The master of city and regional planning (M.C.R.P.) degree is generally recognized as the professional degree in the field. The M.C.R.P. program prepares students for practice in planning as well as policy and program development through a curriculum designed to develop an understanding of the linkages between the social, economic, and political factors of urban society and the physical and environmental framework of regions and communities.

The program requires two years of full-time course work, with a total of 48 credits earned during that time. Reflecting the school's philosophy of providing an interdisciplinary approach for each student, a minimum of 24 elective credits is included in the 48 credit total.

* Chosen from an extensive list of qualitative and quantitative courses approved by the program director.

Students may be excused from a required course if they demonstrate equivalent mastery of the subject matter. Application for waiver should be made to the faculty member in charge of the required course on the Waiver of Course Requirement Form available from the program secretary. Applicants for a waiver of studio courses should contact the program director. When waivers are granted, the student must substitute other courses to fulfill the 48-credit requirement for the M.C.R.P. degree or the 30-credit requirement for the M.C.R.S. degree. All electives are selected with the approval of a faculty adviser. A maximum of 12 graduate credits earned outside the department may be applied toward the M.C.R.P., subject to approval by the graduate faculty.

Undergraduate courses may be taken for graduate credit while a student is matriculated in the M.C.R.P. or M.C.R.S. program. They generally are taken when no comparable graduate courses are available within the Rutgers University system. In general, no more than six hours of undergraduate course credit taken while the student is in the graduate program may be applied to the graduate degree. Undergraduate courses to be taken for graduate credit must be reviewed and approved by the student's faculty adviser before the course is taken. Also, when registering, the student must insert a G prefix before the course number in order to receive graduate credit. Students who have taken an undergraduate course without the G prefix will find that the transcript indicates the course does not count toward their graduate degree.