Introduction

The problems faced by cities and regions today call for innovative solutions from creative people. Professional planners study issues such as growth and change, transportation, housing, environmental and natural resources, public services and government policies and how they affect quality of life in urban centers.

The city and regional planning program, leading to the master’s degree in city and regional planning (MCRP) degree, is offered by the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, located in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities. This college includes programs in architecture, historic preservation, real estate development, construction science and management, art, speech and communication studies, history, English, languages, philosophy, religion and performing arts. The former College dean, James F. Barker, FAIA, is now president of Clemson University. Dean Janice Schach, FASLA, has been dean and a departmental faculty member since August 2000 and is past president of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture.

This professional master’s degree program was established in 1968 and has been fully accredited since 1973 with over 430 graduates. As the only graduate planning program in South Carolina, the program plays a pivotal role in the development of the planning profession in the state and region.

The MCRP program taps the diverse resources of other planning-related departments in the University such as public policy, economics, engineering and environmental sciences. Several studios and courses focus specifically on an interdisciplinary approach to planning and land development with students from several departments and colleges.

Program of Study

No specific undergraduate discipline is required for admission to this professional program. Students come from a range of disciplines, such as architecture, political science, sociology, civil engineering, urban affairs, economics, geography, English, environmental science, psychology, landscape architecture, business and history.

A total of 55 semester credit hours are required for the MCRP degree. The two-year program contains a 28-credit core curriculum, a three-credit summer internship, 15-18 credits of elective courses, six to nine credits of research and a terminal project or thesis. The core courses include planning and substantive theory, analytical methods, implementation techniques and applications. Elective courses will allow you to develop further expertise in a particular area. A summer internship between the first and second years requires 10 weeks of supervised professional employment. If approved, you may take additional course work in place of the internship. An oral examination is required to present and defend the results of your terminal project or thesis.

Centers, Institutes and Facilities

Study space, computer workstations, studios and a lounge area are available to students in the program. Lee Hall houses the School of Design and Building collection in the Emery Gunnin Library, with more than 40,000 books, 10,000 bound journals, a rare book collection and 140,000 slides, video recordings and professional journals and periodicals. Five student computing labs include various software and hardware resources, including ESRI, ERDAS and Trimble GIS and GPS software. The Gunnin Library has a printing output facility with large-format printing and scanning services and a circulating equipment collection that includes digital still and digital video cameras, laptops, LCD projectors, planimeters and more.

You can also perform research at Clemson’s Restoration Institute in Charleston, SC. The institute brings together experts and researchers in design, planning, construction management, real estate, historic preservation, business, tourism management, health, education, materials science, engineering, environmental science, forestry, soils, hydrology, horticulture, wood technology, toxicology and other relevant areas to explore areas of inquiry such as the built environment, the natural environment and the socioeconomic and cultural environment.

You may also work with Clemson’s Center for Community Growth and Change. The center coordinates public service projects within the college from an interdisciplinary perspective and provides assistance to local communities. It also provides a mechanism to conduct research and serves as an applied research laboratory for Clemson students. The cen

ter has worked on state, regional and local planning projects such as river corridors, transportation modeling, alternative land use and environmental impacts related to transportation, regional planning and land use regulation procedures. A major focus of the center concerns the issue of urban sprawl, and it works with policymakers and the community to promote policies and best practices toward achieving high-quality urban development in concert with the conservation of environmental quality that promotes a strong economy and community livability.

The center’s primary mission is to encourage efficient and equitable management of growth and change in the natural and built environment. Furthermore, it emphasizes the cultural heritage of communities as a foundation for attaining a high quality of life.

Financial Aid

As a first-year student, you will most likely work as a department assistant for a professor or in a planning-related entity for two days each week. The program requires a 10-week summer internship with a planning entity anywhere in the world. During your second year, you will likely work two days a week with a public, private or nonprofit entity. This will allow you to gain experience as well as receive significant financial aid. Most positions will require you to have transportation throughout the metro area (up to a 60-mile radius). Tuition reduction may be available as well.

Student Group

Students come from various undergraduate majors and professional backgrounds. Most have degrees in liberal arts, the social sciences, business, management or design. Students come from many states and several countries. The program has app-

roximately 38 students. Thirty-nine percent are women, 97 percent attend on a full-time basis and three percent are international students. To maintain the personal scale of the program, entering classes are kept to fewer than 20 students per year.

Student Outcomes

The program has an excellent professional reputation, and its graduates are very competitive, especially in the Southeast. Graduates from 1995 through 2002 are located in 22 states, with 35 percent in South Carolina, 40 percent in other Southeastern states and 25 percent elsewhere. One quarter of the program’s graduates are employed by national and regional planning consulting firms. Alumni have responsible careers in the private, public and nonprofit sectors throughout the country, and five recent alumni are pursuing doctorates.

Faculty Listing

• Robert W. Bainbridge, Lecturer; MArch, Rice University. Urban design, site planning and historic preservation.

• M. Grant Cunningham, Associate Professor; PhD, Clemson. Coastal and recreation planning.

• Anne E. Dunning, Assistant Professor; PhD, Georgia Tech. Transportation, systems and planning and quantitative methods.

• Caitlin S. Dyckman, Assistant Professor; PhD/JD, California-Berkeley. Environmental and water resource planning and law.

• Clifford D. Ellis, Associate Professor; PhD, California-Berkeley. Urban design, site planning and new urbanism.

• J. Terrance Farris, Associate Professor; PhD, Michigan State. Real estate development.

• Mickey Lauria, Professor; PhD, Minnesota. Housing, growth management and theory.

• James B. London, Professor; PhD, Clemson. Natural resource and economic development planning and policy.

• Daniel J. Nadenicek, Professor and Department Chair; MLA, Minnesota. Urban design and planning history.

• Barry C. Nocks, Professor and Associate Dean; PhD, University of North Carolina. Health care, growth management and planning process.

• Stephen L. Sperry, Associate Professor; MLA, Harvard. GIS and remote sensing and natural resource planning.

Applying

As an applicant, you must meet the minimal conditional admission requirements established by the University’s Graduate School. The department does not have minimum requirements but has a goal of students achieving a GRE score of at least a 1050 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Meeting these requirements is not a guarantee of admission, as applicants are reviewed by an admissions committee. The department admits students with lower scores when they have demonstrated experience or exceptional performance or capacity for the planning profession. Successful international applicants most often have a TOEFL score of at least 600, complementing their scores on the GRE.

You may apply on the web at www.grad.clemson.edu/Admission.php. Your application, along with a $55 nonrefundable fee, should be received no later than five weeks prior to registration. Every required item in support of your application must be on file by that date. However, the University uses a rolling admission procedure that enables applications to be reviewed as soon as they are received, so early applications are encouraged. Priority for fall semester financial aid will be given to applicants accepted by March 1. Spring admission is possible, but highly discouraged.

Full application details are listed on the program web page at www.clemson.edu/caah/pla/planning/plan_application.htm.

For More Information

Dr. James B. London, Program Director
Patty McNulty, Department Assistant
Master of City and Regional Planning Program
Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture
121 Lee Hall
Box 340511
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0511
Telephone: 864-656-3926
Fax: 864-656-7519
Email: cuplanning-l@clemson.edu