Master of Arts in Urban Planning & Real Estate Development (UPRED)

The mission of the program in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development is to provide a center for education, community dialogue and research to support urban growth, and revitalization in the St. Louis region and globally. The degree prepares planning professionals who have a clear understanding and appreciation of urban development as a public/private partnership. The program develops professional competencies in planning, technology, program definition and analysis and communication with diverse interests.

Why real estate? Land and land transactions are fundamental aspects of development and revitalization. Whether working on a neighborhood, infill-housing or attracting a major industry to increase employment, land transactions are a critical aspect of "making the deal." A basic understanding of financial concepts, land use laws, and the language of real estate transactions are important to both public and private sector professionals.

Though this program is offered in the Department of Public Policy under the College of Public Service, it operates in cooperation with the John Cook School of Business and the School of Law.

Curriculum

UPRED is a 45 credit hour program, designed as a two-year, full-time program including the summer session. A part-time option is available requiring a minimum participation of six to seven credit hours per semester. Participation in the program on a part-time basis requires continuous enrollment to allow completion in three-and-a-half years.

Key elements of the program are the studio/workshop courses, Internship (3 credit hours), and concentration. Workshop/studio courses are intended to develop your technological, teamwork, and leadership capacity in handling active planning problems. Building on the previous semester, each workshop/studio introduces a new problem to be resolved and new skills to be commanded.

The program offers each student the opportunity to enhance his or her interests by specializing in an area of concentration. To build a specialization, each student selects four courses from the approved elective list after consultation with his or her advisor.

Upon completion of the program, students must complete a Capstone Project.

Required Courses

PPS 500 - The Metropolis (3) or PPS 550 - History of Cities and Planning (3)
PPS 501 or RMET 520 - Research Methods (3)
PPS 510 - Urban Economic Development (3) or PPS 515 - Public Sector Economics (3)
PPS 525 - Infrastructure Planning and Process (3)
PPS 530 - Planning the Metropolis (3)
PPS 531 - Land Use Planning and Analysis (3)
LWL 768 - Land Use Control (3)
FINB 628 - Real Estate Finance (3)

Additional Requirements

PPS 544 - Planning and Development Studio (3)
PPS 585 - Capstone/Project (3)
PPS 594 - Internship (3)

Certificates

Add another dimension to your degree by supplementing it with a certificate:

• The Certificate in Organizational Development is an interdisciplinary program focusing on organizational effectiveness.
  
• The Certificate in Geographic Information Systems is designed to enhance decision-making capabilities with spacial analysis technologies.
  
  

Internships

The internship program has been developed in cooperation with numerous governmental, nonprofit and private sector agencies, serving both the St. Louis region and various governmental units through out the country. Interns have worked with organizations such as:

• The Bi-State Development Agency
• City of Chesterfield, MO
• City of Kirkwood, MO
• Bellerive Neighborhood Association
• East-West Gateway Coordinating Council
• City of St. Louis Community Development Agency
• St. Louis County Department of Planning
• St. Louis County Floodplain Management Program
• The Contemporary Art Museum - St. Louis
• Washington, D.C. Office of U.S. Representative Richard A. Gephardt
• St. Louis County World Trade Center
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service
• U.S. Senator James Talent
  
  

To Apply

Application forms may be obtained from the Graduate School. Necessary documentation, including undergraduate transcripts, Graduate Record Examinations or other equivalent standardized test scores, and letters of recommendation should be completed and submitted to them.

For More Information

To have information sent to you, fill out this on-line form.

You can also find out more about the program by talking with admissions counselor Iris Hampton. She can be reached by phone at (314) 977-3934 or via e-mail at hamptoi2@slu.edu.