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.A.), occupational and environmental health (M.S.), and civil and environmental engineering (B.S.). Information about all the above programs is available from the Planning Program Admissions Director. A transportation certification program is also offered.
While the requirements of each joint-degree options 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 admissions to Planning and to the other academic unit are required. 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.
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 piror notification.