PROPOSAL
Certificate
Program in
Community and Urban Planning
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND PLANNING
UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO
Samuel
Aryeetey-Attoh
Christopher
Shove
Department
of Geography and Planning
February
10, 2003
The University of Toledo
Undergraduate
Certificate Program Information Sheet
College(s) Arts and
Sciences_______________________________
Department(s) ________Geography
and Planning__________________________
Name of Certificate Program ____Community
and Urban Planning___________
Contact Person ________Samuel
Aryeetey-Attoh__________________________
Date Approved _______________________ Date Implemented ___________
Number of Undergraduate Credits (minimum of
12, maximum of 15) ___15___
Part of Undergraduate Program ___X___ YES _______ NO
Stand Alone Program ___X___ YES _______ NO
Is the Program Offered in conjunction with
other colleges? If yes, please list
____No_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Is the Program Offered in conjunction with
departments? If yes, please list
___There are a few course electives
from Political Science and Public Administration,_______ Economics, and
Sociology and Anthropology. The proposal has been submitted to the chair of
each department for
review._____________________________________________________
Describe the academic focus
of the proposed academic program and the potential clientele.
The goal of the Geography
and Planning Department (GEPL) is to offer an undergraduate level certificate
in urban planning to meet the demand for entry-level community and urban
planners in Ohio. The program proposed is designed to provide
students with the opportunity to develop talent in planning theory, planning
analysis, design, communication, and small work group skills.
The program will strengthen ties with the
community, the urban planning profession through student internships,
workshops, service-learning opportunities, and individual or group research and
study projects addressing community concerns.
The potential clientele
will include practicing planners, public administrators, professionals in
related fields (engineering, architecture, public policy, law) and people
interested in working in the planning field. Also for planning commissioners,
city council members and other decision-makers and community activists wanting
to improve their knowledge of community and urban planning.
What
impact will the certificate program have on existing degree programs?
We propose to provide an
educational extension to students specializing in the community and urban
planning track of our undergraduate degree program by helping them gain
additional skills in urban design, planning theory, and planning analysis which
they can add to their existing knowledge base. This program is not intended to
replace or compete with any other academic units; instead it is designed to
broaden students’ educational experience and to complement knowledge and skills
already acquired from geography and other academic disciplines. As a result,
students will acquire additional professional skills in community and urban
planning that will enhance their competitiveness in the job market. We see this
as a positive impact for existing degree programs and as a means to broaden the
educational experience. We also see this certificate program as a means to
attract working professional people to the university who may not necessarily
be interested in seeking an additional traditional degree, but rather seek to
gain additional knowledge and skills in this growth area.
Complete the next portion only if your
certificate program has an external certifying accrediting body. (NA).
What agency
__________________________________________________________
Does this body set standards for
accreditation of the program? ________________
Is there a review process/site visit?
________________________________________
Does this body set standards for awarding of
the certificate to students? _________
APPROVALS
Department(s)
___________________________________________ Date________
Colleges(s)
______________________________________________ Date________
Arts and Science Council
__________________________________ Date________
The Community and Urban Planning Certificate PROGRAM
IN GEOGRAPHY AND PLANNING
Introduction
The certificate program in
community and urban planning is designed for undergraduate students, practicing
planners, public administrators, professionals in related fields (engineering,
architecture, public policy, law) and people interested in working in the
planning field. Also for planning commissioners, city council members and other
decision-makers and community activists wanting to improve their knowledge of
community and urban planning. Planning is
an applied science that involves decision-making, the location of land use, and
determining the future development of our communities. Community and Urban
Planners address issues that are critical to all living beings, such as,
neighborhood revitalization, economic development planning, urban sprawl,
environmental planning, resource management, land use conflict, population
growth, and local, regional and world development. The certificate program
proposed is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop talent in planning
theory, planning analysis, design, communication, and small work group skills.
GOAL
The
goal of the Geography and Planning Department (GEPL) is to offer an
undergraduate level certificate in urban planning to meet the demand for
entry-level community and urban planners in Ohio. The certificate could be a precursor to offering an accredited
B.A. in Community and Urban Planning.
The Planning Accreditation Board accredits urban planning degrees and
while the requirements are not onerous, there are requirements to meet. We believe that it is prudent to evolve a
curriculum to those standards prior to going through an accreditation
review. However, we may have a better
chance at accreditation if we incrementally evolve the undergraduate program
from simple course offerings, to a certificate in community and urban planning,
and finally a B.A. in community and urban planning.
A majority of our students elect to emphasize
community and urban planning in their geography curriculum. The urban planning certificate initiative
provides a means to give our students a formal recognition of their community
and urban planning emphasis. The
certificate will provide documented proof for students to give to employers of
their urban planning knowledge.
Another goal is to strengthen ties between the
community, the urban planning profession, and the program by student
internships, workshops, service-learning opportunities, and individual or group
research and study projects addressing community concerns.
The job outlook according to the U.S.
Occupational Outlook 2003 is as follows.
“Employment of urban and regional planners is expected to grow about
as fast as the average for all occupations through 2010. Employment growth will
be driven by the need for State and local governments to provide public
services such as regulation of commercial development, the environment,
transportation, housing, and land use and development. Nongovernmental
initiatives dealing with historic preservation and redevelopment will provide
additional openings. Some job openings also will arise from the need to replace
experienced planners who transfer to other occupations, retire, or leave the
labor force for other reasons.
Most new jobs for urban and regional planners
will arise in more affluent, rapidly expanding communities. Local governments
need planners to address an array of problems associated with population
growth. For example, new housing developments require roads, sewer systems,
fire stations, schools, libraries, and recreation facilities that must be
planned while considering budgetary constraints. Small town chambers of
commerce, economic development authorities, and tourism bureaus may hire
planners, preferring candidates with some background in marketing and public
relations.
Median annual earnings of urban and regional planners were $46,500 in
2000. The middle 50 percent earned between $36,510 and $57,900. The lowest 10 percent
earned less than $29,890, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $72,090.
Median annual earnings in local government, the industry employing the largest
numbers of urban and regional planners, were $45,300.
Urban and regional planners held about 30,000 jobs in 2000. About 7 out
of 10 were employed by local governments.”
According to the American Planning Association the demand for urban planners is growing as revealed in job ad trends. The American planning Association points out that vacancies are growing because urban planners are finding more employment avenues such as in consulting, real estate development firms, and private firms. Simultaneously, as supply has remained constant and demand grown, the wages for urban planners has increased.
|
Total Number of: |
1995-1996 |
1996-1997 |
1997-1998 |
|
Employers |
596 |
658 |
716 |
|
Internships |
36 |
21 |
24 |
|
Entry-Level Jobs |
35 |
45 |
49 |
|
Professional Positions |
628 |
686 |
751 |
|
All Positions |
699 |
752 |
824 |
Source:
American Planning Association 2003.
Locally
there are many employment opportunities for our students and many are currently
placed in paid internships in numerous organizations.
Growing
demand and higher wage requirements has forced many employers to seek lower
cost entry-level urban planners with a bachelor’s degree instead of the typical
masters degree in urban planning. From
our experience of recent graduates over the past ten years salary expectations
of master’s students start around $28,000 per year with most expecting offers
in the $30’s or $40’s. Indeed,
well-prepared students have been given starting salaries of $48,000.
The
salary expectations of graduate students have surpassed the amount of what many
small towns can afford. So there is a demand
that could be filled by undergraduate students.
According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational
Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition, Urban and Regional Planners, on the
Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm “In 2001, about 80 colleges
and universities offered an accredited master's degree program, and about 10
offered an accredited bachelor's degree program in urban or regional
planning.” Consequently, UT GEPL is
proposing a program with significant demand and few competing programs.
Students pursuing
the Certificate Program in Community and Urban Planning must take a total of
fifteen (15) credit hours of course work. Students are required to take one
core course in the list of core courses. The remaining credit hours can be
selected from the list of elective courses in geography and planning and from
other social science departments.
Core
Courses (Select One):
GEPL 4530 PRINCIPLES OF URBAN
PLANNING
GEPL 4210 LAND USE PLANNING
Elective Courses in Geography
and Planning (select two):
GEPL 3750 TRANSPORTATION
GEOGRAPHY
GEPL 3900 ENVIRONMENTAL
PLANNING
GEPL 4180 GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
GEPL 4510 GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
GEPL 4550 COMMUNITY ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
GEPL 4570 LAND DEVELOPMENT
AND PLANNING
GEPL 4600 URBAN DESIGN
Elective
Courses in Social Sciences (Select any two) Some courses require prerequisites:
AFST 3490 ECONOMIC HISTORY OF
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
ANTH 2800 CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
ARTH 2300 INTRODUCTION TO
ARCHITECTURE
GEPL 3460 GEOGRAPHY OF
HOUSING
GEPL 3650 INDUSTRIAL
GEOGRAPHY
GEPL 3710 URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
GEPL 3750 TRANSPORTATION
GEOGRAPHY
GEPL 3900 ENVIRONMENTAL
PLANNING
GEPL 4180 GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
GEPL 4510 GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
GEPL 4550 COMMUNITY ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
GEPL 4570 LAND DEVELOPMENT
AND PLANNING
GEPL 4600 URBAN DESIGN
ECON 3600 URBAN ECONOMICS
ECON 3620 TOLEDO AREA ECONOMY
ECON 4620 REGIONAL ECONOMICS
PSC 3310 MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
PSC 3420 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
PSC 4320 URBAN POLICY AND
ADMINISTRATION
PSC 4360 ETHICS IN PUBLIC
POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
SOC 1750 SOCIAL PROBLEMS
SOC 2410 COMMUNITIES
SOC 4450 SOCIOLOGY OF CITIES
SOC 4100 COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
AND DEVELOPMENT
The certificate program in community and urban
planning is open to undergraduate students, public administrators, professionals in related
fields (engineering, architecture, public policy, law) and people interested in
working in the planning field. Also for public officials, planning
commissioners, city council members and other decision-makers and community
activists wanting to improve their knowledge of community and urban planning.
For more information or admissions materials,
contact:
Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of Geography and Planning
University of Toledo