Phase I: The Core Curriculum Required Courses
The core curriculum defines the intellectual foundation of the program. While
the program retains considerable flexibility in defining a research agenda
within the broad umbrella of urban and environmental planning and policy,
it provides a common foundation for all students to build upon. The following
are the core curriculum requirements. Students enter the program with a Masters
degree, in fields ranging from planning and public affairs to natural and
social sciences. Depending on the academic preparation of the student prior
to matriculation, the core requirements can be met within one to two years.
Previous coursework could be used as a basis to waive specific course requirements.
A course waiver can be obtained, if both the primary advisor of the student
and the Program Director approve it. Courses listed below that are aimed principally
at masters students will need to be supplemented to address more advanced
requirements for doctoral students, until such time as more advanced courses
can be offered.
Phase I requirements involve 5 courses, and should be completed during the first year, unless schedule conflicts make this infeasible. Courses from Phase II requirements may also be taken in the first year, to accelerate completion of the curriculum requirements.
Core Sequence
| URBDP 591 | Advanced Research Design | |
| UDBDP 592 | Advanced Planning Theory | |
| URBDP 593 | Interdisciplinary Urban Research Seminar |
Qualitative Research Methods
Choose one of the following, with potential for substitution of alternative courses at an equivalent or more advanced level:
| URBDP 598 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
| GEOG 425 | Qualitative Methodology in Geography | |
| HIST 598 | Methods of Historical Research | |
| HSERV 526 | Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health | |
| POL S 493 | Qualitative Research Methods |
Quantitative Research Methods
Choose one of the following, with potential for substitution of alternative courses at an equivalent or more advanced level:
| CS&SS 594C | Multivariate Data Analysis for Social Sciences | |
| CS&SS 504 | Applied Regression | |
| CEE 584 | Analytic Methods in Transportation |
Note: for students needing a refresher in mathematics, the following one-credit course would be a useful refresher before taking one of the courses above:
| CS&SS 505 | Review of Mathematics for Social Scientists |
| CS&SS 506 | Computer Environments for the Social Sciences |
The First-Year Paper
Objectives
The First Year Paper is a mechanism for early evaluation of students' progress in acquiring skills to conduct research, and their ability to make progress towards their Ph.D. after one year. It will be developed through the sequence of the first year course requirements and supervised by the student's first year advisory committee. It will provide students an opportunity to demonstrate the student's ability to formulate a research question, frame it within the theory, review the literature, develop a research design, and address critical issues of conceptualization and measurement through a review of the literature and/or pilot application.
Paper structure
The paper can take the form of a critical review of literature or a pilot research project on a selected topic. The first option emphasizes the ability of students to position their research question and methods. The latter can be based on either existing or newly acquired data to fit within the time constraints. In both cases the paper needs to consider aspects of both urban planning theory and research methods in urban design and planning. Phase one of the program will culminate with the acceptance of a paper. The paper is to help students in narrowing down their research area and preparing students for their general exam and to help them focus on the literature of interest. The paper is an opportunity for students to review in a critical fashion the key literature on specific subjects or domains that are likely to form the basis of their future research.
Students will identify a research question, synthesize the existing literature, and specify the objectives of the paper. In the first option (literature review papers), students will develop a systematic literature review and summarize the state of knowledge and current gaps in addressing the research question. In the second option (pilot data analysis), students will identify the data and methods that will be used to address the question and discuss the analytical results of the pilot application.
Product
The length of the paper is about 6000 words, excluding references, tables, and figures.
Time line and approval process
Students will submit an abstract for their first year paper to their first year advisor at the end of the first year winter quarter. Students will work with their advisor to develop a plan for completing the paper through the first two weeks of Spring quarter. A first draft of the paper will be presented to the advisor by the end of the spring quarter. Students will revise their paper based on the advisor's comments and submit the final paper by the end of summer.
Evaluation of Phase I
The
procedure for evaluation of Phase I work and the decision to advance a
student to Phase II will be based on a portfolio of the work completed
in required courses in Phase I that includes: