Community and Regional Planning

Learning Goals

• Graduates of the program will apply knowledge of the purpose and history of planning to analyze contemporary planning issues and scholarship.
• Graduates of the program will utilize planning theory, ethics, and the ideas of equity and social justice to make sound ethical judgments and develop more effective planning processes.
• Graduates of the program will demonstrate a working knowledge of planning law and local government institutions regarding how plans and policies are developed and implemented.
• Graduates of the program will be able to evaluate a planning process; critically analyze how social, cultural, and economic forces influence land use changes; be able to create alternative scenarios for the future; and have experience applying these ideas through active learning and real life experiences.
• Graduates of the program will have a working knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative methods and demonstrate their ability to apply these methods to planning problems.
• Graduates of the program will engage communities, identify a range of tools that can be applied to different situations, and demonstrate their ability to expand participation, ensure inclusion, and give voice to diverse stakeholders.
• Graduates of the program will demonstrate professional written, oral and visual communication skills utilizing multiple forms of media within a variety of educational and community settings.
• Graduates of the program will demonstrate their knowledge and ability to create sustainable and resilient communities within a changing world.
• Graduates of the program will demonstrate their ability to make strategic decisions, evaluate projects, and analyze policies.
• Graduates of the program will conduct, in teams or independently, research that analyzes and evaluates a planning issue and proposes new ideas or potential solutions.