Overview
The program consists of three years of undergraduate study and two years of graduate study.
The total number of credits for the BA-Urban Studies is 120 and the total number of credits for the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) is 48 credits. The Accelerated Master of Urban Planning will utilize 9 forward-shared and 21 backward-shared credits.
- Forward-shared courses are taken at the graduate level while the student is in their undergraduate career, and may be applied to the MUP in Urban Planning upon admission into the Graduate School. In accordance with existing Graduate School policy, students must earn a B or higher in the course (B- is not acceptable). See the Benchmark area for all approved Urban Studies U/G courses.
- Backward-shared courses are taken at the graduate level while the student is in their graduate career, and may be applied to the BA in Urban Studies upon completion of the course. This includes all approved Urban Planning graduate courses.
Advising
The Urban Studies Associate Director/Undergraduate Studies Coordinator will be responsible for advising students in the accelerated BA in Urban Studies/Master of Urban Planning.
The Urban Planning Graduate Advisor will be responsible for tracking and advising graduate students applying to and admitted by the Graduate School as part of the accelerated BA in Urban Studies/Master of Urban Planning.
Admission to the professional phase of the Master of Urban Planning is selective and occurs in December-January of the junior (3rd) year. Students should apply by December 15th to be considered for funding and priority registration.
Students who do not satisfactorily meet admissions criteria for the Master of Urban Planning may continue with their BA undergraduate degree in Urban Studies.
Advancement to Major/Admission
Undergraduate Requirements
Interested students must meet with an academic advisor to determine eligibility for the accelerated graduate degree. The Accelerated Master of Urban Planning requires students meet the following criteria:
- Minimum UWM cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
- Completion of all General Education Requirements (GER).
- Junior standing.
- Declaration of major in Urban Studies with the intent to apply for the Accelerated Master of Urban Planning degree.
Students must meet these requirements before taking any graduate (G) level classes as an undergraduate student.
Approved enrollment into graduate level course work during an undergraduate career does not guarantee admission to the Master of Urban Planning as part of the accelerated Master of Urban Planning program. These courses fulfill requirements for the BA in Urban Studies, regardless of acceptance into Graduate School.
Graduate Admissions Requirements
Admission to the professional phase of the Master of Urban Planning is selective and occurs in December-January of the junior (3rd) year. To be considered for admission into the Graduate School prior to completing their bachelor's degree, a student must meet the criteria for admission established by the MUP and the UWM Graduate School, and be in progress to complete 99 bachelor's credits prior to their first term as a graduate student. In addition, admission to the MUP requires:
- A cumulative UWM grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
- Three letters of recommendation.
Double Counted Courses
This accelerated graduate degree program involves the following bachelor's and master's degrees: Urban Studies (USP), BA and Urban Planning MUP. There are 9 forward-shared credits and 21 backward-shared credits for a total of 30 shared credits.
Eligible Forward-shared Courses
Courses must be taken at the graduate (G) level and will count toward the MUP graduate requirement, and will also fulfill the Urban Studies major requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses approved for forward sharing | ||
| AFRIC 300G | Urban Violence | 3 |
| AFRIC 319G | African American Urban History | 3 |
| GEOG 441G | Geography of Cities and Metropolitan Areas | 3 |
| GEOG 443G | Cities of the World: Comparative Urban Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 464G | Environmental Problems | 3 |
| GEOG 520G | Physical Geography of the City | 3 |
| GEOG 540G | Globalization and the City | 3 |
| GEOG 564G | Urban Environmental Change and Social Justice | 3 |
| GEOG 826 | Intermediate Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| HIST 450G | The History of Milwaukee | 3 |
| HIST 463G | History of the American City | 3 |
| POL SCI 450G | Urban Political Problems | 3 |
| POL SCI 452G | Administrative Law | 3 |
| URB STD 450G | Urban Growth and Development: A Global View | 3 |
Eligible Backward-shared Courses
These courses fulfill College of Letters & Sciences (L&S) electives for the undergraduate degree (a maximum of 30 credits outside of L&S may be counted toward the L&S BA).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses approved for backward sharing | ||
| URBPLAN 701 | Introduction to Land Use Planning | 1 |
| URBPLAN 702 | Introduction to Planning Law | 2 |
| URBPLAN 711 | Planning Theories and Practice | 3 |
| URBPLAN 720 | Urban Development Theory and Planning | 3 |
| URBPLAN 721 | Applied Planning Methods | 3 |
| URBPLAN 740 | Data Analysis Methods I | 3 |
| URBPLAN 810 | Planning Policy Analysis | 6 |