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Home >> Degree Programs >>Master’s Degree Program | |
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Master’s Degree Program
The Master's of Science in Planning (MSP) degree is the professional degree of most planners in the United States. The more than 900 MSP graduates from our program since its inception in 1965 work in 40 states and 23 foreign countries, with the largest proportion working in Florida. A full description of the MSP program is available through the department’s Graduate Guide which can be sent to U.S. applicants on request. We are unable to send the Graduate Guide to international applicants until they are admitted. This web page and its links present the essential information contained in the Graduate Guide. The MSP Degree Requirements and Offerings The principal aim of the MSP program is to train students for professional careers in planning, allowing them to function in both generalist and specialist roles. The MSP degree is normally obtained after two years of full time study, involving the completion of at least 48 semester hours of course work and 400 hours of work as a planning intern. Part-time students can also be accommodated. Course work is organized into the following curriculum components:
Beginning in their second semester of study, students choose a planning specialty from the following list, in which they take a minimum of four additional courses. Dual specializations are possible.
All students complete a zero-credit 10 week full-time (or part-time equivalent) internship in a planning or planning related agency. This may be a paid or unpaid position; in practice, however, they are usually paid. The intent of the internship is to give students a unique learning opportunity, allowing them to put many of the concepts and methods learned in the classroom into practice in a realistic professional setting. The internship also serves to help students focus their interest area and course work for the remainder of their studies, and provides a maturity gained from relevant work experience. Typically, the internship is completed during the summer between the first and second year of study. Many students, however, fulfill this requirement through part-time employment during the school year. While securing an internship is primarily the responsibility of the student, the Department provides substantial aid in locating a position and in insuring that the work experience is relevant and appropriate to the student's program of study. The large number of public and private planning agencies within the Tallahassee area, and the strong ties that the Department maintains with these agencies, help to insure that students will locate an interesting and rewarding position. A partial list of area agencies that are likely to employ planning students is provided elsewhere in this catalog. However, students are not limited to the local area alone for a position. See a list of recent internship placements. The capstone research paper, project, or thesis is designed to give students an opportunity to pursue a particular topic in depth and in an integrated fashion before assuming professional employment. All students are required to successfully complete and defend a paper, project or thesis. Registration for any one of these options is available only to students who, at a minimum, have successfully completed their first year of full time study (or its equivalent), and who have chosen a specialization and Major Professor. The intent is to insure that these options are available only to students who have completed the core and introductory specialty courses. Studio Project: Students work in small groups on a project that relates to an important planning issue or problem. Topics vary, but all have significant practical importance and provide a substantial public service to a client. The topic(s) for the studio are announced prior to the start of a semester, and students registering for this option may be required to begin preliminary work in this course in this prior semester. This helps to ensure that students have sufficient background for the particular topic. Students not participating in this early study period can enter the course only by special permission of the instructor. At a minimum, three hours of credit are required for this option; students should register for URP 5311: Advanced Planning Problems. View a list of recent Studio Projects. Research Paper: Students may elect to pursue a topic of particular interest related to their area of specialization or concentration on an individual basis. This may involve empirical or library research, and is conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisory committee. This committee is composed of the student's Major Professor and at least one other member of the Department faculty. Students considering this option should begin discussion of procedures and appropriate topics with their Major Professor by the beginning of their last year to ensure that they have sufficient time in which to prepare a proposal and to complete their research. Students must register for URP 5910: Directed Individual Research, each semester in which they work on a Research Paper. At least three hours of such credit are required. Master's Thesis: The thesis is a more extensive research effort than the Research Paper option. Although not required to show original results, the thesis must reveal independent investigation and knowledge of the methods of scholarship. A supervisory committee consisting of three faculty, including a member from outside the Department, is required. Students should consult with the Master's Program Director concerning committee composition, since certain restrictions apply. Students interested in this option also should consult with their Major Professor well before the beginning of their last year and should register for URP 5971: Master's Thesis for at least 6 credit hours. Students must register for at least one hour of URP 5971 during each semester in which they work on the thesis including the semester in which they defend the thesis. Students should also register for URP 8976: Master's Thesis Defense during the semester in which they plan to defend their research. These components of the master's program can be organized into a "typical" curriculum as follows: Fall, First Year: URP 5101 (core); URP 5211 (core); URP 5211 (core); URP 5847 (core); specialty instruction; Spring, First Year: URP 5125 (core); URP 5261 (core); specialty course or elective; URP 5930 (0 hours). Summer: Internship. Fall, Second Year: URP 5222 (core); 2 specialty or elective courses; capstone or specialty course. Spring, Second Year: 3 specialty or elective courses; capstone or specialty course. Speaker Series: Professionals and scholars active in innovative or controversial planning projects describe their work in a speaker series. M.S.P. students are encouraged to attend this series throughout their tenure at Florida State. They are required to attend for two semesters, however, and should register for URP5930: Professional Topics in Urban and Regional Planning for each of their first two semesters of study. For information on admission to the MSP Program, click here.
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