Regional and Community Planning
The 5-year Regional and Community Planning degree program now leads to a Master’s Degree
Regional and Community Planning Courses: 
Regional and Community Planning Curriculum More Regional and Community Planning Information
Regional and Community Planning is a multi-disciplinary graduate program specializing in the study of town and neighborhood planning, economic development, and policy analysis at a regional scale. Regional and Community Planning is a joint program with Landscape Architecture which offers the student a unique opportunity to develop study concentrations in community site-planning, natural resources and preservation planning, and geographic information systems based approaches to decision-making.
City/Community Planning, or Town Planning - as it is called in most places throughout the world - is a professional masters degree. The course of study is designed to prepare a student for a specific career at the local, metropolitan, or state level.
The primary mission of the Master of Regional and Community Planning program is to educate young professional planners to become directors or managers of community development/city planning departments, economic development agencies, housing or related departments and agencies in cities, small communities, counties, and regions. Some graduates may use the same educational background to become directors of planning or related activities in private consulting firms and research organizations, while others may enter the field of real estate development and a host of related disciplines.
The major objective of the program is to integrate the concept of comprehensive community development planning in an environmental context with considerations for social, economic, cultural and political issues in the community while recognizing the importance of financial management, private enterprise-government relations, and citizen participation in community decision making. Core courses reflect the impact of these key concerns on traditional planning activities, while exploring related ethical issues in depth.
With a firm educational foundation in basic planning and analytical techniques, management, human relations, and ethics, MRCP graduates will have the skills and judgment to become successful practicing planners.
Graduates who possess the Master of Regional and Community Planning degree are typically employed by cities, regions, or state planning agencies, in the various community planning and/or development departments. Since “planning” is a management degree, the opportunities for planning positions or planning related positions are limitless, both in the public/private realm and in the geographical area of coverage and interests. Opportunities abound in the areas of city planning, regional planning, neighborhood planning, transportation planning, community economic development agencies, city management, health planning, social planning, housing departments, area agencies on aging, resource planning and a preservation of ecosystems and the environment, urban design and historic preservation agencies, geographic information system analysts, demographic analysts, research and market analyst agencies, policy analysts, private consulting organizations (architects, engineers, and land planners), land development, developers and real estate appraisers, non-profit information dispersion agencies, land use law firms, etc. Our alumni are employed in various communities and agencies in the United States and Canada and in 35 countries throughout the world.
Visit the Landscape Architecture & Regional and Community Planning Website:
http://larcp.arch.ksu.edu/larcp/