Be a Terp, my friend. You can get a degree in community planning from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a specialization in transportation planning. Lots of opportunity for crossover courses with the school of public policy, too.

by ERC on Sep 4, 2009 1:57 pm • link • report

I just started at Virginia Tech's extension program in Old Town Alexandria, and so far, I love it.
http://www.nvc.vt.edu/uap/index.html

by darren on Sep 4, 2009 2:09 pm • link • report

Leo,
I'm one of GGW's transporation contributors. I recently got my degree in Community Planning (focus in transportation planning) from the University of Maryland, College Park.

But there are plenty of good programs out there. If you're not tied to any one region in particular, graduate school can be a great way to find a new home.

Personally, I think the city is more important than the program, but finding the right professors is helpful too.

In the Washington area there are planning programs at:
The University of Maryland, College Park
Virginia Tech - Northern Virginia (Alexandria)
Catholic University (Brookland, DC)
Morgan State University (Baltimore)

Other programs that I think are worth a look, especially for transportation are UC Berkeley, Portland State, University of Illinois-Urbana, and Georgia Tech.

Good luck. Choosing a graduate school is hard work. I strongly advise visiting your candidate schools and meeting with professors ahead of time. If you can, try and talk to students as well.

by Matt Johnson on Sep 4, 2009 2:13 pm • link • report

What's the curriculum like? I'm pretty good at learning from textbooks. Currently reading through Vucic's "Transit operations management and economics".

by Michael Perkins on Sep 4, 2009 2:18 pm • link • report

Like Darren, I too just began the program at VT. (Hi Darren, - we met during orientation!)

The school is important and I lump them into 3 tiers - those with national/international reputation, regional schools and those you don't want to go to. But, with that said, who you are and what you do is more important (i.e. you make your own path).

The school just opens doors. My first graduate degree was a good regional school and I've got a lot of connections in that region now but being 3,000 miles away from there isn't helping me much.

My recommendation is to go to the absolute best school you can afford/get in to. We're lucky in the DC region to have so many good programs and non-school opportunities to read/study/learn/observe urbanism and transit.

~EZ

by EZ on Sep 4, 2009 3:13 pm • link • report

If you are interested in more of the architectural side of planning, then look to University of Miami (Florida) or Notre Dame. I'm an ND grad and the focus on new urban design is top notch there.

by Boots on Sep 4, 2009 3:16 pm • link • report

If you can get in/afford it, go to a top tier school. If no, figure out where you want to live and go to a school near there. Much of your course work will use real world examples from the area and you can forge future employment connections.

by Lynn Stevens on Sep 4, 2009 3:25 pm • link • report

In terms of top-tier schools, I think the names you'll hear the most from planners are: MIT, Berkeley, UPenn, UNC, Cornell, and Harvard. I also tend to hear good things about Georgia Tech and one of those Southern California schools - I think UCLA.

It's important not just to go on reputation, though. Take a look at the course offerings, talk to professors, talk to current and former students. Keep in mind that schools have different focuses, even within a transportation specialization (some are more policy and theory, some are more technical).

I also think it's important to go to a program that is well rounded. Maybe you know absolutely that you want to do transportation, but good planners understand that land use, housing, transportation, economic, urban design, etc. all work together and it's helpful to understand something about all these things.

By the way, I took 2 classes from Vuchic at Penn. He's fantastic. But is he still teaching? He's definitely getting up in years.

by Esmeralda on Sep 4, 2009 3:51 pm • link • report

Planetizen has a directory:

http://www.planetizen.com/schools/directory

...and rankings (if you're looking for a way to quantify 'reputation'):

http://www.planetizen.com/topschools

Gotta pay for that, though. Like all other rankings, take it with a grain of salt - but it's as good of a starting point as any.

Programs do indeed vary a great deal in their focus, as well as the strengths of the faculty. Personal fit with the city and campus is also important (especially if you're going to go full-time).

by Alex B. on Sep 4, 2009 4:05 pm • link • report

Ann Forsyth at Cornell has some posts on the Planetizen blog that should be helpful to Leo.

http://www.planetizen.com/blog/10386

I don't know which schools have the best reputation for transportation planning, but it is important to be well rounded in all the aspects of planning. As anyone who hangs out here knows, the relationship between land use and transportation is critical. If you're interested in becoming a practitioner, I would recommend a program with an emphasis on studios or practicums, especially ones that are cross-disciplinary (that is, you would be the transportation guru on a team with architects, policy wonks, urban designers, planners, etc.).

by Matt L on Sep 4, 2009 4:07 pm • link • report

Matt Johnson's right, figure out what you really want to study, look at the professor bios, and if possible, meet them. I chose VT because I am concentrating on ped/bike, and met a VT professor with that specialty through work.

For somebody a different focus, the VT satellite program might not be the best, because it is a small program, and it's tough to get classes in cross-disciplines (econ, engineering, etc)

As EZ said, reputation matters. And connections, especially if you are looking for your degree to lead to a career change. Community too, so many opportunities seem to spring up to participate in a local practical project (got an email today about mapping for Safe Routes to Schools, for example)

Oh, and full v. part time -- I'm going part time, because since Jan 20th, my employer has been awesome, and I just want to open up some options to move around. If you're looking to do a career change, dive in with both feet and go full time, to the extent that you're able.

@EZ -- ask ralph about ride morning of Friday, 10/2, should be very interesting.

by darren on Sep 4, 2009 4:11 pm • link • report

Go Hokies.
For me VA in-state tuition and biking to class is hard to beat.

by spookiness on Sep 4, 2009 4:39 pm • link • report

Rutgers has a good and growing rep. 'Cycling Scholar' John Pucher is there. I've been looking at some of their online courses.

http://policy.rutgers.edu/

by Peter Smith on Sep 4, 2009 5:23 pm • link • report

To reiterate what's already been said, consider:

- The City, where a lot of your coursework will take place & draw inspiration from.

- The Professors, as you'll likely want like-minded professors; but you should also find professors whom may challenge you -- someone you can debate with

- The Courses, for obvious reasons. You want courses that interest you, and bear in mind that through your professors: you may be able to create new courses. A good city can help spurn that on: a veritable playground for grad students.

...And one more that I didn't spot above:

- The Curriculum. Consider whether you want to be more planner or more engineer: there is a vast difference. The former is more qualitative and tends to approach its subject as more of an art; whereas the latter tends to be more quantitative and approaches it as a science.

I've personally taken on the latter approach. I have a bachelors in Civil Engineering from Penn State with a focus on transportation and hydrology. There wasn't any significant planning program at Penn State when I was there (nor do I think there is now), but its engineering program itself is pretty good.

I also have a Masters in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland with a focus on transportation and urban planning. I built my own curriculum: taking almost 50% civil engineering courses and 50% planning courses. However, I wasn't particularly fond of either department and was a bit disillusioned by the faculty's lack of knowledge on the Purple Line; despite my professors being on the faculty senate and also being of both transportation engineer and/or planning backgrounds. /rant

There's no right or wrong path between being a planner or engineer. Rather, what I feel is most important is to become familiar with *both*. I know too many planners who lack the practical knowledge of engineers, just as I know too many engineers who lack the knowledge of social relationships which planners tend to be more cognizant of.

So in short... look for a program which draws upon both its engineering & planning curricula.

by Bossi on Sep 4, 2009 5:56 pm • link • report

I also have a MCP degree from the University of Maryland (although not with a transportation focus), so I would suggest setting up an appointment to visit and talk with faculty to see if it is a good fit.

I suggest paying for the Planetizen guide -- it's not perfect, but graduate school is a major decision. In addition, the American Collegiate Schools of Planning published this FREE guide to accredited planning programs that can be useful. However, as Bossi explained transportation as a field straddles planning and other disciplines so the planning-specific guides may miss some programs you may be interested in.

To throw another school into the mix: MIT offers two programs that may be of interest: the Master of Science in Transportation through the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Department of Urban Studies and Planning's Master of City Planning also offers a transportation research area.

Finally, you should think about how to get involved in the field now to help you get into these programs!

by Rob Goodspeed on Sep 5, 2009 7:15 pm • link • report

Leo -
I would suggest that you look at the program's balance of academic (read: research) and professional projects integrated into the curriculum. I'm a recent Penn Planning grad, and one of the reasons I decided to go there was because I wanted Penn's seamless integration of classroom and city. Penn uses Greater Philadelphia as its laboratory (for better and for worse), so my classmates and I had clients ranging from small neighborhood organizations to the Deputy Mayors of Philadelphia to an international planning and urbanism foundation.

Also, take into account your own financial stability, what you can afford to pay, and what you're willing to take in loans. Planning is usually considered a professional degree, and there is typically not a lot of scholarship or fellowship support available, especially at the private schools. I felt the debt was worth it, but not everyone does.

Finally, I can't stress enough that you should TALK TO STUDENTS. Via email, via phone, while visitng, whatever. It can't be stressed enough. They generally won't BS with you about how they feel about their program. In my experience, the students I spoke to before starting also became an excellent resource after choosing a school.

PS. Vuchic is still teaching transportation at Penn and taking students to the MTA railyards for fun....

by Chrissy on Sep 5, 2009 7:59 pm • link • report

On the subject of degrees, given that I do a lot of work in GIS, I've been looking at some sort of degree program in the GIS field...whether it be an outright GIS major or a Geography major with a GIS minor. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a GIS degree offered in a distance-learning environment. Furthermore...of the two main schools on the region (College Park and George Mason), one won't accept any of my military service, and I haven't been able to tell if the other has classes evenings and/or weekends (which would be a necessity for me to get a degree while I'm stationed here).

Not giving up, but it's not looking good for getting this while I'm here. Might have to get a degree in a different field (probably something meteorology-based), then do a "back-door way" into the GIS field.

by Froggie on Sep 6, 2009 8:23 am • link • report

Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning - http://www.acsp.org/

Want to find a school with a accredited urban planning program? Look no further.

--------------

With that said, is the Urban Planning program at VCU any good?

by Zac on Sep 6, 2009 2:25 pm • link • report

@ Zac - I went to VCU for undergrad in urban studies. I think their grad program on par with VA Tech and UMD. Richmond is a great "laboratory" for learning about cities (similar to what others have said about Philadelphia).

@ Froggie - I don't think that there are a lot of GIS degree programs out there. There are some certificate programs. Geography or computer science may be the way to go. There are also some planning programs with concentrations in IT.

by Matt L on Sep 6, 2009 7:10 pm • link • report

I'll also say one more thing on the previous comments about prestige and school reputation. One other thing matters a great deal - money. Planning is a solid profession, but it's not exactly the path to riches. The money that the schools might offer you will have to weigh on any decisions you might make, as well.

by Alex B. on Sep 6, 2009 7:48 pm • link • report

George Mason has a 36-credit graduate program in Transportation Planning, Operations, and Logistics. The experience of the professors varies and some of the courses are better than others. The program is a great opportunity to learn about transportation issues across several modes of transportation and some of the courses also include land-use planning. One of the benefits of the program is the quality of the guest-speakers that the professors are able to bring into the classroom.

by Ben on Sep 7, 2009 8:57 am • link • report

Here is the link for George Mason's program: http://www.gmupolicy.net/transport/ . It is conveniently located next to the Virginia Square metro station, not out in Fairfax. The School of Public Policy will be getting a completely new building next year.

Another excellent advantage of the program is the ability to network. Many of the students and graduates work at the US DOT, VDOT, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and various consulting firms.

by Ben on Sep 7, 2009 9:01 am • link • report

There is a lot of great advice above. Additionally: funding, funding, funding, and funding! Don't overlook the program's capabilities to fund your education. Whether they fund your degree from the start or after you prove yourself with a semester or year of coursework, I strongly recommend investigating the programs revenue sources and how they dole it out to their students. What type of research is conducted there and is it seeking out and acquiring funding? Are researchers active? Is there a research center that routinely acquires research grants? And so on. Obviously, this is even more important if you are going across state boundaries to find a planning school. And importantly, this is even more relevant now that the economy has taken a big fat hit. A planning degree is great, but you most likely won't graduate and find a high-paying job. So, investigate, think hard about, and do your best to find funding.

Good luck with your search and applications.

And for a bit of further thought, check out this NY Times commentary on master degrees, higher education: http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/what-is-a-masters-degree-worth/?emc=eta1

by Pete W on Sep 7, 2009 11:49 am • link • report

I went to the University of Texas at Austin for undergrad and grad. It's a great school with a lot of good opportunities to study anything you'd like from engineering to landscape arch and planning. I was able to tailor my studies to TOD specifically and thus far it seems to have worked out quite well i feel.

by The Overhead Wire on Sep 7, 2009 3:26 pm • link • report

UT @ Austin was one of the places I was highly considering right out of undergrad. I ultimately ended up at UMD because work would pay for it... a lovely lovely benefit.

by Bossi on Sep 7, 2009 5:17 pm • link • report

I just finished the dual degree program at UC Berkeley in City and Regional Planning and Transportation Engineering. Both programs tend toward the theoretical, and the planning program especially doesn't do a lot of hand holding. But academic resources at your disposal are nearly unlimited. I think MIT has a dual degree program too. The engineering side is good to have under your belt, and makes you credible with transportation engineers, who's power over the allocation of right-of-way is real if unjustified...

In order to investigate the programs I attended classes, which I would recommend.

by Chris G. on Sep 7, 2009 8:36 pm • link • report

Ahh I wish I had that kind of power over right-of-way... in Maryland and PA, at least: right-of-way allocation is at the mercy of the property owners! :P

by Bossi on Sep 7, 2009 10:49 pm • link • report

Leo,

I agree with those who have said go to the city that you want to work in after school and the city you get your inspiration from, with on caveat: cost.

I have a very good friend who went to Columbia and took on a boat-load of debt (along with other classmates). Now, she has a decent job, is barely covering her bills, and doesn't "love the job" as much as the study. She has two classmates that have to take on two jobs to live and one who ended up leaving the planning profession because she wasn't earning enough. (It's not like these are huge classes either. I think that Columbia graduates 15-20 planning students a year.)

While I realize this post is mostly about cost, it's also about future quality of life, and the ability to enjoy the city that you're working in, and not be beat down by it.

by MarkM on Sep 8, 2009 11:23 am • link • report

I am still kinda surprised that GMU doesn't have an urban planning program, given the geographic/demographic location it's permanently situated in.

Does anyone know if they'll have any such programs in the future?

by Zac on Sep 9, 2009 2:54 am • link • report

University of Virginia has a good planning MA program. For the most part, the emphasis is on environmental practices (land conservation, stormwater management, food systems, etc.), growth management, and regional planning. Charlottesville, of course, is not D.C. but I believe it does have some lessons to teach.

Transportation is not a strong point of the program at this time, although several of us students do have an interest in its interaction with land use. It's worth checking back in the Spring to see if there is a new hire or anything changes.

by Daniel on Sep 9, 2009 8:27 am • link • report

Matt L,

I might go for the Urban and Regional Studies BS @ VCU once I'm ready to transfer. If you don't mind me asking, with that BS degree, was it hard to find a job with it?

by Zac on Sep 12, 2009 7:17 pm • link • report

Zac,

I went straight from undergrad at VCU to a graduate planning program. It's a bit of a catch 22-- it can be tough to get a planning job without a master's degree, but you will get a lot more out of grad school with some experience under your belt.

If you want to get a job straight out of undergrad, I would recommend getting at least one internship while in school and learning the technical skills (GIS analysis, reading site plans, real estate finance, etc.) through your coursework.

by Matt L on Sep 13, 2009 4:25 pm • link • report

Matt L,

Right now, I am in the crossroads of deciding if I should go for the BS degree, the one that you took @ VCU or go to George Mason and go for their BS in Public Administration. From what I've heard having a Public Administration does come in handy in Urban Planning.

If you or anyone else on here would like to give their input on that, I would love to hear it. Thanks.

by Zac on Sep 17, 2009 8:18 am • link • report

Two questions for those urban planners out there:

1. Do you have any architectural backgrounds? I'm asking because I was wondering what type of involvement an urban planner has when it comes to smart growth projects and things similar.

2. I have heard that Statistics is one branch of math that I will need to know. Is that true?

by Zac on Dec 12, 2009 3:22 am • link • report