Graduate training in the School of Social Ecology is organized around the study of contemporary problems in the social and physical environment. Emphasis is placed primarily upon theory and research that have implications for policy and intervention. Problems are investigated from the complementary perspectives of a multidisciplinary faculty that includes specialists in social, developmental, clinical, environmental, and health psychology; urban and regional planning and architecture; urban sociology; law; criminology; and environmental health.
Among issues of long-standing interest in the School are crime and justice in society, social influences on health and human development over the life course, and the effects of the physical environment on health and human behavior. The graduate curriculum emphasizes an interdisciplinary orientation, training students to draw upon the knowledge offered by several of the traditional academic fields in order to examine important social, legal, and environmental problems from a perspective of breadth as well as depth.
Programs of study leading to the M.A., M.S., M.U.R.P., and Ph.D. degrees are offered. Doctoral students have the opportunity to pursue an individualized course of study in the principles and methods of social ecology, leading to the Ph.D. in Social Ecology, or a specialized course of study that leads to the Ph.D. in Social Ecology with a concentration in Environmental Analysis and Design. Additional programs lead to one of the following degrees: Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society; Ph.D. in Environmental Health Science and Policy; Ph.D. in Health Psychology; Ph.D. in Human Development; or Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning. Master's degree students may elect a course of study that leads to the M.A. in Social Ecology, the M.A. in Social Ecology with a concentration in Demographic and Social Analysis, the M.S. in Environmental Health Science and Policy, or the Master of Urban and Regional Planning. In addition, many students in the Ph.D. programs in Human Development, Health Psychology, and Criminology, Law and Society obtain an M.A. in Social Ecology on the way to their Ph.D.
Social Ecology faculty members apply diverse methods of scientific inquiry to social and environmental problems. Evaluation research, legal research, questionnaire and survey methods, field research, naturalistic observation, and quasi-experimental techniques receive emphasis along with laboratory experimentation. Collaborative research with faculty members is an important component of graduate education in the School.
A sampling of faculty research and teaching interests includes human stress, health promotion, biobehavioral bases of health and illness, program evaluation, economic change and behavioral disorders, atypical child development, adaptive aging, end-of-life medical decision-making, violence and aggression, legal sanctions and deterrence, white-collar and organized crime, police work, transitions to parenthood, personality and psychopathology, effects of social environments on early child development, urban growth management and policies, transportation policies, poverty and homelessness, water quality and water policy, air quality, biotechnology, epidemiology, the use of scientific information in public policy formation and litigation, community approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention, the health impacts of work environments, and processes involved in environmental regulation.
Students should submit their complete application file including the application form, transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores by January 9 if they are applying to the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior or by January 15 if they are applying to any other department. Additional information is available from the Social Ecology Graduate Counselors; telephone (949) 824-5917, 824-5918.
Graduates enjoy a wide variety of career opportunities and have succeeded in obtaining positions in academic institutions such as Stanford University; Rutgers University; The Johns Hopkins University; Temple University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Diego; University of Colorado; University of Kansas; University of Minnesota; the University of Oregon; the University of Wisconsin; Indiana University; Carnegie Mellon University; and the City University of New York. Other graduates have established research and administrative careers in government agencies and private firms throughout the United States and Canada, including the National Institutes of Health, the Toronto Department of Public Health, The United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, The Philadelphia Geriatric Center, The New Mexico Tumor Registry, Orange County Superior Court, Southern California Metropolitan Water District, and in marketing and research firms such as the Yankelovich Group.
At the graduate level, the emphasis in the School of Social Ecology is on the Ph.D. program, with the exception of the M.A. in Social Ecology with a concentration in Demographic and Social Analysis, the M.S. in Environmental Health Science and Policy, and the Master of Urban and Regional Planning. In very rare circumstances a student may be admitted directly to the M.A. degree program in Social Ecology. Students interested in this option only must call the Social Ecology Graduate Office at (949) 824-5917 before submitting their applications.
Master's degree students are assigned a faculty advisor with whom the student discusses an individual program of education. The program leading to the M.A. degree in Social Ecology requires a thesis and satisfactory completion of seven approved courses (28 units), including the Seminar in Social Ecology (Social Ecology 200), Research Methods (Social Ecology 201), and at least one additional approved course in statistics or methodology. Other courses should be selected with regard to the student's academic and career objectives, and must be approved by the faculty advisor. The seven required courses must include at least five graduate courses and must be exclusive of any directed study, independent study, or thesis courses (Social Ecology 298, 299, or 295). A grade of B or better must be achieved in all courses. Students are advanced to candidacy for the M.A. degree, and a thesis committee is appointed, after a review of their graduate work and thesis plans by a faculty committee.
The M.A. in Social Ecology with a concentration in Demographic and Social Analysis offers training in the practical research skills needed to address analytical problems confronting society, business, government, and the nonprofit sector. The concentration emphasizes the Pacific Rim and issues defining Southern California's population, such as immigration, changing household and family structure, racial and economic inequalities, and the impact of local and regional population growth. Informed by the interdisciplinary field of demography, the program draws on faculty and courses in the Schools of Social Ecology and Social Sciences.
The concentration in Demographic and Social Analysis offers the option of additional professional certification for doctoral students already admitted to the School of Social Ecology. Admission, core course, and thesis requirements are identical to those for the general M.A. in Social Ecology. In addition, students must complete 12 units of designated electives in population issues or research methods. Up to two upper-division undergraduate courses may be approved to fulfill the elective requirement. Students interested in this concentration should call the Graduate Counseling Office at (949) 824-5924 for more information.
The Master of Science (M.S.) in Environmental Health Science and Policy (EHSP) trains environmental professionals for applied analytical and administrative positions in government, commerce, and the nonprofit sector. In common with the doctoral program in EHSP, training focuses on the integration of natural and social science knowledge for the promotion of human health within a sustainable ecosystem. M.S. students must complete a core of five required courses: Environmental Health Science (EHS) I, II, III; Data Analysis, Part A (Social Ecology 264A); and Data Analysis, Part B (Social Ecology 264B) or Ecological Modeling (Social Ecology 252); and three electives. Students must also complete a field study of about six months in duration, resulting in a defended Master's thesis and degree completion within two to three years.
The Master of Urban and Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.) program trains researchers and professionals in contemporary methods of planning and policy analysis. The program is fully accredited by the National Planning Accreditation Board and has 14 core full-time faculty. Students gain familiarity with planning problems and practices through a series of courses on the growth and development of metropolitan areas, and the environmental, economic, and social challenges that modern communities face. This program views planners as mediators between the market-driven forces of metropolitan change and the environmental, economic, and social impacts of such change.
The program leads to the M.U.R.P. degree--Master of Urban and Regional Planning. Students are required to complete 72 units, distributed between core and elective courses. Required courses are History of Urban Planning (U202), Microeconomics Analysis for Urban Planning (U206), Quantitative Analysis for Planners (U214), Development Control Law and Policy or Environmental Law and Policy (U207 or U252), Analytical Methods for Planning (U215), Regional Analysis or Urban Sociology (U223 or U274), and two quarters of Urban Planning Studio (U280A-B). Master's degree specializations include community development and social policy, economics and public policy, land use policy, environmental policy and planning, transportation policy, community health planning, and urban design and behavior. In addition, a written comprehensive examination or a professional report is required during the last quarter of residency in the program. Successful completion of the examination or professional report is required before the degree can be awarded. A thesis is not required.
Some of the specific planning issues addressed include the environmental, social, health, and economic impacts of urban and regional development; regional growth management; state and municipal fiscal policy; poverty-related concerns; urban design; the operation of housing and land markets; land-use law and regulation; transportation planning; and planning for urban development in newly industrialized countries. Students are provided not only with a rigorous foundation in the tools that public and private sector planners use, but also with the intellectual wherewithal to use them effectively in addressing these concerns.
Practical experience in community planning in the form of part-time planning internships is strongly encouraged and supported as part of a student's education. Additionally, a two-quarter Planning Studio in the second year of study links classroom learning to work on a community-based and client-based planning project. Students have access to drafting stations and computers for use in planning studies, geographic information systems (ARC-VIEW) courses, and research. Students also have full access to computer laboratories in the two Social Ecology buildings which are equipped with word processing, statistical, spreadsheet, and database programs; electronic mail, and World Wide Web browsers.
The range of employment opportunities for professional planners in the public and private sectors is expanding due to rapid metropolitan growth, rising concerns over health and environmental issues, and the continuing need for redevelopment and social services in older communities. Career paths exist in government agencies dealing with urban planning, economic development, transportation planning, regional growth management, air quality and water treatment, public utilities, health care organizations and public health agencies, and conservation organizations and agencies. Many employment possibilities also exist with private consulting firms specializing in environmental impact assessment, with residential and commercial development firms, and many engineering and architectural firms.
The doctoral programs offered by the School of Social Ecology prepare students for academic careers in research and teaching. Graduates also are well qualified for employment in private or government agencies, where they can bring advanced academic training, strong methodological and statistical skills, and special expertise to such issues as environmental health and design, urban and regional planning, criminal justice, and social policies affecting mental and physical health across the life course. Students who enter with the normal academic preparation and pursue a full-time program of study ordinarily should be able to earn the Ph.D. in four to five years of study beyond the baccalaureate.
Each incoming Ph.D. student is assigned a faculty advisor with whom the student should meet at least once every quarter to discuss an individualized program of graduate education. The following core courses are required of all Ph.D. students except those enrolled in the Environmental Health Science and Policy doctoral program and the Urban and Regional Planning doctoral program: Seminar in Social Ecology (Social Ecology 200), Research Methods (Social Ecology 201), two approved quarters of graduate-level statistics, and one additional approved research methods course.
In addition to these five required core courses, doctoral students take additional required and elective courses, as summarized in subsequent sections that describe the individual Ph.D. programs. This additional course work is exclusive of any field study, directed study, independent study, or dissertation research courses (Social Ecology 297, 298, 299, or 296).
School faculty believe that Ph.D. students should become involved in research very early in their graduate careers. To encourage such involvement, doctoral students are encouraged to complete a research project before advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The method of research may include experiments, questionnaire and interview studies, systematic field observation, secondary analysis, computer simulations, legal research, and other methods. It is expected that students will begin their project during the first year in residence and will complete it during the second year.
A student may be formally advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree when all requirements except the dissertation have been completed, and when the student's dissertation plan has been approved by the candidacy committee appointed by the School of Social Ecology, on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council. The student will appear before this committee for an oral examination. The dissertation plan will include a thorough examination of the history of the problem being proposed for investigation, its current status, the way in which the proposed research will further knowledge, a detailed specification of the proposed method of investigating the problem, and a description of the planned methods for analyzing the data collected. It is strongly recommended that students advance to candidacy during their third year of study. In no case will students be allowed to advance to candidacy after the end of their fifth year of study.
Formal advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree will be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies upon recommendation by a unanimous vote of the student's candidacy committee. Alternatively, the committee may recommend a course of action to strengthen the student for advancement to candidacy at a future date. When the student is advanced to candidacy, a doctoral committee will be appointed on behalf of the Graduate Council. The doctoral committee, ordinarily consisting of three members of the faculty, will supervise the preparation and completion of the doctoral dissertation. The dissertation should be completed and accepted within one to two years, and no later than three calendar years after the student's advancement to candidacy.
All Ph.D. students who have not been advanced to candidacy will be formally evaluated by members of the Social Ecology faculty at the end of each year. At that time, the faculty may recommend that the student continue toward the Ph.D. degree, complete the M.A. degree only, or cease graduate studies in the School. Evaluation of Ph.D. students who have advanced to candidacy is the responsibility of the student's doctoral dissertation committee. Prior to the award of the Ph.D. degree, each doctoral student must serve as a Teaching Assistant under faculty supervision for at least two quarters.
The training program that leads to the Ph.D. in Social Ecology allows students to develop a tailored course of graduate study that draws upon the knowledge of several traditional academic disciplines. This is a small distinguished program intended for genuinely interdisciplinary doctoral students. The emphases of this training program are in keeping with the academic mission of the School, namely, its emphases on an ecological approach to research and policy, an interdisciplinary approach to research and community intervention, and the application of theory and research to community problem solving. Students are encouraged to integrate the diverse theoretical and methodological insights of several disciplines in order to analyze important social and environmental problems from a perspective of breadth as well as depth. In doing so, students gain familiarity with the classic and contemporary literature in social ecology and with the application of the ecological paradigm, as it has evolved in the natural and behavioral sciences. This program is ideally suited for independent students who wish to develop a unique interdepartmental program of study in consultation with faculty from several departments.
Each incoming student takes the five core courses required of most Ph.D. students, noted above, and six elective courses, chosen in consultation with the faculty advisor. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. requirements is four to five years. Students are encouraged to become involved in research in their first year of study by participating in the research projects of the faculty. Students complete a supervised research project before they begin work on their doctoral dissertation. Research is broadly construed to include experimental methods, questionnaire and interview studies, systematic field observation, secondary analyses, and legal analyses. This predissertation research project should be completed during the second year in residence and must be evaluated and approved by a committee of three faculty members.
Students complete the breadth requirement during their third year of study. This is accomplished through successful completion of either a written comprehensive examination or the submission of a major paper or series of papers that intensively examine specific substantive problems and bodies of research. Preferably, the perspective taken should be multidisciplinary, but a single disciplinary approach is acceptable if it is more congruent with the student's educational goals and is acceptable to the student's committee. Each student's plans for completing the breadth requirement are developed in collaboration with a committee of three Social Ecology faculty members. Students are encouraged to meet with this committee as early as possible during their graduate career and are required to do so by no later than the third quarter of their second year. Once the student's plans have been approved and implemented, the examining committee will determine whether the breadth requirement was successfully completed, and will recommend additional academic work if it is deemed necessary. The fourth and possibly fifth years of study are devoted to developing and defending a dissertation proposal and conducting dissertation research.
The doctoral concentration in Environmental Analysis and Design prepares students to conduct research on questions of vital importance to professionals in environmental analysis and evaluation, in environmental design and behavior, and on related questions on the formulation of environmental and health policy. These questions reflect an overarching concern with the effects of the natural and built environments on the health and social well-being of humans.
This doctoral concentration particularly focuses on insights from a social ecological perspective. One of the concentration's strengths is its research sequence which spans the disciplines within the Departments of Environmental Analysis and Design and Urban and Regional Planning. Students typically choose the majority of their graduate classes from those two departments.
Students conduct analyses of sociocultural, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence health and well-being, including public and private sector policy. They are also trained to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to enhance the health of individuals and the community as a whole. The curriculum and diversity of faculty within the concentration afford unique opportunities for multidisciplinary research and training.
Potential employment sources for graduates include academic and research institutions; federal agencies; policy-making organizations; urban and regional planning agencies; national, community, and workplace health-promotion programs; and environmental design consulting firms.
Each incoming student takes the five core courses required of most Ph.D. students, noted earlier, and eight elective courses drawn from the focal areas within this concentration: Environmental Design and Behavior, Environmental Policy, Earthquake Geology and Environmental Hazard, Social Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and Health Promotion. The elective courses cover topics such as environmental and urban design, environmental health risks, urban planning, behavioral epidemiology, demography, urban and regional analysis, technological hazards and change, international environmental policy, environmental psychology, and geographical information systems. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. requirements is four to five years. Students are expected to become involved in research activities in their first year of graduate study. Students complete a supervised research project before they begin work on their doctoral dissertation. This predissertation research project should be completed during the second year in residence (preferably by the end of the winter quarter of the second year). The research project must be evaluated and approved by a committee of three faculty members. Students complete the breadth requirement, described earlier, during their third year of study. The fourth and possibly fifth years of study are devoted to developing and defending a dissertation proposal and conducting dissertation research.
The study of crime, institutional responses to illegal behavior, and the interaction of law and society are the foci of the doctoral program in Criminology, Law and Society. Students examine issues related to the etiology of crime, the process of changing criminal behavior, social regulation, the civil justice system, and the social and cultural context of law.
Students gain familiarity with a number of subjects including sentencing; crime rates; modes of modifying criminal behavior; police behavior; white collar and organized crime; hate crimes; behavior of courts, juries, and regulatory agencies; environmental law; immigration law; Native American justice issues; and the interaction among law, culture, and identity. In general, students are introduced to the leading classical and contemporary issues in criminology, law and society and to ways of understanding them through interdisciplinary research. The program aims to develop theoretical sophistication and to prepare the graduate student for faculty positions at major universities; and for research and administrative work in institutions in the legal system, the criminal justice system, and related organizations.
In addition to the five core courses required of most Ph.D. students, noted earlier, students take at least three required courses, Theories of Crime, (C235), Law and Society, (C239), Legal Reasoning, (C237), and four elective courses in Criminology, Law and Society. These elective courses should be chosen in consultation with the student's faculty advisor. Students become involved in research activities from the earliest stages of their training and complete an independent, supervised research project during the second year of graduate study. Methods of research may include questionnaires and surveys, systematic field observation, computer simulation, legal analyses, and archival research. Students complete a written comprehensive examination during year three, which requires them to demonstrate mastery of major theoretical, substantive, and methodological issues in criminology, law and society. The fourth and, possibly, fifth years of study are devoted to developing and defending a dissertation proposal and completing dissertation research. Opportunities for field placements in legal and criminal justice settings also are available.
Human health and the integrity of the natural environment are interdependent. More now than ever, challenges in public health and the environment must be faced using knowledge both from the social and the natural sciences. The graduate program in Environmental Health Science and Policy (EHSP) is rooted in existing disciplines, but emphasizes an emerging common base of knowledge that spans both the social and the natural sciences. To optimize flexibility, including options for primary emphasis on laboratory and field work, the curriculum is organized around four concentrations. The concentration in Environmental Biotechnology provides training in the use of microbial, genetic, or molecular applications for environmental monitoring, environmental cleanup, and other related purposes. The concentration in Environmental Health Science expands its conventional focus to include ecological context. The concentration in Environmental Management and Policy explores the linkages between physical environmental problems and the social institutions that are both their cause and solution. The concentration in Epidemiology and Public Health embeds traditional approaches in these fields within a framework of physical and natural systems.
Within each concentration, students are expected to develop interests in particular substantive problems, for example, those of the core faculty, which include water quality monitoring and bioremediation, toxic metals in the environment (their characterizations, exposure levels, and health effects), international conflict and cooperation in resource management, habitat restoration and conservation biology, the demographic foundation of health and well-being, and the epidemiology of violence and injury-prevention. Students are prepared to become active researchers, able to assume positions in higher education, government, commerce, or the nonprofit sector--wherever environmental quality is of concern.
Prior to graduate program admission, students must elect one of the four EHSP concentrations listed above. For all concentrations, students must complete a core of five required courses: Environmental Health Science (EHS) I, II, III; Data Analysis, Part A (Social Ecology 264A); and Data Analysis, Part B (Social Ecology 264B) or Ecological Modeling (Social Ecology 252). In addition, students must complete six approved electives relating to their respective concentrations. Consistent with the program's multidisciplinary nature, elective courses may be drawn not only from within the Department of Environmental Analysis and Design but (with approval) from throughout the School of Social Ecology and the campus (including, for example, the College of Medicine or the School of Engineering). After the second year, students must submit a written doctoral research proposal. Advancement to doctoral candidacy is achieved upon successful defense of the proposal during an oral, comprehensive qualifying examination. Degree completion should occur in four or five years. In addition, doctoral students must serve a minimum of three quarters as a teaching assistant.
Doctoral training in Health Psychology focuses on identifying, evaluating, and enhancing the psychosocial and behavioral factors that promote health, prevent disease, and optimize medical treatments. The training program involves a strong commitment to multidisciplinary scholarship and a focus on knowledge and theory, research competencies, and professional skills. Students are encouraged to join active investigative teams studying processes such as adaptive aging; stress, coping, and social support; biobehavioral mechanisms of cardiovascular reactivity; personality factors that increase resilience to health threats; the development of health behaviors during childhood and adolescence; worksite health promotion; economic stress and behavior disorders; and responses to environmental, technological, and health risks. In addition, a year-long practicum provides students with research experience in health care settings and exposure to clinical interventions in the field of health psychology. Potential employment sites for graduates include academic institutions; health care settings; federal agencies; school, workplace, and community health-promotion programs; research organizations; and university and government policy institutes.
Students take the five core courses required of most Ph.D. students, noted earlier. In addition, students take four required health psychology courses, Seminar in Health Psychology (P258), Biobehavioral Aspects of Health and Illness (P273), Human Stress and the Environment as Stressor (P267) or Coping with Stressful Life Events (P268), and the three-quarter Practicum in Health Psychology (P209A-B-C). Also, students take one health psychology elective, Perceptions of Environmental and Health Risks (E206), Interpersonal Processes and Health (P262), Health and Social Relations (Social Science 252O); and three additional courses, e.g., Late Adulthood and Aging (P225), Violence and Its Social Impact (P237), Environmental Psychology (E288), only one of which can be taken from the Health Psychology cluster.
Students are expected to become involved in research activities from the earliest stages of their training and must complete an independent, supervised research project during their second year. Students take a written comprehensive examination during their third year, which requires them to demonstrate mastery of the principles of social ecology and major theoretical, substantive, and methodological issues in health psychology. The fourth and possibly fifth years are devoted to developing and defending a dissertation proposal and completing dissertation research. Opportunities for field placements in health-related settings also are available.
Students must complete all requirements for the Ph.D. in Health Psychology no later than their eighth year of study, adjusted for any approved leaves of absence that may have been taken. It is expected that most students will complete the degree requirements well in advance of this deadline.
The doctoral program in Human Development focuses on the development of individuals across the life course and the effects of the varying social, physical, and cultural contexts in which development takes place. Students are introduced to key developmental theories and concepts, with attention to all phases of the life course; the research methods of several social science specialities; and the conduct of problem-oriented research that is relevant to the improvement of individual and societal functioning. Potential employment sites for graduates include academic institutions (e.g., departments of psychology or human development); research organizations; human services settings (e.g., hospitals, schools, community agencies); government policy institutes; and a variety of private sector employers.
Students are encouraged to become actively involved in research from the earliest stages of their training. Through close association with faculty members in the Human Development program and participation in their research projects, students learn to use a variety of research methods and to conduct methodologically sophisticated research that addresses contemporary social issues. Current research teams are investigating family, school, and cultural influences on academic achievement and psychosocial development; transition to parenthood; development in early childhood and the effects of variations in the social environment; the effects of divorce and custody arrangements; effects of parental employment on children's social development; children's social development; relations between cognitive and emotional development; children's health-risk perceptions; adaptation to stress over the life span; and the social relationships and well-being of the elderly.
Students take the five core courses required of most Ph.D. students, noted earlier. In addition, students take two required human development courses, Principles of Human Development (P220) and Issues in Human Development (P236); and two of five life cycle courses chosen from the following: Infancy (P218), Childhood (P234), Adolescence (P204), Adulthood (P230), Late Adulthood and Aging (P225). An additional four elective courses are selected from the following six clusters: life span development; foundations of development; social, physical, and cultural contexts of development; health and adjustment over the life span; social problems and policies; and methods and strategies of research. These courses should be chosen according to a plan that best meets the needs of the individual student, as determined in consultation with the student's faculty advisor. In addition to courses offered by the School of Social Ecology, the Human Development curriculum may include courses offered by the Department of Psychobiology in the School of Biological Sciences, the Graduate School of Management, and the Departments of Anthropology and Sociology in the School of Social Sciences.
Students complete an independent, supervised research project during their second year. They take a written comprehensive examination during their third year, which requires them to demonstrate mastery of the principles of social ecology and of major theoretical, substantive, and methodological issues in the study of human development. The fourth and possibly fifth years are devoted to developing and defending a dissertation proposal and completing dissertation research.
Students must complete all requirements for the Ph.D. in Human Development no later than their eighth year of study, adjusted for any approved leaves of absence that may have been taken. It is expected that most students will complete the degree requirements well in advance of this deadline.
The doctoral program in Urban and Regional Planning seeks to train researchers and professionals who will further our understanding of how planning and policy-making can best improve the social, economic, and environmental characteristics of our communities and regions. The curriculum emphasizes the analytic, applied planning, and policy skills required of contemporary researchers. Specializations include community development and social policy, land use policy, economics and public policy, environmental policy and planning, transportation policy, community health planning, and urban design and behavior. UCI's proximity to both urban centers and planned suburban communities, as well as its location within the dynamic Southern California and Pacific Rim regions, add to the program's appeal.
The Ph.D. program in Urban and Regional Planning features course work in planning theory and research methods, and there are substantial choices in elective courses on critical issues in urban and regional planning. Students complete eight required courses and at least four elective courses. A pre-dissertation research project, supervised by a faculty member, is required during the second year. The third year includes preparation for, and completion of a comprehensive examination. Following this, dissertation proposals and research begin. The normative time for completion of the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning is five years. Doctoral students who wish to earn the existing Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning can do so by fulfilling all of the course and eligibility requirements for that degree. Three required courses for the Master's degree are also part of the Ph.D. program.
Graduates with a doctorate degree in Urban and Regional Planning are employed in a wide array of activities, ranging from university teaching and research, to administrative and research-oriented positions in governmental agencies, international agencies, nonprofit organizations (including research institutions), and private consulting practices. There are a broad range of specialties in which graduates can apply their skills. Land-use policy research, environmental management analysis, social policy research and implementation, economic development program analysis, transportation analysis, and research on the physical design of communities and urban spaces are only some of the various occupational functions.
