The 21st century will see most of us living in urban areas. As a result, policymakers will need creative solutions to the economic, social, environmental and political challenges facing cities, within the context of a complex and integrated global economy. Students in the Master of Urban & Regional Policy program analyze and develop real-world solutions to these challenges, be they in housing, energy and transportation, resource sustainability, civil infrastructure, or economic opportunity. Through this program you will become part of the next generation of experts and leaders dedicated to creating livable and sustainable cities everywhere.
The Program’s uniqueness is its strong emphasis on a curriculum integrating theoretical thinking on sustainability and urban development with a “research toolkit” spanning an array of cutting-edge analytical techniques and methodologies.
Begun in 2009, MURP is premised on the need for urban policy analysts and practitioners to better understand two critical issues about the 21st century metropolitan area: (1) the opportunities and challenges for cities and suburbs of being part of a fully globalized economy and (2) the opportunities and challenges for sustainability in a world of dwindling resources and environmental constraints. These challenges require more integrated approaches, and new kinds of urban policy experts and leaders.
MURP Competency Model
Curriculum Overview
The Master of Science in Urban and Regional Policy degree requires successful completion of 42 semester hours (SH). Full-time students can expect to complete the degree over two academic years (including summer). Part-time students typically complete the degree in three years. The 42 semester hours (usually 14 courses) consists of 27 semester hours in nine required courses, referred to as the MURP Core, and 15 semester hours in five elective courses. All classes are offered in the evening to accommodate working students.
Information accurate as of October 2012. Requirements and policies subject to change. For up-to-date information, contact Louis DaRos at l.daros@neu.edu or visit the official graduate catalogue at www.northeastern.edu/registrar/catgrad1213.pdf .
Core Courses
The following courses are required of all MURP students:
- LPSC 6313 – Introduction to Economic Analysis for Law, Policy and Planning (3 SH)
- LPSC 7311 – Strategizing Public Policy (3 SH)
- POLS 7202 – Quantitative Techniques (3 SH)
- POLS 7315 – Urban Development and Politics (3 SH)
- POLS 7318 – Techniques of Program Evaluation (3 SH)
- PPUA 6201 – The Twenty-First Century City: Urban Opportunities and Challenges in a Global Context (3 SH)
- PPUA 6205 – Research Design and Methodology in Urban and Regional Policy (3 SH)
- PPUA 7673 – Capstone in Urban and Regional Policy (3 SH)
Research Toolkits: Students are required to take three modules of their choice.
- PPUA 6206 – Research Toolkit: Geographic Information Systems (1 SH)
- PPUA 6207 – Research Toolkit: Survey Techniques (1 SH)
- PPUA 6208 – Research Toolkit: Qualitative Techniques (1 SH)
- PPUA 6209 – Research Toolkit: Working with Datasets (1 SH)
- PPUA 6210 – Research Toolkit: Cost/Benefit Analysis (1 SH)
- PPUA 6211 – Research Toolkit: Using STATA (1 SH)
- PPUA 6212 – Research Toolkit: Project Management (1 SH)
MURP 2012 Core Course Descriptions
Electives
Students can take up to 15 SH in electives drawn from a list of approved offerings covering a range of topic and focus areas, including: environment and transportation; local and regional economic development; housing, education and workforce development; public finance; sustainability and urban design; urban health and social welfare. Sample elective courses include:
- PPUA 6215 – Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy (3 SH)
- PPUA 6966 – Practicum: Co-Creating sustainable Cities (3 SH)
- PPUA 7230 – Housing Policy (3 SH)
- PPUA 7231 – Transportation Policy (3 SH)
- PPUA 7232 – Immigration and Urban America (3 SH)
- PPUA 7233 – Contemporary Community Development (3 SH)
- PPUA 7234 – Land Use & Urban Growth Policy (3 SH)
- PPUA 7235 – Urban and Regional Policy and Planning in Developing Countries (3 SH)
- PHTH 6208 – Urban Community Health Assessment (3 SH)
- POLS 7203 – Techniques of Policy Analysis (3 SH)
- POLS 7308 – Management of Nonprofit Organizations (3 SH)
- POLS 7316 – State and Local Budgeting (3 SH)
- POLS 7321 – Health Policy and Politics (3 SH)
- POLS 7324 – Problems in Metropolitan Policymaking (3 SH)
- POLS 7330 – Education Policy in the United States (3 SH)
- POLS 7331 – Environmental Policy and Politics (3 SH)
- LPSC 7312 – Cities, Sustainability, and Climate Change (3 SH)
To look up detailed descriptions of all courses in the University’s online catalogue, please click here.
Sample Schedules
Internship Requirement
The professional internship provides MURP students with a supervised work experience in the field that they would like to enter. It is usually completed during the summer between the two academic years and can be taken for-credit or not-for-credit. The MURP Internship Coordinator meets with students to help identify and arrange an appropriate internship. Examples of recent internships include:
- Boston Department of Neighborhood Development
- Grand Aspirations
- MA Department of Energy Resources
- MA Department of Environmental Protection
- MA Department of Transportation
- MA General Court, Joint Committee on Education
- Mass Alliance
- MassINC
- Raising a Reader
- Sustainability Guild International
- United for a Fair Economy
- Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
- Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development
