In 2004, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers and the Rutgers Business School: Graduate Programs-Newark and New Brunswick (RBS) developed the implementation of a dual master of city and regional planning and master of business administration degree program (M.C.R.P./M.B.A.). The Bloustein School's planning program offers a broad array of courses in such areas as housing, transportation, community development, environment, urban and regional economics, and information technology, as well as concentrations in several specialized areas.
The 84-credit dual M.C.R.P./M.B.A. degree program can be completed in three years of full-time study. The total of 108 credits that would be required to obtain the two degrees separately (48 for M.C.R.P. and 60 for the M.B.A.) is thus reduced by 24 credits (12 credits each way), and the time from four to three years. The dual degree combines the complementary strengths of the two programs and provides a broad professional education ranging from city and regional policy planning to business administration and management. It is intended to produce professionals who will make meaningful contributions to the improvement of cities and regions with a full foundation of business principles.
DUAL M.C.R.P./M.B.A. DEGREE COURSE OF STUDY
Students in the three-year course of study will follow the following schedule:
Year 1: RBS: Minimum of 29 credits
Year 2: Bloustein School, urban planning program: Minimum of 24 credits
Year 3: Mix of courses in the RBS and Bloustein School as needed During the third year, students may need 18 additional business school credits and 12 additional Bloustein School, urban planning program credits to complete the requirements. Students may reduce this load in the third year by taking summer school courses, or by taking a heavier load in years 1 or 2.
Urban Planning Electives Students will select electives from the graduate course concentrations in the urban planning program. Please consult the concentrations page in this catalog for more information. The concentrations are:
1. Environmental and Physical Planning: Work in these areas investigates the nature, extent, and value of land use and development planning and of controls over land, including what controls mean for population growth or distribution, for the environmental quality of a region, for protecting ecological systems, for developing community structure, and for public and private development decisions.
2. Housing and Real Estate: A broad understanding of housing and development planning, housing economics and markets, land and building analysis, development, and marketing processes, particularly in the United States, is gained through a sequence of courses in development planning and practice; real estate research, finance, and investment; and housing impact analysis.
3. International Development and Regional Planning: National and regional contexts delineate study in this concentration, whether comparing issues and approaches in developed and less-developed countries or analyzing the development and evolution of regional or urban settlement systems in developed and developing countries.
4. Transportation Policy and Planning: The transportation policy and planning concentration provides a broad overview of the field as well as practical applications of planning methods in these areas. Characteristics of current highway and mass transit systems are examined in detail in the context of historical and recent trends.
5. Urban and Community Development: This concentration examines the physical, political, economic, and administrative elements of development, as well as the methods of assisting development impacts. Development is analyzed within both urban and suburban contexts. The primary emphasis is on the United States, although some information on Europe and developing countries is included.
It is assumed that many dual M.C.R.P./M.B.A. candidates will prefer to specialize in the housing and real estate concentration, but all concentrations are available subject to approval by RBS. All dual-program students will also satisfy all other requirements of their respective degrees, and should see the the two program descriptions for a complete set of requirements.
It is particularly important that the student obtain prior program approval for courses to be transferred in and counted toward the degree. Students should obtain prior approval from the RBS director of M.B.A. programs, and from the program director for the Bloustein School urban planning program.
ADMISSION AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Admission to the dual M.C.R.P./M.B.A. degree program is highly selective and requires simultaneous, separate applications to, and acceptance by, each school. The programs have individual admission requirements; applicants should consult each program for the expected content of an application. Part-time study plans are individually arranged to suit a student's particular circumstances; however, completion time is greatly extended.
For information, an application, and consultation on the M.C.R.P. admission and financial support process, please contact Steve Weston, assistant dean for student and academic services at 848-932-2728 or recruit@policy.rutgers.edu.
For the M.B.A. application and financial aid process, please contact Barbara Sackie, assistant dean and director of Rutgers Business School Graduate Programs at 848-445-4046 or email sackie@business.rutgers.edu.
