Beginning usually in their second semester of the program, students develop an area of concentration by applying the concepts and skills developed in the core to a specific field of planning. The purpose of the area-of-concentration requirement is to ensure that the student develops depth in a particular substantive area of planning by mastering a set of elective courses that together constitute a coherent program of study in that area.
There are five areas of concentration supported by faculty and course offerings within the Planning Program: economic development; geographical information systems (GIS); housing and community development; land use and environmental planning; and transportation planning. Students electing a concentration in GIS must also have an area of concentration in one or more of the other focus areas. The course offerings and requirements for each area of concentration are described in the links above. Note that due to faculty leaves of absence and reduced teaching loads because of research projects and other circumstances, not all of the courses listed in the following sections dealing with areas of concentration will be given every year.
Students may design alternative areas of concentration, subject to faculty approval, or combine two areas. For example, students can design a concentration in health services planning with appropriate course work in the Departments of Health Management and Policy or Occupational and Environmental Health, or in human services planning with courses in the School of Social Work. For a list of possible alternatives, see the Alternative Areas page. Any of the areas of concentration generally supported could be combined, such as environmental combined with economic development planning, or transportation combined with housing and community development. It is emphasized that an area of concentration must be in a substantive field of planning; a concentration in a skill or research method, or in law, is not permitted, although course work in a particular method may be an appropriate component of the student's concentration. Plans for a specially designed alternative concentration must be presented by the advisor to the faculty in a faculty meeting and approved by the faculty, before the alternative is allowed to be in force.
International Theme
Some of the elective courses in the program have an international component. Moreover, Planning on occassion offers a seminar covering international planning issues, and a course in comparative aspects of planning. It is possible to register for summer courses in Rome, Italy through Iowa State University's College of Design. Other study abroad options are also possible. Three semester-hour credits from a a non-introductory level foreign language course may be taken as an elective.