Requirements Summary

Credit Hours: 64 to 96 hours. At least 96 hours of graduate credit without a master’s degree. At least 64 hours of graduate credit after a master’s degree, no more than 32 of which can be thesis or independent study hours. A student with a master’s degree may be required to take more than 32 hours of coursework to fill gaps in preparation. Graduate credit is given only for courses at the 400-level (unless the Catalog or Course Schedule specifies undergraduate credit only) and 500-level.

Planning Theory: 4 to 8 hours. UP 580 Advanced Planning Theory (4 hours) and its prerequisite, UP 501 Planning History and Theory (4 hours), a master’s level course. Students who have taken a similar course in a Planning Accreditation Board approved program need not take UP 501. Students with planning degrees from other programs, including those abroad, or with other relevant backgrounds may petition for exemptions from UP 501 when they enter the program.

Research Methods and Design: 12 approved hours of research methods courses, typically including four hours in research design (selected from a set of examples or defined by faculty advisors). Student and advisor work closely together to design the sequence of courses that will best prepare the student for scholarly research in the chosen area of specialization.

Area of Specialization: 16 hours, consisting of 8 approved hours in Urban and Regional Planning at the 500 level to define the specialization (could be from list of examples or defined by faculty advisors) and 8 approved hours in theoretical frameworks, complementary fields, planning methods, or other courses that contribute to the student’s capacity for advanced research and teaching in their specialization. Faculty advisors and the Ph.D. Program Director provide guidance in selecting coherent sets of courses appropriate for individual students.

Qualifying Examination: A written and oral examination taken after completing the required coursework, but no later than one month after the end of the student’s fourth semester. The qualifying exam tests a student’s ability to integrate materials from the courses in planning theory, research methods and design, and the specialization and apply them to advanced research questions. It assesses whether a student is ready to participate in scholarly discussions, be admitted to candidacy, and be invited to submit a dissertation proposal.

Dissertation Proposal Defense/Preliminary Examination: The oral examination of the written proposal for dissertation research. Students must complete all non-thesis course and examination requirements and remove all excused and deferred grades (other than thesis courses) before the oral examination.

Dissertation Defense/Final Examination: The oral examination of the completed dissertation manuscript. Students must be registered for UP 599 Thesis Research in the semester of the examination and must deposit the final dissertation within the established deadlines.