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College of Built Environments

Urban Design and Planning

410 Gould Hall
206-543-4190
Website
Faculty Website
udpinfo@uw.edu

Urban design and planning deals with critical issues of human settlement and urban development. The Department of Urban Design and Planning fosters an integrative approach to education and research in planning the physical environment. The academic program includes the social, behavioral, and cultural relationships between people and the form and quality of their built and natural environment; the financial, administrative, political, and participatory dimensions of planning, design, and development; and the informational base for making deliberate decisions to shape urban areas and regions, bringing analysis together with vision. Departmental faculty are active participants in interdisciplinary research units, including the Institute for Hazard Mitigation Planning and Research, the Urban Form Laboratory, the Urban Ecology Research Laboratory, the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies, and the Northwest Center for Livable Communities.

 Undergraduate Programs


Urban Design and Planning

208Q Gould Hall
206-543-1508
cepinfo@uw.edu

 Program of Study: Major: Community, Environment, and Planning


Program Overview

Community, Environment, and Planning (CEP) is a hands-on, interdisciplinary major. While housed in the Department of Urban Design and Planning, CEP does not provide a predefined educational path. CEP empowers students to pursue their own educational goals in the company of other self-directed individuals. The CEP core curriculum focuses on theory and practice applied to real-world settings while electives are satisfied by taking upper-level courses all across campus. Students participate in a governance process that supports the major while teaching them how to be effective leaders and doers in the world through practice, personal formation, intentionality, communal learning, and stewardship. CEP students graduate to become urban planners, project managers, educators, entrepreneurs, communication experts, and professionals of all sorts.

This program of study leads to the following credential:
  • Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Community, Environment, and Planning
Recommended Preparation

Suggested First- and Second-Year College Courses: CEP 200.

Admission Requirements
  1. Minimum 90 credits completed when student begins the program and at least 80 percent of the general education requirements fulfilled, tracked by CEP's Academic Advisor.
  2. Minimum 2.50 GPA with additional emphasis on a written essay and demonstration of relevant extracurricular activities.
  3. Admission is once a year, for autumn quarter. Early admission deadline is February 15. Additional application dates vary each year. See CEP’s website for specific dates.
Continuation Policy

All students must make satisfactory academic progress in the major. Failure to do so results in probation, which can lead to dismissal from the major. For the complete continuation policy, contact the departmental adviser or refer to the department website.

 Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Community, Environment, and Planning


Credential Overview

Community, Environment, and Planning (CEP) is a self-directed, interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree housed in the Department of Urban Design and Planning. CEP empowers students to draw on the tools of planning - collaboration, leadership, intentionality, stewardship, and vision - to pursue their own educational goals in the company of other self-directed students in cohorts limited to 38 students. The CEP core curriculum focuses on theory and practice applied to real-world settings; electives are satisfied by taking courses anywhere on campus. Students also participate in a governance process that supports the major and teaches students how to be effective leaders and doers in the world. Our students graduate to become urban planners, educators, non-profit managers, entrepreneurs, communication experts, and professionals of all sorts, including doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Transfer students are welcomed. CEP: An education fully lived, not passively taken.

Completion Requirements

General Education Requirements

  1. Written Communication (15 credits): 5 credits English composition; 10 credits additional composition or W courses. W courses, if applicable, may also be counted toward Areas of Inquiry or major requirements.
  2. Reasoning (4-5 credits): The RSN course, if applicable, may also be counted toward an Area of Inquiry or major requirement.
  3. Areas of Inquiry (60 credits): 20 credits Arts and Humanities (A&H); 20 credits Social Sciences (SSc); 20 credits Natural Sciences (NSc). Required CEP courses and other non-CEP courses used to satisfy major requirements may also be counted toward Areas of Inquiry requirements, if applicable.

Major Requirements

77-82 credits

  1. Core Seminars (30 credits): CEP 301, CEP 302, CEP 303, CEP 460, CEP 461, CEP 462.
  2. Methods Courses (25 credits): Upper-division courses within the University, with no more than 15 credits from one department; chosen with guidance and approved by CEP staff and faculty.
  3. Diversity Course (5 credits): One course that critically analyzes and addresses social constructs and/or issues from a different perspective than that of our dominant culture. Must be approved by the program adviser
  4. Digital Skills Proficiency Course (3 credits): One course that enhances student's understanding of the creation, utilization, and implications of digital material. See department for list of approved courses (a course not on approved list must be approved by the program adviser). May count toward Methods Courses requirement if the Digital Skills Proficiency course is an upper-division course.
  5. Leadership Retreats (4 credits): CEP 300, autumn and spring
  6. Governance Practicum (6 credits): CEP 400, quarterly
  7. Internship (5 credits): CEP 446, 120- to 150-hour internship
  8. Senior Project Capstone (2-6 credits): CEP 490 and CEP 491, autumn and winter

Electives to complete minimum 180 credits for degree; varies, depending on how many general education courses apply to more than one requirement.


Additional Information

Student Outcomes and Opportunities

  • Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes: A CEP education is founded on the following: students start where they are; articulate and embrace a vision of how they intend to make a difference in the world; construct a plan (with guidance from faculty and peers) of CEP seminars, cross-disciplinary courses, and field experiences; move deliberately with this plan in the final two years of undergraduate education; through first-hand experience and in the context of the CEP community of learners, become acquainted with effective ways for working constructively together to anticipate and address critical issues facing the complex communities and world we inhabit.

    A CEP education is fully lived, not passively taken. CEP students actively make their education in community with others. CEP class cohorts range from 25-30 students. This group comprises a community of mutual learning that requires commitment, personal investment, and strong teamwork strategies for two years. Through six interconnected, quarterly seminars students engage the core content of the major: community, environment, and planning. These contemporary academic fields and areas of research include the study of community as subject and practice, exploration of the ecological context of all societal life, and an investigation of the potentials of planning for developing strategies for positive change.

    CEP students have gone on to careers in a variety of interdisciplinary fields such as community planning and organization, urban development, communications, work in for-profit and nonprofit sectors, public administration, education, community and environmental activism, ecology, and government/community relations.

  • Instructional and Research Facilities: Refer to department website for more information.
  • Honors Options Available: For Interdisciplinary Honors, see University Honors Program.
  • Research, Internships, and Service Learning: Refer to department website for more information.
  • Department Scholarships: Department and program offer specific scholarships. Contact program adviser for details.
  • Student Organizations/Associations: Refer to department website for more information.

 Program of Study: Minor: Urban Design and Planning


Program Overview

Urban planning supplements other studies by providing a holistic view of the human experience and how it influences and interacts with our natural and built environments. This urban planning minor puts professional skills into practice through urban leadership, applied research, and system-level thinking.

This program of study leads to the following credential:
  • Minor in Urban Design and Planning

 Minor in Urban Design and Planning


Credential Overview

Urban planning supplements other studies by providing a holistic view of the human experience and how it influences and interacts with our natural and built environments. This urban planning minor puts professional skills into practice through urban leadership, applied research, and system-level thinking. Students are able to choose many of the courses in the minor so they can complement a wide range of majors on campus. The urban planning minor offers classes in data analysis, planning theory, sustainable development, and community-based projects.

Completion Requirements

30 credits

  1. URBDP 300
  2. Minimum 13 additional credits in URBDP-prefix courses
  3. 12 additional credits in planning-related courses with Urban Design and Planning adviser approval.
  4. Minimum 2.0 grade required for each course counted toward the minor.

See departmental adviser for recommended courses.

Additional Information

Student Outcomes and Opportunities

  • Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes: A CEP education is founded on the following: students start where they are; articulate and embrace a vision of how they intend to make a difference in the world; construct a plan (with guidance from faculty and peers) of CEP seminars, cross-disciplinary courses, and field experiences; move deliberately with this plan in the final two years of undergraduate education; through first-hand experience and in the context of the CEP community of learners, become acquainted with effective ways for working constructively together to anticipate and address critical issues facing the complex communities and world we inhabit.

    A CEP education is fully lived, not passively taken. CEP students actively make their education in community with others. CEP class cohorts range from 25-30 students. This group comprises a community of mutual learning that requires commitment, personal investment, and strong teamwork strategies for two years. Through six interconnected, quarterly seminars students engage the core content of the major: community, environment, and planning. These contemporary academic fields and areas of research include the study of community as subject and practice, exploration of the ecological context of all societal life, and an investigation of the potentials of planning for developing strategies for positive change.

    CEP students have gone on to careers in a variety of interdisciplinary fields such as community planning and organization, urban development, communications, work in for-profit and nonprofit sectors, public administration, education, community and environmental activism, ecology, and government/community relations.

  • Instructional and Research Facilities: See College of Built Environments section.
  • Honors Options Available: For Interdisciplinary Honors, see University Honors Program.
  • Research, Internships, and Service Learning: See College of Built Environments section.
  • Department Scholarships: Department and program offer specific scholarships. Contact program adviser for details.
  • Student Organizations/Associations: See College of Built Environments section.

 Graduate Programs


Urban Design and Planning


 Program of Study: Master Of Infrastructure Planning And Management


Program Overview

A two-year, eight-quarter, online degree. Teaches professionals to master the methods and core knowledge required to sustain and ensure resiliency of major infrastructures against both man-made and natural disasters. For further information, see program website.

This program of study leads to the following credentials:
  • Master Of Infrastructure Planning And Management (fee-based)
  • Master Of Infrastructure Planning And Management (Flood Risk) (fee-based)
Admission Requirements

Contact department for requirements.

 Master Of Infrastructure Planning And Management (fee-based)


Completion Requirements

45 credits

  1. Required First-Year Courses (24 credits): IPM 500, IPM 501, IPM 502, IPM 503, IPM 504, IPM 505, IPM 508, IPM 516
  2. Second-Year Courses (15 credits): Choose five of the following: IPM 506, IPM 509, IPM 510, IPM 511, IPM 512, IPM 514, URBDP 526, URBDP 549, URBDP 598
  3. Capstone (6 credits): IPM 513, IPM 515

 Master Of Infrastructure Planning And Management (Flood Risk) (fee-based)


Completion Requirements

45 credits

  1. Required First-Year Courses (24 credits): IPM 500, IPM 501, IPM 502, IPM 503, IPM 504, IPM 505, IPM 508, IPM 516
  2. Second-Year Courses (15 credits): Choose five of the following: IPM 506, IPM 509, IPM 510, IPM 511, IPM 512, IPM 514, URBDP 526, URBDP 549, URBDP 598
  3. Capstone (6 credits): IPM 513, IPM 515

 Program of Study: Master Of Urban Planning


Program Overview

Focuses on planning the physical environment and its socioeconomic and political determinants. Advanced students are encouraged to conduct research and studies in one of the following specializations: 1. urban design dealing with physical form, character, and quality issues; 2. real estate, designed to provide students a deep foundation and specialized skills to help launch or enhance professional careers in real estate; 3. historic preservation, focusing on the specialized skills needed actively to protect historic districts, buildings, and landscapes; 4. land-use and infrastructure planning, including its environmental, socioeconomic, legal, information systems, and administrative aspects; 5. environmental planning, addressing the interactions between urban systems and natural processes This degree, a two-year (or six-quarter) program, is the usual educational qualification for professional practice of city and regional planning, including generalist planning, research, urban design, and administrative positions in a wide variety of public agencies and private consulting firms.

This program of study leads to the following credential:
  • Master Of Urban Planning
Admission Requirements

Contact department for requirements.

 Master Of Urban Planning


Completion Requirements

72 credits

  1. Core Curriculum (30 credits): Each core course must be numerically graded with a minimum grade of 3.0 or higher. URBDP 500, URBDP 501, URBDP 503, URBDP 505, URBDP 506, URBDP 510, URBDP 512, URBDP 520, URBDP 580
  2. Professional Project or Thesis (9 credits): URBDP 547 or URBDP 700
  3. Restricted Electives (14 credits): Each restricted elective course must be numerically graded with a minimum grade of 3.0 or higher. One course from each of the following:
    1. Advanced Methods - Course list maintained internally by the program.
    2. Urban Development / Economics - Course list maintained internally by the program.
    3. History/Theory/Ethics of Planning - Course list maintained internally by the program.
    4. Urban Planning Studio - Course list maintained internally by the program.
  4. Electives (to meet required credit total): Any coursework completed at the UW in courses numbered 400 - 600 (Excludes 499). No more than 12 credits of URBDP 600 Independent Study can count towards the degree.