Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning
Arlington, USA
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request the earliest start date
TUITION FEES
USD 65,700 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* after scholarship
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, societies face new and complex challenges arising from intense economic pressure, increased inequality, and environmental degradation. Beyond a traditional role of guiding land use and development projects, contemporary urban planners are responsible for promoting more competitive, inclusive, and ecological cities. Moreover, they are increasingly responsible for addressing the dominant challenge of the 21st Century: anthropogenic climate change.
In our master’s degree in Sustainable Urban Planning, you will study cities through the lens of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The program’s world-class faculty delivers state of the art courses, personalized mentoring, and firsthand insight on projects they have conducted in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. By working with them and your peers – inside of the classroom, and out – you’ll learn how to leverage knowledge of cities into forward-looking policy and action for advancing the goals of societies across the globe.
The Sustainable Urban Planning Master’s Degree is accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). This is a high academic standard that recognizes professional planning programs in North America on the basis of performance, integrity, and quality. Successful completion of this program may reduce the time required to become certified through the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Program at a Glance
- The 48-credit program can be completed in as little as two years.
- We offer a cross-disciplinary curriculum in urban planning with an emphasis on sustainability and combating climate change.
Where You'll Study
You’ll take your classes on weekday evenings at the Graduate Education Center in Arlington, Virginia.
What You'll Study
Our 48 credit master’s program consists of a core curriculum of ten courses and a capstone, plus your choice of five electives. In the program, you will study cities through the lens of economic, social, and environmental sustainability – thereby gaining a skill set for promoting more competitive, inclusive, and ecological cities. The program has a unique focus on anthropogenic climate change, which is addressed throughout the entire curriculum.
Who You'll Study With
- The Sustainable Urban Planning Program is distinguished by the fact that nearly all of its faculty are based external to the George Washington University, in governmental, nongovernmental, and private sector agencies. This unique aspect of the program means that students learn from practitioners working at the leading edge of their respective fields - and have access to extensive professional networks within the Washington, D.C. region and beyond.
- Most faculty teach at least two classes, meaning that students have the opportunity to work with them repeatedly, and all serve as individual mentors for capstone projects and professional development. Our faculty model - coupled with our emphasis on the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental sustainability - forms a rarefied educational environment engineered to place our students and graduates at the forefront of the planning profession.
- In the Sustainable Urban Planning Program, you'll work with the following faculty - any of whom may serve as your primary academic advisor(s) and professional mentor(s).
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
Core Curriculum
Offered Each Fall Semester:
- PSUS 6201: Principles of Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning is an introductory planning history and theory course that examines the “triple bottom line” of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. It is a reading- and discussion-intensive seminar wherein students actively debate the concept of sustainability with the goal of forming their own ideas about its meaning and implications. Instructor: Andrew Bernish, AICP.
- PSUS 6202: Urban and Environmental Economics is concerned with the application of neoclassical economics to problems faced by practitioners of the field of sustainable urban and regional planning. It develops a set of analytical methods for understanding urban and environmental challenges and their solutions; urban growth; environmental quality; public policy; and more. Instructor: Elizabeth Gearin, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6203: Research Methods: Geospatial and Econometric Analysis is focused on developing proficiency in geographic information systems (GIS) and econometric analysis, a method of statistical analysis for measuring the relationships at work in socioeconomic phenomena. The course teaches how to build an analyze spatial datasets, specifically using ArcGIS and Stata. Instructor: Mesbah Motamed, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6212: Sustainable Communities I: Housing and Design addresses community development with special attention given to the policy arena and the various sectors of interest that impact contemporary urbanization. Along the way, a number of special topics - including water supply, food deserts, public health, urban resilience, and more - are introduced. Instructor: John Thomas, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6230: Studio in Sustainable Urban Planning is an applied course, trained on the nexus of urban design and neighborhood health impact assessment. It addresses both new and existing urban environments and is grounded in pragmatic approaches to real-world problem solving. Instructor: Sandra Whitehead, Ph.D.
Offered Each Spring Semester:
- PSUS 6204: Legal Frameworks: Public Health, Safety, and Welfare addresses the legal environment in which planners operate. The course gives detailed attention to the implementation of innovative design techniques, urban adaptation strategies, and public-private partnerships. Instructor: Sandra Whitehead, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6210: Transportation Planning in City Systems is about transportation planning with long-run goals, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in mind. It delineates the role of planning - at local and regional scales - within the broader frame of transportation engineering and provides a basis for engaging in this increasingly complex and interdisciplinary dimension of urbanization. Instructor: John Thomas, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6211: Regional Development and Agricultural Economics explores the economics of land use patterns and land development processes in the United States and elsewhere in the world. It also provides an introduction to the field of agricultural economics and examines food deserts and other food-related problems relevant to the field of sustainable urban planning. Instructor: Mesbah Motamed, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6220: Planning Resilient and Low-Carbon Cities is a course with an international perspective on urban planning for - and in - a warmer future, brought about by climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions. It is taught with reference to the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and considers how urbanization around the world must adapt to the reality of global warming and its consequences. Instructor: Anthony Bigio.
- PSUS 6221: The Scientific Basis of Climate Change introduces the science that underlies climate change policy and decision making. It is a course designed for non-scientists that provides a rigorous treatment of earth systems, climate change projections, the need for mitigation, and impact assessment. Instructor: Rachael Jonassen, Ph.D.
The Capstone is Offered Every Semester:
- PSUS 6233: Capstone. The Capstone forms a final project completed by each student taking the MPS in Sustainable Urban Planning. It is individualized in nature and is intended to demonstrate a rounded mastery of knowledge and skills gained in the program. The capstone is conducted under the supervision of a selected faculty mentor.
Electives
Choose 15 credits of electives from these courses. All courses are 3 credits.
Offered in the Fall Semester:
- PSUS 6228: Parks and Public Facilities Planning teaches students relevant, applicable skills in urban park planning. The course consists of readings and analysis, guest lectures and case study evaluation with student presentations. In addition, students will produce a park assessment and concept plan for a local park and present findings to invited professionals. Instructor: Eliza Voigt, AICP
- PSUS 6224: Sustainable Energy for Cities and the Environment addresses resource management, renewable energy technologies, and vulnerabilities of existing urban structures, particularly the energy grid. It presents the implications of - and solutions to - energy-related problems faced by cities in an era of anthropogenic climate change. Instructor: Scott Sklar
- PSUS 6222: Climate Change Economics is concerned with the application of neoclassical economics, primarily microeconomics, to the problem of anthropogenic climate change. Case studies are used to identify vulnerabilities to climate change and/or other stresses - plus prospective solutions - within a particular region. Instructor: SUP Faculty
Offered in the Spring Semester:
- PSUS 6223: Sustainable Communities II: Tools for Assessment and Transformation builds on PSUS 6212 by further detailing the theory and tools relevant to the assessment and transformation of neighborhood and communities. Emphasis is placed on understanding the context of planning, including: the fundamental drivers of urban and regional form and the formation of placed-based policy. Instructor: Matthew Dalbey, Ph.D.
These Self-Paced Classes are Offered Every Semester:
- PSUS 6213: Advanced Research Methods: Individual Mentoring enables students in to work one-on-one, with a faculty mentor of their choice, on a project of joint design. Individual work plans will vary from project-to-project because they are intended to be student-specific. Instructor: SUP Faculty
- PSUS 6231: Practicum is a vehicle for students to gain internship experience and is used, primarily under three circumstances: (i) when a student wants to receive course credit for an internship, especially if that internship is unpaid; (ii) when the host agency requires that the student be enrolled for course credit; and (iii) in cases where students (especially foreign students) can only work under the auspices of a practicum course. Instructor: SUP Faculty
These Classes are Offered at Regular Intervals, in the Summer Semester:
- PSUS 6214: Food and Cities examines agricultural systems, food production, consumption, and trade, and their links to urbanization, city growth, and public health, through lenses of history, technology, economic theory, geography, and public policy. The course explores the roles that food plays in the lives of urban inhabitants, and in shaping the urban landscape, and the role of cities in determining the geography, sustainability, and business of agriculture. Instructor: Mesbah Motamed, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6215: Urban Health Impact Assessment focuses on the connection between public health and place, with an eye toward planning history and current theories on the relationship between the built environment and quality of life. It addresses the key health issues in planning and related fields and how to incorporate them into the planning and design processes. Instructor: Sandra Whitehead, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6216: Megacities in a Globalized World is concerned with the rise of megacities and their role in an increasingly globalized world. It is an advanced, research-oriented seminar requiring that students identify, analyze, and recommend ways of addressing region-specific vulnerabilities stemming from human ecology. Instructor: SUP Faculty
- PSUS 6218: Urban Growth and Affordability addresses real estate economics, with a particular emphasis on land markets and affordable housing. It focuses specifically on the spatial outcome of economic development and the relationship between growth and sustainable urban planning. Instructor: Elizabeth Gearin, Ph.D.
- PSUS 6227: Critical Infrastructure for Cities and Regions focuses on the existing risk profile of energy, water, telecom/internet, and other critical infrastructure. It identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that these systems pose for urbanization in the United States and worldwide. Instructor: Scott Sklar
Additional Course Offerings:
- PSUS 6235: Advanced Topics
- PSUS 6236: International Studio
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Where Our Alumni Work
Our alumni serve in positions that lead change like sustainability officer, director of equity, community engagement manager and long range planner. Here are just some of the field’s top organizations where SUP graduates are advancing their exciting careers:
Think Tanks & NGOs
- Urban Land Institute
- Trust for Public Land
- Nature Conservancy
- UN Habitat - UNHCR
- China Fortune Land Development
- The World Bank
- Asian Development Bank
Local and regional governments
- DC DOT
- DC Southwest Business Improvement District
- Fairfax County
- Top of Alabama Regional Planning Council
Federal government
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- U.S. Department of State
- US AID
- US EPA Sustainable Communities Program
Consulting
- ICF, International
- Michael Baker International
- Gannett Fleming, Inc.
- Ian Thomas Group
- Island Press
- HKF Group
English Language Requirements
Certify your English proficiency with PTE. The faster, fairer, simpler English test, accepted by thousands of universities around the world. PTE, Do it worry-free!