Assessing the State of Undergraduate Education in Urban Planning
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Charisma Acey Christopher Auffrey Tim Chapin Ann Forsyth Jerry Mitchell Pomona Alice Novak Urbana-Champaign David Sloane, Chair Assessing the State of Undergraduate Education in Urban Planning Report of the Undergraduate Task Force to the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning November 2013 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Niebanck Commission, 1990 .................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Are We in a Changing Environment? ................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 ACSP Mission to the Task Force ................................................................................................................... 5 1.2.2 Task Force Activities ............................................................................................................................................. 5 2. The State of Undergraduate Planning Education ..................................................................................................... 6 2.1 A Scan of the Field ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Surveying ACSP Member Programs ..................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Sample .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Survey Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 10 2.3 Programs with Undergraduate Programs ...................................................................................................... 10 2.3.1 Degrees and Their Content ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.3.2 Progressive Degrees ......................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.3 Graduates and Graduate School ............................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Programs without Undergraduate Programs ............................................................................................... 12 3. A Typology of Undergraduate Activities ....................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Programs with Majors and Minors ..................................................................................................................... 13 3.1.1 Comprehensive Programs .............................................................................................................................. 13 3.1.2 Masters-Focused Programs with Undergraduate Degrees ....................................................... 13 3.1.3 Undergraduate Focused Programs .......................................................................................................... 15 3.1.4 Faculty Profiles of the Programs with Majors and Minors ........................................................ 15 3.1.5 PAB Accreditation ................................................................................................................................................ 15 3.1.6 Program Components ....................................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Programs with Limited Undergraduate Offerings ..................................................................................... 17 3.2.1 Institutional Profiles of Programs without a Degree Program ............................................... 17 3.2.2 PAB Accreditation ................................................................................................................................................ 17 3.2.3 Program Components ....................................................................................................................................... 18 4. Findings and Next Steps ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 4.1 Continuity and Change .............................................................................................................................................. 19 4.1.1 A Stable Environment ....................................................................................................................................... 19 4.1.2 The Potential for Change ................................................................................................................................ 19 4.2 Models for Expansion ................................................................................................................................................ 19 4.2.1 A Fluid Reality ........................................................................................................................................................ 19 4.3 Next Steps for ACSP ................................................................................................................................................... 20 4.3.1 Is the Political Environment a Factor? .................................................................................................. 20 4.3.2 What Could, Should ACSP Do? ................................................................................................................... 20 5. Endnotes and References .................................................................................................................................................... 22 5.1 Endnotes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 22 5.2 References ........................................................................................................................................................................ 22 6. Appendix A: Survey Instruments ...................................................................................................................................... 23 6.1 Survey 1 .............................................................................................................................................................................. 23 6.2 Survey 2 .............................................................................................................................................................................. 25 Assessing the State of Undergraduate Education in Urban Planning List of Figures and Tables Figure 1: Eight Combinations of Planning Elements ..................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Common Structural Characteristics of Undergraduate Planning Programs ............................. 4 Figure 3: North American Planning Programs by Department ............................................................................... 6 Figure 4: In What Unit are Planning Programs Housed? .................................................................................... 9 Figure 5: Planning Programs by Origin Decade............................................................................................................... 10 Figure 6: Minor Names by Number of Programs ................................................................................................... 11 Figure 7: Major Names by Number of Programs ................................................................................................... 14 Table 1: Summary of Planning Programs Over Time ................................................................................ 7 Table 2: Full-Time Enrollment in PAB Bachelor's Programs ............................................................... 8 Table 3: Required and Offered Selected Courses, Degree Programs ..................................... 16 Table 4: Required and Offered Selected Courses, Non-Degree Programs ............................ 18 Acknowledgements Assessing the State of Undergraduate Education in Urban Planning 1. Introduction In April 1990, a group of distinguished planning scholars presented a report on the state of undergraduate planning education to ACSP that argued planning educators “must encourage undergraduates to consider professional careers in planning” (Niebanck, et al 1990: 3). The Niebanck Report, as the Commission on graduate programs. tool (through Blackboard and other technological aides), and, of course, through the growth of CAD, GIS and other technologies that are informing practice. undergraduate offerings, and their perceptions regarding undergraduate planning education. 2. ACSP should help PAB better publicize the differences in the accreditation guidelines for graduate and undergraduate programs. Assessing