ucla urban planning master's degree program
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Build Cities, or rebuild cities, that are vibrant, just, and sustainable. Empower people to transform their communities, and themselves. Immerse yourself in the living laboratory of Los Angeles: one of the most dynamic and diverse regions of the world. Opportunity and possibility? Limitless. Welcome to Urban Planning at UCLA.TRANSCRIPT
ImAgIneif you could CHANGE the way cities work.
MAstEr’s DEGrEE iN urbAN PlANNiNG
|Urban Planning
YOU CAn.
Welcome to Urban Planning at UCLA.
oPPortuNity AND Possibility? Limitless.
builD CitiEs, or rebuild cities, that are vibrant,
just, and sustainable. | EMPoWEr PEoPlE to
transform their communities, and themselves. |
iMMErsE yoursElF in the living laboratory
of Los Angeles: one of the most dynamic and
diverse regions of the world.
Building Cities and Regions, empowering Communities
Professional planners solve problems
at many scales: in neighborhoods,
cities, and large-scale regions.
Urban
the Urban Planning PrOFessiOn addresses the delivery and finance of public services, including
employment, transportation, housing, open space, the control of pollution and environmental
degradation, and the management of resources. Although the origins of the profession are in
urban design, civil engineering, and good government, urban planning has evolved into a broad,
integrative field concerned with the social and physical organization of society, where planners
address economic and social inequities within a cultural and environmental context.
The UCLA Advantagethe Ucla DePartment OF Urban Planning is at the intersectiOn of unique academic,
regional, geographic, and professional resources that create a learning environment unlike any
other. Los Angeles, one of the most culturally diverse and exciting urban settings in the world,
serves as a unique laboratory for faculty and students to study and solve urban issues and problems.
the wOrlD-class FacUlty in the DePartment—nationally and internationally recognized schol-
ars and leaders in community development, environmental planning, housing, land development,
regional and international development, transportation, and urban design—prepare master’s and
doctoral degree students to address the social, economic, and spatial relationships that shape
society. Students are prepared not only with cutting-edge skills in planning, but also to understand
and address deeper questions of planning—What qualities in society do we value most? What is
fair? Whose interests are to be served first?—and to help multiple stakeholders understand what is
at issue as they forward their own proposals.
Planning:
Degree Requirementsthe master’s Degree in Urban Planning is a twO-year, FUll-time PrOgram that is fully
accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a joint undertaking of the American Institute of
Certified Planners and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Master’s students must
complete a minimum of 72 units (18 courses), a minimum of 12 units in each of six quarters. All
master’s degree students are expected to take core courses in the history and processes of urban-
ization, the theories and histories of planning, applied micro-economics, quantitative analysis, and
applied research design. Professional development and field work are also important components
of the master’s program. In the second year, students must complete a thesis or applied planning
research capstone project (individually or as part of a group). Students also select one or more areas
of concentration from among:
• Community Housing and Development
• Design and Development
• Environmental Analysis and Policy
• Regional and International Development
• Transportation Policy and Planning
Practitioners and Change Agents:
Urban Planning StudentsUcla Urban Planning stUDents come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and are attracted to
the diversity and vitality of Los Angeles from across the country and around the world. They rep-
resent undergraduate education at top academic institutions such as Berkeley, Harvard, Michigan,
Oxford, and Stanford Universities and many bring professional experience from diverse industries
to the program.
the master’s Degree PrOgram attracts inDiviDUals with a strong interest in public service
who share a passion for changing the way cities and regions work. They come from a broad range
of undergraduate backgrounds including architecture, geography, sociology, political science, edu-
cation, and engineering. Typically, students who are accepted into the program have a minimum
of 3-5 years of work experience (for example in teaching, architectural practice, or community
development), although a select number of exceptional advanced students are accepted directly
from their undergraduate institutions.
sOcial welFare FacUlty.
The UCLA Urban Planning Department is consistently ranked as one
of the premier planning programs in the country, and its reputation is
built largely on the quality of the faculty—NAtioNAlly AND iNtErNA-
tioNAlly rECoGNizED rEsEArCHErs AND PrACtitioNErs in community
development and organizing, cultural studies and planning, economic
development, environmental policy, housing, international develop-
ment, labor policy, ethnic studies, rural development, social policy,
transportation, urban design, and urban and regional theory.
eric avila, Associate Professor, Ph.D., History, University of California, Berkeley.
The culture of cities; comparative U.S. urban history; 20th-century urbanism; history of
Los Angeles; racial identity and racialization; urban Latino/Chicano culture; the uses and
meanings of the urban built environment.
evelyn blumenberg, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles.
Urban poverty and low-wage labor markets; social policy and planning; social and economic
inequality; gender and planning; welfare and work; transportation and economic development.
stephen commins, Lecturer, Ph.D., Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles.
History of development planning and theory; regional economic development policies;
Non-Governmental Organizations; the World Bank; regional development banks; linkages
between globalization and local community decision making; complex humanitarian
emergencies; business policies and environmental systems.
Urban Planning FacUlty
randall crane, Professor, Ph.D., Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Urban development; environmental policy; housing; governance; basic environmental
services in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; land use/travel linkages; governance reform in
decentralizing nations; environmental indicators; public policies toward sprawl; and housing
and poverty in suburbia.
Dana cuff, Professor, Ph.D., Architecture, University of California, Berkeley.
Social production of the built environment; political context for design; social and cultural bases of
design; low-income housing and neighborhoods; urban design; community planning; critical
urban studies; qualitative methods; affordable housing, modernism, and the politics of place;
theory and history of property rights related to public housing and urban redevelopment.
matthew Drennan, Visiting Professor, Ph.D., Economics, New York University.
Urban economics; transformation of metropolitan economies; urban public finance; analysis of
economic effects of natural (tsunami) and unnatural (9/11) shocks to regional economies.
leobardo estrada, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Sociology, Florida State University.
Social planning; survey research; planning for multiple publics; demographic studies; geographic
informational systems.
carol goldstein, Lecturer, B.A., Environmental Design, Northwestern University.
Cultural policy, planning, funding, and facility development; public art; cultural bases for coalition-
building; infrastructure and resources for artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations; equity,
access and participation issues; arts administration/management.
gilda haas, Lecturer, M.A., Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles.
The right to the city, urban land reform, popular economics, and strategies for building effective
democratic organization.
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susanna hecht, Professor, Ph.D., Geography, UC Berkeley.
Environmental impact of resource-based and rural development; political economy of tropical rain
forest development; women in development; international development studies; international
environmental politics; environmental history; alternative agricultural production systems;
resources and resistance movements.
marie Kennedy, Visiting Professor, M. Arch., Harvard University.
Community development, planning education, participatory action research; developing racial and
cultural awareness in community planning and on participatory planning methodologies for
community empowerment; water politics and policies; Latin American social movements.
Jacqueline leavitt, Professor, Ph.D., Urban Planning, Columbia University.
Rethinking housing policy; community development; public housing; multiculturalism; women’s
needs; alternative planning and design for empowering grassroots groups. Special projects include
work with resident leaders in public housing; homelessness; meanings of home.
robin liggett, Professor, Ph.D., Operations Research, University of California, Los Angeles.
Quantitative methods; computer graphics and computer applications in architecture, urban design,
and urban planning; development of interactive computer software for aid to design and decision
making with special emphasis on facility layout.
anastasia loukaitou-sideris, Professor, Ph.D., Urban and Regional Planning, University of Southern California.
Public environment of the city; physical planning and urban design for different cultures;
privatization of public open space; development of land use policies and design guidelines for
commercial corridors; transit-based communities in Los Angeles and their effect on urbanization
and community rebuilding; issues of safety/security in inner city areas, and bus stop crime.
Urban Planning FacUlty
vinit mukhija, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Urban Development and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Housing and the built environment; planning institutions and governance; urban development and
physical planning; urban redevelopment; collective action and property rights; and comparative
policy and planning.
barbara nelson, Professor, Ph.D., Political Science, Ohio State University.
Conflict mediation in civil society; leadership, social policy, nonprofits; philanthropy, social
movements, and women and politics.
Paul Ong, Professor, Ph.D., Economics, University of California, Berkeley.
Race, ethnicity, and environmentalism; social inequality; urban labor markets; immigrants in the
urban economy; welfare and work; geographic information systems and transportation planning.
gary Orfield, Professor, Ph.D., Political Science, University of Chicago.
Educational policy as it relates to the challenges of urban schools; civil rights; urban policy and
minority opportunity.
neal richman, Lecturer, Ph.D., Development and Planning, University of Aalborg (Denmark).
Professional practice, real estate development and finance, affordable housing development,
non-profit development and management, community development and the new technologies.
Donald shoup, Professor, Ph.D., Economics, Yale University.
Public finance, urban economics, transportation, and land use; parking as a key link between
transportation and land use.
edward soja, Distinguished Professor, Ph.D., Geography, Syracuse University.
Critical urban and regional studies; interpretations of urban restructuring in Los Angeles; compara-
tive studies of regional restructuring in industrial societies; and spatiality and planning theory.
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michael a. stoll, Professor, Ph.D., Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Interplay of race/ethnicity, urban poverty and labor markets, urban economic development strategies.
michael storper, Professor, Ph.D., Geography, University of California, Berkeley.
The relationship between trade patterns and location patterns; regional development in the Brazilian
Northeast; evaluation of regional policy research for Directorate General XII of the European Union.
lois takahashi, Professor, Ph.D., Urban Planning, University of Southern California.
Social service delivery focusing on HIV/AIDS and homelessness; NIMBY/community opposition
toward human service facilities; social capital and health; social capital and environmental
management in Southeast Asian cities.
brian D. taylor, Professor and Chair, Ph.D., Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles.
Transportation policy, planning, and finance; politics of transportation finance including the history
of freeway finance and linking subsidies to public transit performance; equity in the finance of
transportation systems; transportation and urban form; planning for special populations including
the poor and the disabled.
chris tilly, Professor, Ph.D., Economics and Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology; Director, UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.
Work and labor markets; poverty and inequality; community and regional development; social
movements with a focus on the U.S. and Mexico, with some broader comparative work.
abel valenzuela, Professor, Ph.D., Urban and Regional Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
International migration; immigrants in the urban economy; causes and consequences of urban
poverty; welfare reform; social policy; race, ethnicity, and social inequality.
Urban Planning FacUlty
rui wang, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Public Policy, Harvard University.
Environmental policy; transportation policy; urban economics; Chinese urbanization.
goetz wolff, Lecturer, M.Phil, Political Science, Yale University.
Regional economic development; industrial restructuring and labor markets; Southern California
economy; policy-oriented industrial, spatial, and labor analysis; industry cluster/sectoral analysis
research methods; strategies for reducing inequality and increasing popular participation as an
integral part of economic development.
min Zhou, Professor, Ph.D., Sociology, State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany.
Immigrant neighborhoods in Los Angeles: Chinatown, Koreatown, and Pico Union; intra-Asian
migration: diverse patterns of human movements and the role of the state; race and ethnicity; the
community; urban sociology.
A growth Industry for Trained ProfessionalsUrban Planning graDUates are well prepared to take leadership roles and effect change as prac-
titioners, researchers, and policy makers. Students join a global network of alumni working in
the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The jobs that Urban Planning graduates take after
completing their degrees are as diverse and unique as they are, including: community planners,
housing developers, transportation consultants, and environmental analysts, to list a few.
Contact UsDepartment Information: (310) 825-4025 | Admissions Information: (310) 825-8957
Jennifer Crowe, Admissions Advisor | Robin McCallum, Graduate Advisor | Brian D. Taylor, Chair
Costs and Financial SupportstUDent sUPPOrt FUnDs at Ucla are PrOviDeD tO graDUate stUDents in the form of grants,
fellowships, traineeships, teaching assistantships, and graduate student researcher appointments.
Support based solely on need is also provided, in the form of work-study and loans, through the
Financial Aid Office. A student may receive both a departmental or Graduate Division award and an
award based solely on financial need if the need-based criteria are met.
The Financial Aid Office administers financial support based on need to domestic, full-time students.
To apply for financial aid, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the FAFSA
Renewal Application by march 2. Completion of the FAFSA/FAFSA Renewal Application is required
for all financial aid programs. Financial aid awards include long-term low interest loans and work
study funds. Students may also apply for Federal Stafford Student Loans, which are long-term loans
made by banks and other institutions.
FOr FUrther inFOrmatiOn On graDUate Financial sUPPOrt,
visit www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asis/entsup/finsup.htm
FOr inFOrmatiOn On Financial aiD, visit www.fao.ucla.edu
cUrrent Fee inFOrmatiOn may be accesseD Online at www.registrar.ucla.edu/fees
inFOrmatiOn anD DeaDlines
A complete schedule of information sessions, statement of purpose workshops, and
departmental open house events can be viewed online at www.publicaffairs.ucla.edu/up
Application Deadline: January 15
(Fellowship Consideration Deadline: December 15)
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Deadline: march 2
Department of Urban Planning
3250 School of Public Affairs Building, Box 951656, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656
www.publicaffairs.ucla.edu/up
About Urban Planning at The UCLA School Of Public Affairs“OUr gOal is tO change the wOrlD. Students who graduate from the public policy, social welfare,
and urban planning programs have the power to provide leadership, to effect remarkable changes
for people across economic and geographical boundaries, and to bring about long-term solutions for
the problems we face in our local and global communities. We’re here to create a better world—one
project, one job, one action at a time.” —Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., Dean, UCLA School of Public Affairs.
FOUnDeD in 1969, the Ucla DePartment OF Urban Planning has three distinct, interrelated
goals: to influence planning scholarship; to train practitioners for leadership roles in the planning
profession; and to build prosperous communities and a more just society. Urban Planning—offering
master’s and doctoral degree programs, as well as joint programs in law, business, Latin American
studies, and architecture—is one of the three departments of the UCLA School of Public Affairs.
Together with the departments of Social Welfare and Public Policy, this academic intersection that is
the UCLA School of Public Affairs allows for academic cross-collaboration and a graduate education
that values perspectives at the macro- and micro-organizational levels. Graduates of the master’s
degree and doctoral programs are well prepared to take leadership roles and effect change as
practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in the public, private, and nongovernmental sectors.