Admissions and Degree Requirements
Admission Requirements
Prospective students must have a bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university. Although Fall semester admission is recommended to take advantage of the scheduled sequence of courses, Spring and Summer admissions are also possible. International students must have a minimum 550 TOEFL score.
Students must apply for admission to the Graduate College of the University of Oklahoma. The application form can be obtained online at the Graduate College's website.
In addition to the formal application, students must submit an essay outlining their career goals and interest in the University of Oklahoma's MRCP degree. Three letters of recommendation area also required. The essay and letters should be sent directly to the Graduate Liaison at:
Graduate Liaison
Division of Regional and City Planning
College of Architecture
University of Oklahoma
205 Carnegie Building,
Norman, OK 73019
Degree Requirements
The Master of Regional and City Planning requires two years of full-time graduate student. The heart of the planning degree is found in the 29-credit core curriculum that covers planning theories, models, and skills. Students choose to complete the degree through either (1) undertaking an approved concentration and passing a comprehensive exam or (2) writing a thesis. Applications are accepted throughout the year. Students may enroll part-time, although the degree cannot be completed solely in the evenings. The available concentrations are:
Core Courses (29 credits)
5013 History and Theory of Regional and City Planning
5113 Research Methods
5213 Principles and Practices of Regional and City Planning
5203 Urban Land Use Controls
5173 Urban and Regional Analysis
5513 Subdivision Planning
5525 Comprehensive Planning Studio (5 credits)
5353 Public Budgeting and Finance
5053 P
lanning Management
Concentration Electives
Non-thesis students matriculating after Fall 2002 are required to have at least three courses in one of the following areas or to file for faculty approval of a petition concentration.
Transportation Planning
5483 Urban and Regional Transportation Planning
5373 Transportation Economics
5463 Public Mass Transportation
5493 Transportation and Land Development
5423 Transportation Politics and Policy
Economic and Community Development
5033 Sociology of Housing
5723 Community Development and Revitalization
5713 Urban Economic Development Planning
5733 Real Estate Development in Planning
5853 World Economic Development
5823 Rural and Regional Planning
5990.026 Historic Preservation*
Urban Design
5633 Urban Design Analytics
5663 Sustainable Urban Design
6643 Urban Design Theory
6653 Urban Design Seminar
5990.026 Historic Preservation*
Electives
4003/5003 Global Cities and Planning Issues
5463 Geographic Information Systems
5813 Environmental Planning Methods
5863 Environmental Impact Assessment
5960 Directed Readings [1-6 credits]
5980 Master Thesis [1-4 credits] *The Graduate College will accept no more then 4 thesis credits toward the Masters degree
5990 Special Topics
6520 Field Studies/Internship [1-6 credits]
Other elective courses
5033 Sociology of Housing (RCPL/Soc.)
5823 Rural and Regional Planning (RCPL)
5853 World Economic Development (Econ*)
Notes: Cross listing departments shown in parentheses. An asterisk (*) indicates another academic unit staffs the course.
For the Non-Thesis Comprehensive Exam option (total 50 hrs), minimum of 21 hours are required. For the Thesis option (total 48 hrs), minimum of 15 hours are required, not including RCPL 5980 Research for Master’s Thesis (4 hrs.). Detailed descriptions of all RCPL courses can be found in the University Catalog.
Recommended Course Sequence
Master of Regional and City Planning
Typical Non-Thesis Comprehensive Exam Course Schedule
| Fall Year 1 |
Spring Year 1 |
Summer | Fall Year 2 |
Spring Year 2 |
| RCPL 5013 History & Theory of Urban Planning.(3 credit hours) |
RCPL 5203 Urban Land Use Controls. (3 credit hours) | RCPL 6520b Field Studies (6 credit hours.) | RCPL 5525c Comprehensive Regional & City Planning (5 credit hours) |
RCPL 5053 Planning Management (3 credit hours) |
| RCPL 5113a Research Methods. (3 credit hours) |
RCPL 5173 Urban & Regional Analysis (3 credit hours) | RCPL 5353 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 credit hours) |
Concentration Elective (3 credit hours) | |
| RCPL 5213 Principles & Practices of Urban Planning. (3 credit hours) |
RCPL 5513 Subdivision and PUD Planning (3 credit hours) |
Concentration Elective (3 credit hours) |
Elective (3 credit hours) | |
| Elective ( 3 credit hours) | Concentration Elective ( 3 credit hours) | Elective (3 credit hours) |
aPrerequisite for RCPL 5173. Students who have taken two semesters of undergraduate statistics or an equivalent course may substitute an elective.
bRCPL 6520 is an internship. Credit hours vary from one to six hours depending on the hours worked. This course may not be repeated.
cPrerequisites: RCPL 5213, RCPL 5173.
Students usually take comprehensive exam during the semester in which they graduate.
Check out OU On-Line Enrollment or Desire2LEarn to see additional course offerings and availability information by semester.
Degree Options: Comprehensive Exam or Thesis?
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM: Requires a minimum 50 credit hours, including 29 credits in the core curriculum, 9 credits (three courses) in an approved concentration, and a comprehensive exam usually taken in the semester of graduation. The established concentrations are Economic and Community Development, Transportation Planning, and Urban Design. Students may also petition the faculty for an individualized concentration. Petition concentrations should be approved by the end of the first year of study.
THESIS: Requires a minimum of 48 credit hours, including 29 credits in the core curriculum, and 4 thesis credits. A thesis is the product of individual research. It should represent an original contribution to the academic field of knowledge; and it must represent original research by the student. Students considering a thesis should discuss their ideas with faculty members sometime during their first year of study.
Dual Degree Programs
The University of Oklahoma allows students to earn two graduate degrees at the same time with an approximate 20% reduction in the amount of semester hours required to earn each degree separately. Popular dual degree pairing with the MRCP degree include MBA, MLA, MARCH, and juris doctorate from the OU School of Law. Talk to a Graduate Advisor in Graduate College of the Graduate Liaison in Regional and City Planning for details.