Joint Bachelors and Graduate Degree (MCRP / BA or BS)

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.