Joint Degree Programs
Various joint-degree options are available allowing students to earn a graduate degree in planning and a second degree in less time than would be required to obtain the two degrees independently. This is because courses for one degree are considered as elective credit for the other degree program. Formalized joint-degree options have been established in law (J.D.), social work (M.S.W.), health management and policy (M.H.A.), occupational and environmental health (M.S.), and civil and environmental engineering (B.S.). Information about all the above programs is available from our Admissions Coordinator. A transportation certification program is also offered.
While the requirements of each joint-degree option vary somewhat, all have several key features in common. In each case a student must complete an approved area of concentration in Planning, satisfy Planning's final examination requirement, and take at least a minimum of 35 hours of planning (102-prefix) courses. While courses in other programs can sometimes be substituted for planning core courses, this does not reduce the 35-hour requirement. Separate applications for admission to Planning and to the other academic unit are required. When applying to each unit, please indicate on the form that you are applying for a joint degree program with Planning and the other unit. It should be pointed out that work in the other academic unit does not, in and of itself, necessarily constitute a valid area of concentration (e.g., "law" is not a concentration, although an environmental law course may be part of an environmental concentration).
It is possible to receive a master's degree in planning in conjunction with a graduate degree in another discipline, even when an official joint-degree program does not exist. One example would be a joint degree in Journalism or Public Health. University policy requires that prior administrative approval be granted, and a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate credit be completed to receive two master's degrees. However, courses taken to satisfy one unit's requirements also may be applied to meet the other unit's requirements. Each unit's degree requirements must be met in any case. See the Graduate College Manual, section X. G.
If a student is already admitted to another academic unit, and he or she is assigned formally to that unit, the student should request that both the unit and Planning write letters to the Graduate College approving the student's pursuit of two master's degrees and exchange letters between departments. At a time when the majority of coursework is in Planning, the student should file a Change of Status form with the Graduate Admissions Office, to be formally assigned to Planning.
If the student is first admitted to Planning and subsequently desires to obtain a second master's degree in addition to one in Planning, letters from both academic units should be sent to the Graduate College, as above and exchanged between departments. A Change of Status form should be filed at the time the student completes his or her coursework in Planning. Doing so will enable the student to be formally assigned to the other academic unit. If the student plans to complete all degree requirements in the Planning Program and in the other academic unit simultaneously, no Change of Status form should be filed.
As a member of a joint degree program, students will pay only one program's tuition; the greater of the two programs' tuition costs. This sometimes means that the student will pay higher tuition for urban and regional planning courses than they would if they were pursuing that degree only. However, this is compensated for by the fact that students will complete two degrees in one less year and therefore pay one less year of tuition.
Specific features of the formalized joint-degree programs are available at the links below. The student should verify the most recent joint-degree requirements with the department of interest, because courses and requirements in other departments are subject to change with little prior notification.