Graduate Program
Certificate in Urban Policy (UP)/ Urban Policy and Planning (UPP)
"During the present decade, for the first time in human history, a majority of the world's population will live in cities. The future of humanity will be urban, and there is no more important task facing policymakers than understanding human behavior in urban settings. We offer two certificate programs to meet the challenge. The Certificate in Urban Policy stresses the social, economic, and political dimensions of urban problems and equips students to contribute to debates on segregation, schooling, crime, housing, environmental quality, public services, migration, labor markets, and the fiscal and management problems that preoccupy urban governments today. The Certificate in Urban Policy and Planning exposes students to many of the same issues, but adds a focus on physical planning and design to address pressing challenges in transportation, land-use planning, environmental quality, public architecture, open space, zoning, and other planning issues."
Douglas S. Massey
Faculty Chair of the Ph.D. Program, the Certificate in Demography,
and the Certificates in Urban Policy/Urban Policy and Planning;
Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs
Gillian Morejon Gutierrez (MPA-URP '06)
Program Analyst with the Women's Bureau in the Department of Labor.
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Overview
Two distinct certificates are offered to M.P.A. and M.P.P. students to replace the former Master in Public Affairs/Urban and Regional Planning (M.P.A./U.R.P.) joint degree program.
Both certificates are grounded in the interdisciplinary and comparative study of cities and urban problems in both advanced industrialized and developing countries. The Certificate in Urban Policy (UP) emphasizes the social, economic, and political dimensions of urban problems, and is designed to prepare students for careers in urban policy analysis and development in international agencies, national, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and think tanks. The Certificate in Urban Policy and Planning (UPP) builds on this scholarly foundation and adds a focus on physical planning.
Curriculum
The UP certificate requires two core courses WWS 537 Social Organization of Cities and WWS 540 Urbanization and Development. For the UPP certificate, students must take one of these two core courses, in addition to two core courses in planning theory and methods. For both certificates, there are two elective course requirements. Popular elective s courses include Urban Economic Development and Land Use Policy and Planning. In both certificate programs, students are required to take a policy workshop that has been designated for urban policy. In the recent past, relevant workshops have included 1) Reconstructing Home Ownership in Newark, 2) Global Migration and Local Integration: Government Efforts to Integrate Immigrants in Houston, Seattle and Raleigh, 3) Urban Expansion, Land Conversion, Affordable Housing and Energy Use in China: Case Study of Zhengzhou.
Newsha Dau, MPA/URP '05
Special Assistant to the Director,Citywide Traffic Services Group,District of Columbia Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
A Peace Studies major while in college, Newsha Dau wanted to complement her education with quantitative, research, and writing skills that would make her a valuable member of any team.