Graduate Catalog: 2012-2013 - Alabama A&M University

URP 504 Internship - Three semester hours. Thepurpose of this course is to provide on-the-jobtraining for students who have not had any priorwork experience in the field for which they aretraining. Students perform a pre-determined workassignment under direct agency supervision of tenhours during fall and spring semesters, and 20 hoursduring the summer. Individual work plans andlearning outcomes are established to support theinternship experience. (Pre-requisite- six semesterhours in the MURP program)URP 506 Urban Economics - Three semesterhours. A study of the economic forces underlyingurban phenomena or problems; industrial andresidential location, urban transportation, wastedisposal and pollution, urban government finance,poverty, crime and income, maintenance programs.(Pre-requisite: ECO 232 or ECO 231)URP 510 Theory and History of Planning - Threesemester hours. This course examines the evolutionof the urban and regional planning profession. Itpresents alternative theories of planning andcritically examines procedural, substantive, anddecision-making theories of planning practice. Thecourse also explores the relationship of history andtheories of planning to equity, diversity, ethics andvalues issues in the society and in the profession.URP 511 Planning Research Methods I(Quantitative Analysis) - Three semester hours. Abasic graduate course on statistical concepts andmethods with applications in urban and regionalplanning. It is intended to give the student a broadunderstanding of the meaning, purpose, methodsand use of descriptive and inferential procedures inurban analysis and planning. It includes a review ofbasic mathematical concepts fundamental toquantitative methods, linear and nonlinear functionsfocusing on growth curves, data measurement anddisplay, descriptive statistics and probability, andintroduction to use of computer software packages(SPSS) as a tool in analysis of planning related data.URP 513 Urban Geography - Three semesterhours. This course analyzes the location, evolution(including decline and rebirth) of cities, andfunctional classification of cities. Urban growththeories and economic influence of cities over largergeographic areas are also studied.URP 515 Regional Development Theory - Threesemester hours. This course provides an introductionto regional development theory, issues and policy.The topics covered in the course include location ofeconomic activities, trade and other forms of contactbetween regions, processes of regional growth anddecline, reasons for different levels of economicdevelopment, relations between more or lessdeveloped regions, the effects of globalization ondevelopment, and implication for regional planningpolicy.US 519 Seminar of Social Policy Issues - Threesemester hours. This course provides the studentwith the opportunity to analyze demographicchanges, needs and ideological debates which affectsocial policy in the US compared with othersocieties.URP 520 Legal Basis of Planning - Three semesterhours. The course focuses on statutory law, policiesand the constitutional framework which support theauthority for planning and guiding urban andregional development. Through the examination ofenabling legislation models, general plans, zoning,development reviews systems, and planning law,this course provides an understanding of how lawand urban policy intersect and thus influence theplanning process.URP 521 Planning Research Methods II (AppliedResearch Methodology) – Three semester hours.This course presents a range of concepts whichprovide a foundation for the student to understandand apply appropriate research methods accordingto the research need. Both quantitative andqualitative research designs are explored along withtechniques of data collection, treatment, analysisand interpretation which support development andpreparation of professional plans and reports andtheir evaluation in the practice of planning. (Prerequisite:Instructor’s approval required)URP 525 Planning Studio I - Three semesterhours. This course focuses on local land useplanning and site design. It is designed to providethe students with practical experiences in urbandevelopment process, the basic methods and tools ofsite and land use planning, evaluation, andimplementation strategies. (Pre-requisite-Instructor’s approval required)URP 526 Computer Applications in Planning -Three semester hours. This course is designed forbeginning graduate students in urban and regionalplanning. It begins with an overview of excel andexploration of GIS web resources. It advances toapplication of Arc GIS desktop in local and regionalplanning. Approximately half of the class time174