Allied with Urban Planning is the school-wide PhD program, which focuses on the preparation of planning-focused scholars who will teach and conduct research
Combining the Bloustein School’s Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) leads to a three-year dual degree option for potential applicants. Students are accepted independently to both graduate programs after providing a separate application to each but share concentrations, course electives, and requirements.
The three-year, 72 credit dual degree program (36, MCRP and 36, MPP) is a savings of 24 credits compared to earning the 48-credit MCRP and the MPP degrees separately. Each degree program accepts 12 credits from the other program; only one set of Methods courses are necessary (Methods I, Methods II) but should be taken within the same program. A third methods course is required and may be chosen from several options. The third methods choice and all flight paths should be approved by your faculty advisor and originating program director.
Information sheet and sample program
Combining the Bloustein School’s Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) and Master of Public Informatics (MPI) leads to a dual degree option for program and potential applicants. Admission to the dual MCRP/MPI degree program is highly selective and requires simultaneous, separate applications to and acceptance by each program. A total of 60 credits must be completed in a minimum of two and a half years of full-time study.
The MCRP degree requires a set of core, concentration and elective courses. The list of core, concentration, and elective courses for the MCRP degree may be found here. Dual degree students starting in the MCRP must complete 12 MPI-eligible credits beyond their 48-credit requirement for the MCRP, totaling 60 credits. The MPI degree requires 30 credits of core courses and 6 credits of electives. Dual degree students starting in the MPI must complete 24 MCRP-eligible credits beyond their 36-credit requirement for the MPI degree, totaling 60 credits.
Information sheet and sample program
The Rutgers Law Schools at Camden and Newark and the Bloustein School offer a dual-degree program designed for students who are interested in law, politics, and public policy.
A four-year course of study, this program leads to the master of city and regional planning and Juris Doctor (MCRP/JD) degrees offered by the Bloustein School and the law schools at the Newark and Camden campuses of Rutgers. Two and a half years are spent at the law school and one and a half years in the planning program. Students are accepted independently for both graduate professional programs after separate application to each.
Students usually begin the program with the law school curriculum, completing two years of law school and one and a half years in urban planning before returning to a one-half year in law school. This plan requires students to apply to the urban planning and policy development program in January of their second year of law school.
Courses required during the time at the Bloustein School include urban economics, methods, history, and theory of planning, and studio coursework. The law school will transfer 12 credits for four required courses in the urban planning and policy development program toward the J.D. degree and the urban planning program will accept 12 from the law school.
Students are eligible for financial aid for the time they are in residence at the Bloustein School. Awarded on a competitive basis and according to a student’s needs, financial aid can include tuition, tuition, and stipends, or just a stipend.
To be considered for the dual-degree program, students must apply to the Bloustein School, urban planning and policy development program in New Brunswick and be accepted to the School of Law at Camden or Newark. Students should submit their full applications by January 15 (for financial support consideration). The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) will be accepted in place of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
In 2004, the Bloustein School and the Rutgers Business School: Graduate Programs-Newark and New Brunswick developed the implementation of a dual master of city and regional planning and master of business administration degree program (MCRP/MBA). The Bloustein School’s planning program offers a broad array of courses in such areas as housing, transportation, community development, environment, urban and regional economics, and information technology, as well as concentrations in several specialized areas.
The 84-credit dual MCRP/MBA degree program can be completed in three years of full-time study. The total of 108 credits that would be required to obtain the two degrees separately (48 for MCRP and 60 for the MBA) is thus reduced by 24 credits (12 credits each way), and the time from four to three years. The dual degree combines the complementary strengths of the two programs and provides a broad professional education ranging from city and regional policy planning to business administration and management. It is intended to produce professionals who will make meaningful contributions to the improvement of cities and regions with a full foundation of business principles.
To expand educational opportunities in the urban planning field, an agreement between the Bloustein School and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) implemented a dual master of city and regional planning and master in infrastructure planning degree program (MCRP/MIP). The Bloustein School’s planning program offers a broad array of courses in such areas as housing, transportation, community development, environment, urban and regional economics, and information technology, as well as concentrations in several specialized areas. The MCRP degree is fully accredited and widely recognized.
The 60-credit dual MCRP/MIP degree program can be completed in two years of full-time study. The total of 84 credits that would be required to obtain the two degrees separately (48 for MCRP and 36 for the MIP) is thus reduced by 24 credits, and the time from three to two years. The dual degree combines the complementary strengths of the two programs and provides a broad professional education ranging from city and regional policy planning to physical infrastructure planning and urban design. The program is intended to draw students from architecture, engineering, and the social sciences.
Two alternative dual degree tracks are offered. The MCRP/MIP track provides a sequence of courses suitable for students with educational backgrounds in the social sciences and engineering. The MIP/MCRP track is intended for students with degrees in architecture or related fields or who are prospective graduates of the master of architecture (M. Arch) degree program at NJIT. In each case, students attend classes at both Rutgers and NJIT, requiring course schedule coordination across campuses but offering a rich set of experiences and interactions.
The dual degree leads to either a master of city and regional planning (MCRP) degree or a master of city and regional studies (MCRS) degree in urban planning and policy development and a master of science (MS) degree in food and business economics. Students are accepted independently for each graduate program after separate application. Students must meet the degree requirements of each program; however, with proper course selection, 9 credits of coursework from each program may be applied to the other degree, thus reducing by one and one-half semesters the length of time required to obtain the two degrees.
The Bloustein School, in cooperation with the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, offers a joint program that enables students to earn the bachelor of arts or science and the Master of City and Regional Planning in five years rather than the normal six. This (3-1-1) five-year program gives exemplary students the opportunity to complete their liberal arts education and prepare themselves for a career in urban planning and development.
During the first three years of their undergraduate education, students will complete most of their major and general studies requirements. They may apply for admission to the joint program in February of their junior year. During their senior year, admitted students will be allowed to take up to 18 graduate credits in the Urban Planning and Policy Development Program, which are taught in the school’s state-of-the-art facility on Livingston Avenue. The graduate credits will be applied toward both the bachelor’s and MCRP degrees. At the end of their fourth year, students should have completed all undergraduate requirements to receive their bachelor’s degree. Upon completion of the BA or BS degree, students will automatically matriculate into the graduate program with advanced standing.
In the summer after graduating from their Rutgers undergraduate college, students will participate in a professional internship experience for credit at a public agency, non-profit organization, or private firm working on planning issues. In addition, they take on a summer course offering. Students receive six (6) graduate credits both the internship and the course.
During their fifth year, students complete their graduate studies and receive the MCRP degree.
Advantages of the Five Year Program
The program is structured so that students can complete both the undergraduate major and professional graduate degree courses to earn both a bachelor’s degree and an MCRP in five years. During their senior year, students receive the benefit of undergraduate tuition rates while taking graduate courses, thus reducing the costs of the two degrees. Graduates of the Urban Planning and Policy Development Program work in important and varied positions in the fields of planning, development, economics and sociology, including for city and town planning departments, in federal and state executive agencies, for non-profit and advocacy organizations and in many private consultant, engineering and architecture firms. All sectors of the workforce are represented by planners.
Admission
The joint program is competitive and highly selective. Successful applicants for admission will have a GPA of 3.5 or more, exceptional GRE scores, a dedication to public service and outstanding recommendations. Interested students who fulfill the above qualifications should contact the Office of Student and Academic Services to discuss the program and to discuss the application process.
The application requires transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, GRE scores and a résumé. Your online application should indicate the BA or BS / MCRP Program.
Please know that admission is subjective and requires review by several faculty members. Until this review takes place, an admissions decision should not be concluded nor assumed.