Program Admission
Admission standards and procedures
Minimum requirements for consideration:
- Applicant must possess a bachelor’s degree. Transcripts are required for review.
- Applicant must have earned an acceptable grade point average, typically a minimum of 2.7 on a scale of 4.0. The department may make exceptions for students whose overall GPA does not adequately reflect their ability to succeed.
- Applicant must demonstrate an appropriate motivation for studying City and Regional Planning and articulate appropriate career and/or community aspirations through a personal statement.
Meeting the minimum department standards does not entitle an applicant to admission. Meeting such standards only insures consideration of the application.
Application procedures:
Applicants must apply using the University’s standard online Graduate Degree Application for Master’s programs. In the application portal, select “City and Regional Planning” as the “Course of Study.”
Applicants will be prompted to upload the following material:
- A personal statement (500 words) describing related background, career objectives and interest in studying planning at the University of Memphis.
- Current resume
- Undergraduate transcript(s)
Applicants who wish to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship are required to provide 2 letters of reference from former professors and/or employers.
International applicants should review the Graduate School’s additional application requirements regarding English proficiency and transcript evaluations. International applicants whose highest degree is from a program conducted in English and whose transcripts are on a 4.0 scale will not be required to have transcripts evaluated by a credentialing agency.
The University’s deadline for Fall admission is July 1. In order to receive full consideration for Graduate Assistantships, application must be received by March 1.
The University’s deadline for Spring admission is December 1. (Graduate Assistantships are not typically available for student beginning their studies in the Spring semester.)
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Program Prerequisite
Students are accepted from all undergraduate disciplines and professional areas; however, the department determines if students must do remedial work. Some credit may be granted by the department for remedial work if obtained at the graduate level after entering the program.
Program Requirements
The student is required to complete a minimum of 48 semester hours comprising the following:
The eighteen (18) to twenty-one (21) hours of electives allow the student to extend basic knowledge gained in the core curriculum and can include such subjects as economic development planning, urban design, land use and transportation planning, planning information systems, housing, community development planning, planning law, social justice, sustainability, and environmental planning.
Students have two options for meeting the Terminal Project requirement: an individual capstone research option or a group studio option.
Terminal Project Option 1. Students who wish to pursue individual research can complete a 3-hour Capstone Project, submitted as a written report and orally defended, as a terminal experience designed to demonstrate mastery of planning process and substance.
Terminal Project Option 2. Students seeking more community engagement opportunities and experience in field-work and group development of planning policies and interventions can complete two additional studio courses for a total of six (6) hours from among PLAN 7801 Design Collaborative Studio or PLAN 7007 - Project Planning Studio .
A comprehensive examination must be successfully completed by the end of the semester in which the student expects to graduate.
Transfer of Credits
The Director may recommend to the Graduate School credit for planning course-work successfully completed at other institutions but not to exceed 12 semester hours. For those students formerly enrolled in graduate planning programs accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a maximum of 24 hours in planning course-work may be approved. Credit previously earned at another institution must be presented for evaluation not later than the end of the student’s second semester of enrollment.
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