M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy

Proposed Curriculum Changes—September, 2002

Rationale

During the past five years the faculty members of the Urban Affairs Program have become increasingly aware that the current structure of the M.A. degree possesses certain shortcomings that may compromise student learning and preparation for professional futures. With this in mind, the Urban Affairs faculty agreed in March 2001 to conduct an internal review of the M.A. degree program. During its April 2001 meeting, the faculty identified the following goals for the review:

1. To clarify our outcomes regarding the knowledge, skills and abilities of our students;
2. To help students to maximize their knowledge, skills and abilities;
3. To identify and address problem areas in the core and concentrations;
4. To develop a shared consciousness and understanding of what we are doing within our program;
5. To maximize the efficient use of resources;
6. To improve the quality of work life for faculty, staff and students in the program.

To accomplish these goals, a specific work plan was developed that called for an “internal scan” of the program. The scan consisted of: 1) a survey of students in the Masters program during the Spring term, 2001; 2) a survey (conducted by the UD Graduate Office) of alumni from 1995-2001; 3) preparation of profiles of comparable degree programs; 4) concentration-specific sub-committee reviews; 5) content analysis of core courses; and 6) solicitation of current student views by student representatives. The results of these multiple inputs were discussed during a series of faculty meetings from September, 2001 through September, 2002.

Ultimately the Urban Affairs faculty concluded that the Masters degree program had succeeded in providing considerable flexibility to students in structuring their academic experience. However, that same flexibility has created a less than consistent educational experience for program students. The faculty believes that certain core knowledge is needed by all students and should be required. Therefore, specific changes in core requirements and substitution policies are needed. At the same time, the faculty acknowledges (and student surveys report) that within the degree concentrations, students are not always able to acquire the breadth and depth of learning to prepare them appropriately for related professional roles. With this concern in mind, changes to the M.A. concentrations are proposed. In conjunction with discussions of current concentrations, the faculty considered a proposal for a new concentration in Urban and Regional Planning. Previous proposals for such a concentration had been considered in years past. Concerns raised regarding student demand, potential student funding, and availability of necessary faculty resources were discussed and resolved to the satisfaction of the faculty. A new concentration is being proposed in this area. One additional policy change is proposed to require students to attain a grade of B- or better in all degree courses.

The proposed revisions to the Masters in Urban Affairs and Public Policy are summarized in the attached pages.

M.A. in Urban Affairs & Public Policy

Current Degree Requirements

1.Overall degree requirements

36 total credits

-------------------

15 core credits

12 concentration credits

3-6 credits of analytical paper or thesis

6-9 credits of electives

2.Core requirements (15 credits)

Two of these courses:

UAPP 800 Research Design and Methodologies (3 credits)

UAPP 815 Public Management Statistics (3 cr)

UAPP 816 Advanced Social Statistics (3cr)

And

These courses*:

UAPP 613 Planning Theory and Urban Policy (3credits)

UAPP 628 Issues in Land Use and Environmental Planning (3 credits)

UAPP 828 Urban Analysis and Policy Alternatives (3 credits)

*Students may substitute one of the concentration seminars (UAPP 607: Seminar in Community Development & Nonprofit Leadership; UAPP 625 Energy Policy & Administration; or UAPP 629 Seminar in Historic Preservation) for one of the required theory/analysis courses (UAPP 613,628,828).

Proposed Changes

1.Overall degree requirements

36 total credits

-------------------

12 core credits

12-18 concentration credits

3-6 credits of analytical paper or thesis

6-9 credits of electives

2.Core requirements (12 credits)

UAPP 619 Contemporary Issues in Urban Affairs (to be revised; currently 1 credit will become 2 credit course)

UAPP 800 Research Methods & Data Analysis (to be revised; currently 3 credit; would get new title and lab to become 4 credits)

And

Two of the following courses (6 cr.):

UAPP 613 Planning Theory and Urban Policy (3 credits)

UAPP 628 Issues in Land Use and Environmental Planning (3 credits)

UAPP 828 Urban Analysis and Policy Alternatives (3 credits)

(*Course to be renamed Urban Society and Urban Policy)

CURRENT

Community Development and Nonprofit Leadership Concentration(12 cr)

UAPP 607 Community Dev. And Nonprofit Leadership Seminar (3)

And three of the following courses:

UAPP 606 Local Economic Development: Policy and Practice

UAPP 608 Poverty, Neighborhoods and Community Development

UAPP 612 Urban Housing Policy and Administration

UAPP 840 Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector

UAPP 868 Research in Community Development

And Nonprofit Leadership

UAPP 870 Readings in Community Development and Nonprofit Leadership

PROPOSED CHANGES

Community Development and Nonprofit Leadership Concentration(12 cr)

To facilitate student interests that may be more focused on one of the two subject areas of this concentration, and to provide more explicit guidance to students who are new to the subject areas, the faculty proposes the delineation of two “focus areas.”

Community Development Focus Area

UAPP 607 Community Dev. And Nonprofit Leadership Seminar (revised-1cr)

UAPP 667 Community Development Theory, Concepts and Practice (3)

UAPP 608 Poverty, Neighborhoods, and Community Development (3)

And

Electives (5 credits from approved list)

Nonprofit Leadership Focus Area

UAPP 607 Community Dev. And Nonprofit Leadership Seminar (revised-1cr)

UAPP 840 History and Dev. Of the Nonprofit Sector (3cr)

UAPP 841 Management and Gov. of Nonprofit Organizations (3)

And

Electives (5 credits from approved list)

CURRENT

Energy and Environmental Policy concentration (12 CREDITS):

UAPP/POSC 625 Energy Policy and Administration (3 cr)

UAPP/POSC 818 Environmental Policy and Administration(3CR)

And at least two of the following (6 cr):

UAPP 626 Conservation and Renewable Energy Policy

ECON/MAST 676 Environmental Economics

ECON 670/MAST 672 Applied Policy Analysis (for environmental policies)

MAST 873 Marine Policy Seminar

UAPP 648 Environmental Ethics

UAPP 810 Political Economy of the Environment

UAPP 821 Technology, Environment and Society Seminar

UAPP 868 Research in Energy and Environmental Policy

UAPP 870 Readings in Energy and Environmental Policy

PROPOSED CHANGES

Energy and Environmental Policy concentration (15 CREDITS):

The concentration in Energy and Environmental Policy is being modified to better serve the needs of students who hope to work within this field by giving them increased opportunities to acquire critical knowledge and skills required by professional roles. Specifically, the changes increase opportunities for student exposure to coursework in GIS, qualitative methods and environmental economics, and expand electives to allow for more individualized options.

One of the following area seminars:

Theory and Analysis

UAPP 625 Energy Policy & Administration (3 credits)

UAPP 810 Political Economy of the Environment (3 credits)

At least one 3-credit course from: (Substitutions may be granted with the permission of the faculty advisor).

EEP Methods Group

ECON 801 Microeconomic Theory

FREC 682 Spatial Anal.of Nat. Resources

GEOG672Geographic Information Systems

MAST 667DecisionToolsforPolicy Analysis

MAST/GEOG681 Remote Sensing of Envir.

POSC 801-Research Design for Political and Policy Sciences

SOCI 614 Data Analysis

UAPP/POSC801-Processesof Social Inquiry

UAPP/POSC815-Public Man. Statistics

UAPP/POSC816-Advanced Social Statistics

At least three 3-credit courses from:

EEP Policy Analysis Group:

ECON 670/MAST 672 AppliedPolicy Analysis (for environmental policies)

ECON/MAST676Environmental Economics

GEOG/UAPP622 Resources,Envir.& Dev.

GEOG 649 Environment and Society

MAST 622 Conservation/Renewable Energy Policy

POSC/UAPP818 Environmental Policy /Admin.

UAPP611 Regional Watershed Management

UAPP 625 Energy Policy/Admin.

Proposed Changes –Energy and Environmental Policy Concentration (continued)

EEP Policy Analysis Group (continued):

UAPP 648 Environmental Ethics

UAPP666 Problems of Energy & Environmental Justice

UAPP 666-Topics in Energy Policy

UAPP 666-Topics in Environmental Policy

UAPP 666-Topics in Sustainable Dev.

UAPP 810-Political Economy of the Environment*

UAPP 867Electricity Policy and Planning

UAPP868Research on Energy & Environmental Justice

UAPP 868 Research on Sustainable Energy Strategies

UAPP868 Research on Environmental Governance

UAPP868 Research on Sustainable Development

UAPP870Readingsin Energy/Environmental Justice

UAPP/PHIL 870Readings in Environmental Ethics (advanced level)

UAPP 870Readings in Energy Economics

UAPP 870Readings in Political Economy of Energy & Environment

UAPP870Readings in Sustainable Development

*UAPP 625 or UAPP 810 may be taken to fulfill the EEP Policy Analysis Group requirement if either is not selected to complete the Theory & Analysis Core requirement (section II above). Three credits for an internship may be counted to fulfill the EEP Policy Analysis Group requirement. No course can be double-counted to meet multiple requirements of the MA degree. Students have the option of taking one additional course in the EEP Methods or Policy Analysis Group to complete their 5-course concentration requirement. Substitutions may be granted with the permission of the faculty advisor

CURRENT

Historic Preservation -- Concentration Requirements (12 credits)

Theory/Methods

UAPP/HIST/MSST 629 Seminar in Historic Preservation

UAPP 630 Historic Preservation Studio (offered every other year)

One of the following courses in Architectural History:

UAPP/ARTH/HIST 654 Vernacular Architecture

ARTH 631 Studies in American Architecture of the Colonial and Federal Periods

ARTH 633 Studies in Nineteenth-Century American Architecture

MSST 805 Historic Properties

And one of the following in Evolution of Landscapes & the Urban Built Environment

UAPP/HIST 632 Making the American City (offered every other year)

GEOG 625 The Internal Structure of the City

UAPP/GEOG/HIST635 Evolution of the American Urban Landscape

UAPP/ARTH 667 Research Seminar on Preservation (offered every other year)

PROPOSED CHANGES

Historic Preservation concentration requirements (18 credits)

The Historic Preservation Concentration has been modified to incorporate historic strengths of HP faculty and work in the Center for Historic Architecture and Design, to incorporate the increasing emphasis in the field on landscapes, to broaden the offerings in architectural and landscape analysis, and to incorporate methodological advances in GIS-- which has become an essential tool for analyzing historic landscapes.

Theory/Methods (9 credits)

UAPP/HIST/MSST 629 Seminar in Historic Preservation (3 credits)

UAPP 630 Methods in Historic Preservation (4 credits)

UAPP 623 Introduction to GIS (1 credit)

UAPP 667 Documenting Historic Structures (1 credit)

Architectural and landscape analysis and interpretation electives (6 credits)

UAPP/HIST 654 Vernacular Architecture

ARTH 667 Townhouse

HRIM/UAPP 627 Roadside Architecture

HIST 667 Architectural Interiors

ARTH Colonial & Early American Architecture

ARTH Late 19th Century American Architecture

UAPP Directed Readings or Research

ARTH Arts/Architecture of Pennsylvania Germans

MSST 805 Historical Properties

UAPP/HIST/ARTH 667 Analysis and Interpretation of Historic Landscapes

HIST 667 American Vernacular Landscapes

UAPP 667 GIS and Public Policy

(Other related courses with the approval of the student’s advisor)

Additional Approved Electives (3 credits)

PROPOSED NEW CONCENTRATION

Rationale for Urban and Regional Planning Concentration

Urban and regional planning has resurged in the past decade as nearly all public policy issues have taken on a geographical dimension. As the scale of development has expanded as reflected in patterns such a sprawl, the need for regional and state wide planning channel and influence growth has increased. At the same time, urban and town planning has grown in importance as all localities are required and want to undertake local planning to assure the quality of their living environment and their place in the state and region.

The demand for planners has grown dramatically in recent years in Delaware and throughout fast-growing regions of the country, especially in suburban and exurban areas. The nature of the current curriculum in the SUAPP and the applied project work of our affiliated Centers make this an ideal context to train planners.

The concentration in urban and regional planning builds on the core curriculum of the Masters in urban and affairs and public policy, to provide students with the concepts and technical skills to undertake planning in a variety of situations. It elevates the profile of our current specialization in urban and regional planning, one that has graduated planners from our program for several years.

Concentration in Urban and Regional Planning (15 credits)

Description

The concentration in urban and regional planning focuses on the role of land use and the built environment in obtaining a range of planning goals within municipal, metropolitan and regional contexts. Emphasizing the spatial structure of development, students are provided with a comprehensive framework for analyzing and planning for a range of issues related to land use including comprehensive planning, sustainable urban design, community development, transportation, environmental planning, historic preservation, and growth management.

The planning concentration provides graduates with a generalist background for working in various contexts including metropolitan areas, smaller cities, older inner suburbs, small towns, and the larger suburban and rural areas experiencing sprawl. Students can also study thematic crosscutting issues ranging from transportation to telecommunications, from inner city community development to agricultural preservation. These topics and themes reflects the planning interests and work of the faculty and research and public service centers affiliated with the Graduate Program in Urban Affairs and Public Policy.

All students in the urban and regional planning concentration have the opportunity to work on planning projects ranging from state to regional to local and neighborhood levels through Research and Public Service Centers such as CHAD, CEEP, CCRS, and IPA.

The student develops expertise in urban and regional planning through 15 credits of course work.

Students must take:

The third course from the requirements in the core UAPP 613, 629, or 828 (3 credits)

UAPP 667 – 1, 2, and 3. Planning Methods (3cr. Total)

· Measuring and Defining Planning Problems (1 credit)

· Introduction to Comprehensive Planning (1 credit)

· Introduction to Zoning and Land Use Controls (1 credit)

UAPP 667: GIS and Public Policy (3cr)

Electives to support student’s topical planning interest (6 credits) selected in consultation with their adviser.

Additional Policy Changes to Masters and PhD Degree Regulations

Minimum Grades in Degree Courses and Minimum Grade Point Average

Masters Degree

Currently the grade average policy of the Masters in Urban Affairs and Public Policy reads: “All candidates for the M.A. degree are expected to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative index out of a possible 4.0” (SUAPP Graduate Student Handbook, 1999, p. 9).

We propose the following change: All students are required to attain a grade of B- or better in all courses counted towards the Masters degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. In accordance with University policy, students must also maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

PhD Degree

Currently the grade average policy of the PhD in Urban Affairs and Public Policy reads: “In accordance with University policy, all students must maintain a minimum cumulative index of 3.0 in course work and seminars” (SUAPP Graduate Student Handbook, 1999, p.10).

We propose the following change: All students are required to attain a grade of B- or better in all courses counted towards the PhD degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. In accordance with University policy, students must also maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Urban Affairs Faculty by Margaret Wilder, Director of the Urban Affairs and Public Policy Program, September 25, 2002