Iowa State University

The STEM-designated and nationally ranked Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) degree at Iowa State University (ISU) prepares students with the education, practical and technical skills to be leaders in the planning profession. The MCRP degree is professionally accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board and is one of the most affordable in the Midwest.

Housed in the College of Design, you will study in a unique blend of planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and more. This interdisciplinarity prepares students to address contemporary challenges in community and regional development, create sustainable and equitable communities, and shape the future of our built and natural environments.

The program emphasizes critical thinking, enabling students to evaluate planning processes, analyze social and economic forces driving land use changes, and create alternative future scenarios. Through active learning and real-world experiences, students understand the history of planning, analyze modern issues with a strong foundation in planning theory, ethics, and principles of social justice and equity. Graduates engage in projects with local communities, fostering inclusive participation, and giving voice to diverse stakeholders. Graduates play an integral role in shaping the planning profession, not only in Iowa but across the U.S. and internationally. The MCRP concentrates on land use and transportation, community design and development, and rural and environmental planning. Students may design their own area of concentration with the assistance of their major professor.

ISU is a land-grant institution, providing MCRP students with numerous opportunities to gain real-world experience by collaborating with local communities as part of their learning experience. Recent classeshave worked with major planning issues: identifying locations for electric vehicle charging stations in Cedar Rapids and proposing strategies to prevent homelessness in Council Bluffs. Some class projects received awards from the Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association just as the Gap Analysis for Equity - Iowa City Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (2022) and the Adel Downtown Plan 2020-2040 (2020). The CRP Department also offers opportunities for students to study abroad: in the summer of 2024 students spend 2 weeks in Vienna, Austria, learning about smart cities strategies, and in the summer of 2025, students will have the opportunity to spend two weeks in spend Oslo and Stockholm.

The Department of Community and Regional Planning, where the MCRP program is housed, maintains a ratio of student and faculty that fosters close relationships between them. This learning environment allows for personalized mentorship, collaboration, and a strong sense of community, enabling students to develop their skills with direct support from experienced faculty. Additionally, faculty have connections in Central Iowa and across the region, bringing local community projects into the classroom, with hands-on, practical experiences being a part of a high-quality learning experience. Faculty members are renowned both nationally and internationally for their expertise in teaching, research, and professional practice. For example, one of our faculty is investigating how residential rental property owners respond to market shocks and how the decisions they affect local housing stability.

The CRP Department has a strong alumni network with graduates employed at public, private and non-governmental organizations across the region, at the local state and federal levels. An alumna (class of 2017) is working for the City of Ames as a planner on a variety of current planning projects including development review and floodplain management and enjoys speaking to classes and student groups about planning issues. Several students have summer internships and/or graduate assistantships, including participation in funded research as research assistants. These opportunities allow them to improve their practical and technical skills and build strong work ethics, and consequently getting excellent planning jobs within one year of graduation. A student (class of 2025) had an internship at Region XII Council of Governments and shared: "My supervisor made sure that I could experience working with comprehensive plans, hazard mitigation plans, grant writing, zoning codes. This was an incredible learning experience, and everyone was really welcoming".

The MCRP degree has 49-credit-hours and can be completed in two years full-time. Students have the option of adding a certificate such as the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or Preservation & Cultural Heritage, as part of their degree while still completing in two years. Students can also pursue double degrees such as MCRP and Master of Architecture. In addition to core courses and electives, students have the option to take a comprehensive exam or complete a master’s thesis.

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Website (https://www.design.iastate.edu/academics/graduate-programs/master-of-co…)

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