MURP Curriculum

The MURP is a two-year course of study that requires completion of 72 units of course credit, typically taken as 18 four-unit courses, in addition to completion of EITHER an approved final thesis OR an approved final capstone project. Students must complete required foundation courses, and must select the remaining courses to meet advanced research methods, human settlements, practicum, thesis or capstone preparation, and elective requirements.

Seven (7) Foundation Courses

USP 201: Planning Histories
USP 202: Social and Spatial Justice in Planning Theories
USP 210: Introduction to Planning Research Methods
USP 224: Land Use Planning
USP 225: Planning Law and Policy
USP 230: Economic Analysis for Urban and Regional Planning
USP 240: Climate Justice and Planning

One (1) Advanced Research Methods Course

To be chosen from this list:

USP 211: Transdisciplinary Field Research
USP 212: Geographic Information Systems
USP 213: Urban Analytics

One (1) Human Settlements Course

To be chosen from this list:

USP 250: Housing and Community Development
USP 257: Urbanisms in the Global South
USP 270: Environmental Policy and Planning
USP 271: Sustainable Development
USP 280: Transportation Planning

One (1) Practicum Course

This requirement is met by one (1) of the following courses focused on the practice of research and design for action, potentially in partnership with private, not-for-profit, and governmental organizations outside the university:

USP 277: Urban Design Practicum
USP 287: Practicum in Community Planning
USP 288: Fieldwork in Migrant and Border Communities

Six (6) Elective Courses

It will include 24 additional units of elective course credit, which may be met by any of the above courses that have not already been counted towards another requirement, or by enrolling in courses such as the following:

USP 248: Health and the Built Environment
USP 254: Space, Place, and Inequality
USP 255: Crime, Justice, and Planning
USP 256: Bioregional Planning
USP 265A: Advanced Special Topics in Housing
USP 265B: Advanced Special Topics in Sustainability
USP 265C: Advanced Special Topics in Transportation
USP 265D: Advanced Special Topics in Urban Design and Land Use

Additional courses that might meet the elective requirement include the following:

DSGN 201: Human-Centered Design and Complex Sociotechnical Systems
GPEC 444: Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
GPPS 419: Local Political Economy
MGTF 408: Real Estate Finance
POLI 255: Urban Politics
SOCG 214: Urban Sociology

Thesis or Capstone Project

Students will take two quarters of thesis or capstone preparation.
Students who choose the thesis option will complete a research thesis that must be approved by a committee of three members approved by the Dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. The thesis preparation requirement will ordinarily be met by one quarter each of the following:

USP 290: Thesis Preparation
USP 295. Independent Research

Students who choose the capstone option will, under the supervision of a two-member faculty committee, complete a capstone project, consisting of a professional research report in which they describe a real-world planning problem; apply appropriate analytical methods to the problem; evaluate alternative solutions; and propose a course of action. The report may be undertaken for an outside client or agency that has been approved by the committee chair. The final product must include a written report and may also include oral presentations, visual renderings, video recordings, software products, or research communication in another format as appropriate to the specific project, and as approved in advance by the student’s capstone committee. The capstone preparation requirement will ordinarily be met by two quarters of a studio course:

USP 296A: Capstone Studio I
USP 296B: Capstone Studio II

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