College of Architecture and Planning University of Colorado Denver

 

Required Courses ​​	​Course Topics / General Description​
​Year 1	​
​Natural and Built Environments 3 credits Fall Semester	​Natural systems and ecology; environmental policies and regulations; history of cities and urbanization; urban growth and development; land use and transportation; sustainability; regional planning; global planning issues.
​Planning History and Theory 3 credits Fall Semester	​Purpose and meaning of planning; planning history; planning theory; planning processes; public participation and engagement; social justice; planning leadership and advocacy; future of planning.
​Planning Law and Institutions 3 credits Fall Semester	​Planning law and legal precedents; government powers and responsibilities; types of governments; inter-governmental agreements and relationships; government regulations and policies.
​The Planning Profession 3 credits Fall Semester	​Scales and dimensions of planning; planning careers; planning academia; planning ethics; business aspects of planning; professional development; business development; portfolio/resume development.
​Urban Development 3 credits Spring Semester	​Real estate development process; land division and entitlement; plan implementation and regulation; site planning and development review; development finance/pro formas; public infrastructure and finance.
​Planning Methods 3 credits Spring Semester	​Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and techniques; data organization and management; data analysis; descriptive statistics; data presentation and graphics.
​Planning Skills Workshop 3 credits Spring Semester	​Physical planning/design/planning process fundamentals; planning data; planning contexts; plan making/planning projects, collaborative planning.   (Course coordinated with Planning Technologies Workshop).
​Planning Technologies Workshop 3 credits Spring Semester	​Planning technologies overview; geographic information systems; graphics and photo-imaging; 3D/visualization; mobile/social media; emerging planning technologies. (Course coordinated with Planning Skills Workshop).
​Year 2	​
​Planning Project Studio 6 credits Year 2	​Instructor-directed, client-based, project-oriented studio. (Five options: Healthy Communities, Urban Revitalization, Regional Sustainability, International Experience, or Summer in Colorado).
​Planning Capstone Experience 6 credits Year 2	​Student-directed, independent study/thesis/small-group project option requiring an intensive planning research or project experience. Course spans two semesters and requires faculty approval and oversight.​

 

Natural and Built Environments covers the fundamentals of physical planning, the history and evolution of cities and urbanization, and regional and global perspectives in planning. The course also focuses on sustainability, natural systems, ecology, environmental regulation and policies, and the relationships between the natural and built environments.

 

Planning History and Theory offers a comprehensive review of the major historical and theoretical developments in the planning field, with a particular emphasis on the human aspects of planning and how planning exists as a social, political, and community-oriented process.

 

Planning Law and Institutions emphasizes the legal basis and evolution of planning law. The course also covers the types and hierarchies of local governments, their powers and relationships, and how planning operates within those institutional contexts.

 

The Planning Profession offers students a comprehensive survey of the breadth and depth of the planning profession, what different types of planners do, and who they work for.  The course will also address the business aspects of planning, planning ethics, and professional/career development.

 

Urban Development provides a comprehensive overview of how cities get built, exploring the players, processes, politics and policies of city building and real estate development, and how planners must successfully operate in a multi-disciplinary environment.

 

Planning Methods focuses on the most commonly applied quantitative and qualitative methods used in planning and how planners can effectively collect, organize, analyze, and communicate data.

 

Planning Skills Workshop and Planning Technologies Workshop together represent a planning studio course. These two 3-credit courses share common syllabus elements and are intended to be taken concurrently. Planning Skills Workshop covers physical planning and design, plan making, the planning process, and team collaboration. Planning Technologies Workshop is intended to give students a baseline understanding of essential technologies, focusing on GIS, Adobe Creative Suite, and other commonly used computer applications. Assignments for both workshops are coordinated, so students can work with technology in Planning Skills Workshop and have planning projects to practice on in Planning Technologies Workshop. 

 

In Planning Project Studio, students work in teams to complete a substantial project that requires a broad range of planning knowledge and skills for a real-world client. Five different sections of Planning Project Studio are offered annually. Three sections are offered every fall and spring semester: one section each focusing on a Healthy Communities, Urban Revitalization, or Regional Sustainability topic; and two intensive sections during the summer semester: the International Studio held outside of the United States, and the Summer in Colorado Studio focused on a local project.

 

Planning Capstone Experience is the culminating educational event in a student’s MURP career. Although a required course, the planning topic to be studied is entirely student directed; therefore, it functions much like an elective course. The Planning Capstone Experience is a 6-credit hour course that can take one of three forms: a master’s thesis, an individual project, or a small-group project for a team of two or three students. Regardless of which form is chosen, the course spans two semesters in a “1 + 5” credit hour format. The semester before the project/study/thesis is conducted, students enroll in the 1-credit Planning Capstone–Part A in which you’ll work with a faculty advisor to identify your project topic and develop a detailed scope of work and schedule. Upon faculty approval, you’ll enroll the following semester in the 5-credit Planning Capstone–Part B, where you’ll complete and present your project/study/thesis work and receive a final grade from your faculty advisor.

 

As part of our emphasis on allowing students to craft a self-directed educational path, we offer MURP students a broad selection of elective courses. Students may choose any combination of courses, whether aligned with one of our three Initiatives, a traditional specialization, or a generalist survey of the planning field. The courses listed in the table below are those that are housed within the MURP Program and taught primarily by Department of Planning and Design faculty. However, in addition to these courses, numerous other elective courses applicable for MURP credit are available through our allied programs within the College (Architecture, Urban Design, Historic Preservation, and Landscape Architecture) and through cross-listed courses offered by other UC Denver programs, such as Public Affairs, Geography, and Business. 

 

Potential Specializations

As part of encouraging among planners an appreciation for and a knowledge of the perspectives and practices of the other disciplines that participate in planning and city-building, we offer several dual degree opportunities, both within the College of Architecture and Planning and with other units across the University of Colorado system. In every instance the total credit requirement of the Dual Degree is considerably less than would be needed if each degree were independently pursued.  The degrees that may be combined with the Master of Urban and Regional Planning include: