MET UA 505 Urban Management
- MET UA 508 Real Estate Development
- MET UA 509 Urban and Public Finance Budgeting
- MET UA 521 Environmental Law
- MET UA 590 International Comparative Urbanization and Planning
- MET UA 604 Urban Political Decision-Making: Citizen Participation in the Planning Process
- MET UA 611 Community Development
- MET UA 613 Designing Urban Space
- MET UA 619 Urban Transportation Policy and Planning
- MET UA 620 Urban and Regional Land Use Policy and Planning
- MET UA 623 Regional and Metropolitan Development Planning
- MET UA 629 Urbanization and the Environment
- MET UA 801 Graduate Directed Studies in Urban Affairs/City Planning: Internship for Credit
- MET UA 804 Supervised Fieldwork